Self amalgamating tape.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

CPC have 19mm self amalgamating tape in 10M rolls for 2.96 inclusive. (CB1449220) Since postage is free on web orders, a bit of a bargain, IMHO.

[meow2222]

I think I once had reason to use some when I was a teenager. Or thought I did. Not since.

NT

[Huge]

It's not UV resistant, though. I used to paint over it with car body underseal. When I undid the joints when we moved last, they were all as the day I installed them, after 8 years in the open.

[Dave Liquorice]

Odd when ever I've taken stuff down that has been out in the open for years it's been just a grubby version of what was put on...

[Bill]

Ditto.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Quite. Perhaps its main uses are outdoors. Strange if the sun got at it.

[Bill Wright]

We've had very occasional failures due to sunlight. I think they might have been from a faulty batch because normally there isn't a problem.

The CPC offer might be the very thin stuff which is unsatisfactory because when you stretch it it tears. However I've had self amalg from CPC and it's been just fine, so I doubt it really.

The whole thing about self amalg is that people don't use it properly, then they say it's no good. Use it right and it's a really good method of sealing connectors.

A lot of satellite installers just can't get on with it. They use the rubber boot things to seal the LNB connectors, and these generally fail or fall off.

Bill

[Huge]

I sit corrected. I've never left it exposed, so I have no data ...

[Dave Liquorice]

To some extent I can understand that, the spacing and accessibilty of the connectors on an LNB doesn't make for quick 'n easy use of SA tape. Much quicker to slide a rubber boot up, even if you've forgotten to slide it onto the cable before the screw on F plug. B-)

They are probably only supplied with boots as well. Boots are simple for the "trained" Sky installers to use, a certain amount of skill and thought is required to use SA tape properly. Anyway if it fails and fills the coax with water in a couple of years it's more, chargeable, work for them to do.

[Bill]

That puts 99% of Sky installers out of the equation straight away then!

I've just had some VHF and UHF ground plane aerials made to go onto pump up masts on control vehicles, these will remain permanently in situ, although, hopefully, the masts will be brought down when not in use. But the bottom line is that they maybe exposed to rain at 70+mph at times. To get over the sealing problem I have had them made with short coax tails moulded into the base of the aerial, rather than the normal coax socket, purely because it is so difficult to guarantee a good waterproof SA seal around the fixed connector. In all other applications SA has never let me down.

[tony sayer]

Well that makes for repeat work doesn't it, planned faults;)...

[Bill Wright]

I agree with your every word.

Bill

[Bill Wright]

The UV problem is not really an issue. We've a tiny percentage of failures, and as I said I think there was summat up with the product. Of course you can always overwrap with good quality pvc tape.

In the days before our trade knew of self-amalg I used to use pvc tape the way you use self amalg, putting it on with a bit of tension. Time has proved that this was a good method. Occasionally I find 30 year old joints on the scrap heap, and they're OK.

Bill

[Capitol]

Tar based insulating tape had many of the properties of SA tape. Lasted better than many pvc tapes, which had glue failure.

[Adam Aglionby]

PIB tape is a bit like heatshrink on a roll, originally developed for cable splicing, also handy on mismatched pond hose adaptors.

For higher pressure hose and definate UV resistance Silicone Self Fusing tape is more expensive but just about everything resistant, strangely Maplin have a decent price on clear