Place a 2 into 1 splitter where the cable's coax ends in your house.  Make a temp cord running from there directly into your modem.  Course the other end of the new splitter goes into your 4 way splitter.

I used to have a lot of problems with my phone service.  Whenever I called, they wanted to blame something in my house.  I got tired of checking anything plugged into my phone line.  So, I would go outside where the telephone line connect to my house "box", unplug my house from their box, plug a phone in, and call them.  Even though I had their repair department mark down my house was disconnected from their phone line, and the problem was still there, I would get a tech blame something on my house's wiring.

The best one was when a repair tech came out about 120 hum on my line and blamed it on my 70 foot tower.  In spite of my protestations that my tower could not be imparting a 120 cycle hum onto the buried phone line to my house, the tech left.  However, the tech did succeed in knocking down the hum by disconnecting my second phone line, and leavin it disconnected.

AND, yes, QWest charged me $90  for the service call because the problem wasn't with their phone line.

73
Bob

Well.  In order to change either my air filter of fuel line filter, on my motorcycle, I have to remove a panel containing my radio.  This entails disconnecting at least three connectors carrying 4-6 wires within each connector.  So rather, than wrapping each connector in shrink wrap or liquid tape, I use the BMW connectors and grease the connections within each connector.

Much to my surprise, no open connections when I used the electrical grease!

Recently, I changed the LNBA on my sat dish.  While I was on the roof,  I examined the connectors going into the ground block, cleaned them, shot them with DeOxit, and greased them.  Same for the connector into the LNBA.

I figured that if the electrical grease worked FB in auto/mc electrical systems, it should be OK with 18 volts at 500ma on coax with 1-2 gigs on it.

Seems fine so far.

I've seen many post here about different ways to seal outdoor coaxial connectors.  Even though the pack rats, and other varmits eat the plastic on coax, and wires inside the engine compartment of any vehicle parked outside, they don't eat coaxial seal.

It seems as if it would be rather easy to grease the outside of coax before the PL259 is screwed onto it.  Easy to grease the inside and end of the sleeve that goes over the PL259, and easy to grease the threads on an SO239.

Hence my question: has anyone used automotive electrical grease on outdoor PL259s running full output through them on HF?

Huuuum. I wonder if it would stop tube pins from oxidizing while they are in tube sockets?

Guess I'll have to take a nice and shiny piece of stranaded copper wire, grease it, and throw it outside for a while to see how it oxidises.  I can cut it half, inspect it, use degreaser on one piece, flux it and then try to solder each piece.

73
Bob

Mail it me.

I'll gladly pay the mailing cost.

TNX
73
Bob

Has anyone used the electrical grease, from auto stores, on outdoor PL259-SO239s handling legal limit on HF?

I've regularly use coax seal, and never had a problem with outdoor connections.

I do use electrical grease on the electrical connectors for my motorcycle's electrical system.

Bob

If I remember correctly, tech plus is restricted to 10 meters of HF; the 520 does not have 6 meters.

It should be easy to make an antenna for 10 that is close to 50 ohms.  Or, buy a used CB antenna, most can withstand 100 watts.

73
Bob

Old stand by, Clorox bottle.  

It really cleans up your signal.

73 ;-)
Bob

Meet NORTHCOUNTRY!
KB3NHD
License Class: Extra

"After graduating in Physics with specialization in electronic circuits I went on to get a Masters degree in Engineering.."

"..for three years I taught Electrical Engineering and Electronics Technology courses part-time at Frederick Community College.."

"I am currently enrolled in Cal. State. Univ.... pursuing a Masters in Public Administration.."

For the ham that has everything, hand made, clear crackle Raku, or maybe horse hair insulators.

Best porcelain I've seen is called Ice.  Its a special order from down under.

Homebrew is when you dig your own mud.

Don't think I'd want to try and pull a cylinder from the clay they use for ceramic insulators.

Bob

Some times, glass places have a scrap bucket with plexy glass scraps which can be used for a sturdy center insulator and end insulators.

Make sure that when it falls over, it won't hit your house.

Dave, K1TTT, who works in the lightening strike field, has excellent info on his site.

Bob

W4RNJ has a great series of articles on verts.

If the vert is for one band, you can consider putting up a delta loop.  W4RNL has excellent info on what he calls self contained antennas.

Bob

W4RNJ has a great series of articles on verts.

If the vert is for one band, you can consider putting up a delta loop.  W4RNL has excellent info on what he calls self contained antennas.

Bob