On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 19:28:57 GMT, gwatts
wrote:

Fjx1 wrote:
I need to put a hole in the house through new vinyl siding and would like to
know if anyone has a clean neat way to do it. Do they make feedthroughs for
cable as big as RG8? Any suggestions ?

I avoided the siding entirely by going in a crawl space vent and up
through a closet floor with 2 inch PVC pipe, using 45 deg bends with
straight pieces in between so I don't have to fight RG-8 through 90 deg

You might find, depending on the radius that a very short straight
piece between the 45s will work better than a long one. The idea being
once you start the bend it is of the proper radius to make the second
45 as well. If the cable has to straighten and then bend again it
takes more force to pull it through.

bends. I have five runs of RG-8 diameter through there, I might be able
to squeak (literally) another through if I use a lot of soap.

It won't squeak with soap :-)) If you can find some wire pulling
soap...the yucky looking yellow stuff you can darn near fill the
conduit. I'm running two LMR-400s and a RG6 through 1 1/4 emt with
lots of room to spare. The cable comes up the outside wall of the
shop, into a 16 inch 1 1/4 emt stub into a exterior box, a 90 degree
turn then through a 2" stub to an inside box a 270 degree loop and
out into a 16 foot horizontal run of 1 1/4 emt to the south, through a
sweep L to 5 feet vertical, a sweep L to an 18 foot horizontal run to
the east. http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/boatanch.htm
Applicable photos near the bottom

I think I could easily get two and quite likely 3 more LMR-400 cables
in there even though it would be snug.
I do have a couple more photos that show the first two portions of the
conduit run, but at 3:00 in the morning, I think I may wait till
tomorrow to add them..


I should have used 3 inch. Or 4. 6.

The 4" is definitely easier. :-))

Although it works well, I need to completely reorganize the cables
from the tower to the house and in the basement. I think the basement
end will be by far the easiest. Course, once I get them organized and
neat, probably nothing will work. I did that once with a contest
style station...Organized all the cables behind the desk which had
individual stations set up to run 160 through 10 (before the WARC
bands) and I had RF getting from one station into another. I don't
think I could operate any of them without a problem. It took me two
weeks to get it straightened out.

http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/cablebox.htm
shows the cables coming into the basement as well as the bulkhead with
4 of the PolyPhasers. The conduit is sealed with a "soft" expandable
foam rather than the rigid stuff. It's easier to get out and puts far
less stress on the cables and conduit.

I'd have preferred a grounded panel outside, but as the conduit comes
in underground that was not an option, or at least no an easy one.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair?)
www.rogerhalstead.com
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W8LNA