Ive used silicone sealant (the pure aquarium/food grade stuff) to mount fans and heatsinks in various odd places on my computers for about a decade. No complaints so far, except for getting the last bit of it off when needed.

The stuff mlord is talking about is terrific - I picked some up in the "datacomm" section at Home Depot and it works well. It peels off of a backing strip.

Roofing tar is very easy to sculpt and apply so I always recommend it for all around use, including sealing rubber coax-connection boots. No boots? Use the stuff above. I haven't tried removing the coax seal tape stuff but I'm hoping its as easy to remove as roofing tar with gasoline, varsol, or camping fuel.

300ohm, the temperature listings for silicone are "best case" scenarios, and in most of Canada we don't really focus so much on the ambient winter temperatures as much as the wind chill factor.

The thermometer mignt say -25C outside but with a 30kph breeze the wind chill effect mignt make it seem like -50C. There is an actual formula for calculating wind chill but I just threw out a number for dramatic effect ;)

Anyways I can confirm after many years of experience in the bone chilling cold that siicone has problems in the winter. In places like Wyoming, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Vermont, and Maine they know what I'm talking about too.

You're right....I couldn't comprehend what that feels like....
and fortunately, I don't remember much from grade school in Newport, RI
other than when a snow drift completely covered the front door up to the roof.....

Currently a bone chilling 60-deg (F) outside, warming to 74-deg midweek...
Late February, temp was over 80-deg....

i've cut perpendicular into the coax seal and peel with a pliers. if it is older or cooler it peels better. the bulk comes off that way.

windchill only affects the rate of cooling when something is above actual temperature. an object never gets colder than the actual temperature.

You're right....I couldn't comprehend what that feels like....

Well, its not bathing suit weather, heh.

windchill only affects the rate of cooling when something is above actual temperature. a nonheat producing object never gets colder than the actual temperature.Agreed, and its the effect itself that causes so much trouble especially if there has been any moisture in the air. If the temperature is suddenly much colder due to an incoming blast of arctic air the wind chill causes such rapid cooling that stuff like silicone balls up and becomes unworkable. Car engines cool off much more rapidly so the oil gets really gooey and hard to pump, so in many parts of Canada an AC-powered block heater has to be used in the winter. In the far north most heavy equipment operators know that they have to leave diesel engines running all night or they'll never be started again.Well, its not bathing suit weather, heh.On Canadian TV and radio weather reports the announcers always helpfully remind us that "at that amount of wind chill exposed flesh will freeze in (...) seconds!" :eek:

Wind chill primarily affects living things that produce heat. Certainly an object that is warmer than ambient will chill down to ambient faster in a wind, but the wind chill chart really refers to how the wind affects living things. Primarily it is used to calculate how long exposed skin can stay exposed without frostbite:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/index.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_chill

The wind rips away the slightly warmer micro-climate outside your outer layer (or skin) & constantly draws heat from your body at a much faster rate than when the air is still. Therefore, there is is no wind chill effect on unheated, inanimate objects other than they cool down to ambient temperature faster.

Most antenna components are probably already very close to ambient temperature at all times anyway.

Dave

Taking a look at our satellite map, we can see that...

:D

I understand what you are saying so to clarify what most Canadians often see in the winter I'm relating that rapid, large temperature changes in mere minutes (Arctic fronts) cause havoc with non-biological materials that take longer to react than the onset of the colder temperatures, especially when dissimilar materials interface. Its really quite something to look up at power lines in a sudden bone-chilling wind as they go taut. RG6 coax feels like steel rod.

The shortest distance between Point A and Point B is a straight line, but in the case of OTA coax cabling it is important to leave 1 or 2 feet of extra length on outdoor strands for the purpose of a drip loop.

Rather than have rain water or condensation drip down the coax cable directly onto your wonderful preamp or other connection, you need to gently bend the coax into a U shape and then fasten the connector.

At about 2 inches below the connector wrap electrical tape loosely between that side of the U and the other side, not bending the U inwards. Give it about 3 layers, and grip the tape together in between the U ends for tidiness. High Quality electrical tape is extremely durable and weather-proof in this situation.

Do the same for any other outdoor coax cables that might be carrying dripping rain water or condensation down onto a connector.

Also think about purchasing a pack of Weather Boots that slip over the coax connectors. Just remember to put them onto the coax before you crimp the ends on! :D As you can see earlier in this thread, there are coax sealant tape products that can be used in place of weather boots as needed.

Stampeder,
Being in the electrical industry myself, I'm not so sure electrical tape is the best way to go for outside installs. Most PVC tape will either become a gooey mess in the heat of the summer and/or become brittle in the harsh winters to the extent where it will be rendered useless and slip off. I think good quality ty-raps would probably be better.

I use the really good electrical tape: Scotch Super 88 (http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3MElectrical/Home/ProductsServices/Products/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECIE20OES1_nid=SG5WMPK1C5be2R3TDRZMR3g l) - its pricier but I've had it last for years in Canadian summers and winters. :) Avoid the cheap tape!

What is that ty-rap product, weehaggis? Is it a nylon or plastic cincher? There are some opinions earlier in this thread about nylon and plastic ties.

I use the really good electrical tape: Scotch Super 88 - its pricier but I've had it last for years in Canadian summers and winters. Avoid the cheap tape!

I agree, I use that stuff too. I only use the cheap stuff in colored roll packages to mark stuff by color coding, heh.

I use the really good electrical tape: Scotch Super 88 (http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3MElectrical/Home/ProductsServices/Products/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECIE20OES1_nid=SG5WMPK1C5be2R3TDRZMR3g l) - its pricier but I've had it last for years in Canadian summers and winters. :) Avoid the cheap tape!

What is that ty-rap product, weehaggis? Is it a nylon or plastic cincher? There are some opinions earlier in this thread about nylon and plastic ties.
Stampeder,
Ty-Raps(Cable Ties) are made by Thomas & Betts and they have a Ty-Rap made of Polyamide which is UV resistant as well as high and low temperature resistant.

The Scotch Super 88 is indeed an excellent product....but unfortunately the vast majority of folk buy the regular,run of the mill 3/4" PVC tape which is completely useless outdoors.Even the Canadian Tire Commercial Grade tape is only good from -10c to 90C (still a good Scotch product but -10C is nothing compared to most of our Canuck winters).
From Home Depot the Scotch 33 and the rubber Scotch Stretch Tape (2242)is also good in high and low temperatures and UV resistant.

Thanks weehaggis, here's a page of PDFs from the Thomas & Betts website for their Ty-Rap®, Catamount®, Ty-Duct™, Sta-Kon®, and Shield-Kon® products:

http://www.tnb-canada.com/en/catalogues/online/industrial_MRO/c1.asp

It looks like they put the cheapie cable ties to shame!

Ty-Raps(Cable Ties) are made by Thomas & Betts and they have a Ty-Rap made of Polyamide which is UV resistant as well as high and low temperature resistant.
The black nylon UV resistant cable ties sold at Walmart automotive for $2.84US/100 may not be as good (or maybe they are the same thing, heh) but the price is certainly right.

Edit: now I see what they are. They have a tiny piece of stainless steel in them to catch the notches. They hold very well. I buy those at Big Lots for $2.99US/50. The trouble is, Big Lots only has them in the plain white nylon, not UV resistant.

Big Lots is a liquidation type store down here. Some of the stuff is a good deal, other stuff not.

Hi guys, How about this one? Look at the before-and-after picture. It looks perfect for weather proofing. The bad side (may be) is that you need a cleaner to remove it. It cost about $12.

http://mgchemicals.com/products/4229.html

Thanks for that link, jktan99, it looks like interesting stuff with impressive specifications. It says it is similar in viscosity to 60-weight oil so I wonder if squeezing it out of a bottle applies it exactly where you want it to go or if you have to brush or form it. Hmmm...

The package comes with 2 brushes.

I just use electrical putty, even after a decade it remains soft and easily removed and the connectors looks as new as day one.

http://www.cablejoints.co.uk/upload/3M_Scotchfil_Putty.pdf

EdT, that's from a link in the UK, but to help our members here where did you buy it in Canada?