Chop off 3 or 4 feet from both the ends and throw the ends out. Also
check the outer jacket for nicks and cracks. Any nick or crack will
let moisture in and cause problems. Most problems with older cable
will be from moisture seeping into the cable from the ends or through
nicks and cracks in the outer jacket. Do the cutting even if it has
connectors on it because most connectors especially PL-259 type are
not moisture resistant. Also look for places the cable has been
crushed, kinked or flattened. These will be bad spots. I've
successfully used 20 year old cable many times.

On Sat, 9 Aug 2003 11:11:45 +0100, "John" wrote:

Does coax have a shelf life?

I was rummaging around my father's garage the other day and came across a
roll of URM43 that I know to be over 20 years old. It looks OK and the
copper is shiny. However, can I be confident that it will not have lost any
of its electrical or physical properties? I intend to take it on holiday
with me soon and don't want it to fail.

Advice please!!

Thanks
John/G4IRN