Motorized antenna winter use

[KC0NCR]

I am thinking about a moterized antenna and was woundering about winter servival . I was thinking about road salt  and snow. will the coil seal keep the stuff out .
 Thanks  Jeff

[K0BG]

Depends on the MOTORIZED antenna. Some won't even take a warm rain without getting messed up, and others SURVIVE no matter what.

RainX works well to protect the plastic and metal parts. Repair-Tape (a vinyl, self-sealing, non-adhesive tape) works very well to seal the coax and/or PL259s if you apply it correctly.

One of the most over-looked aspects is the bottom insulator. You can use RainX okay, but if you use car polish to protect it, chances are very good it will arc over especially in wet weather.

Alan, KØBG
www.k0bg.com

[W3LK]

Maryland and West Virginia (where I do most of my winter driving) don't have the most severe winters, but I have had no problems with my HS-1800 in five years of operation.

There have been no problems with any kind of moisture getting inside the coil housing, even when I use the high-pressure wand at the car wash. I simply wash the outside of antenna, the mount and the wiring every time I wash the vehicle, which is after every snow during the winter and twice a month the rest of the year. I do have the coax connector taped and coated with several layers of Plasti-Dip. Never have had a problem with it, and it DOES pick up all the snow, slush, rain, road salt, etc.

The Rain-X on the coil cover is a good idea, as is a good car wax on all the exposed metal. IOW, treat the antenna with the same care you treat the rest of the vehicle.

Lon - W3LK
Baltimore, Maryland