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Old February 26th 06, 11:20 PM posted to rec.radio.shortwave
Telamon
 
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Default Silicone Grease In Coax Connectors; Comments And Questions ?

In article ,
"Robert11" wrote:

Hello:

Regarding those Si paste products that one see advertised to coat the
innards of a coax type of connector to prevent moisture seepage, be
an anti-oxidant, and all other great things:

e.g. from ICE:

"Model 615 items are comprised of a synthetic silicon grease
material, thick but easily spreadable. Suggested uses are to fill the
void of RE connections or high voltage joints. Grease is easily
pushed out of the way by mating conductors, but fills the void around
them to prevent air and moisture from settling in. Excellent
dielectric characteristics, non-miscible with most chemical agents or
vapors, grease is opaque and maintains thick viscous nature in
temperatures ranging from -60F to 500F."

Not at all certain about this, but my guess is that even after
pushing the contacts together, the boundary layer film that separates
the metal male and female parts would be at least of the order of a
micron; probably more.

For transmitting power levels, I guess there is more than enough
current flow to puncture thru easily.

But what about for a receiving only application, with what,
micro-amps, across the gap ?

Does this silicone "layer" present any problems, or signal
degradation, in your experiences ?

Good thing to use in coax connectors going to a receiving antenna ?
Or,...?


I would not expect the silicone to remain as a barrier layer between
the male and female contacts. The contact pressure should cause metal
to metal contact. You could verify this with an ohm meter with a before
and after measurement.

If an insulative barrier was formed then it would form a capacitor.
This cap would behave as a high pass filter. The larger the cap formed
the lower the corner frequency on the high pass filter.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California