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Finally got the hang of troubleshooting that intermittent VHF comm issue on the Citation fleet
After three weeks of chasing ghosts, I realized the coax connectors at the antenna base were getting corroded from wash cycles. What's your go-to method for sealing those up to prevent a repeat?
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robin_bennett785mo ago
Remember my buddy Dave who had the same headache on his King Air? He swore by that coax sealant tape, the kind that fuses into a solid rubber block. Wrapped it tight, then a layer of good quality electrical tape over the top. Seems like overkill but his fix held up for years, even through some nasty de-icing fluid. He said the key was cleaning the connector with contact cleaner until it was totally bone dry before wrapping anything.
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wyatt525mo ago
That coax sealant tape is no joke, I've seen it work. But on a vibration spot like a wing root antenna, turning into a solid block can be a problem. It gets rigid and transfers all that shake right into the connector instead of soaking it up. I'd go with a good quality self-fusing silicone tape alone, the kind that stays a little flexible. Lets the joint move a tiny bit without cracking the seal.
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ray1895mo ago
Ha, "turns into a solid rubber block" - that's exactly what happened to me once. I wrapped a connector on my Cessna like a mummy with that stuff, thinking I was a genius. Two weeks later I went to check it and it felt like I'd epoxied the whole antenna to the wing. Had to cut it all off with a knife and started cussing up a storm when I nicked my knuckle for the third time. Guess Dave's buddy is better at applying it than my dumb ass. I should probably just stick to the silicone tape like Wyatt said and save myself the blood sacrifice.
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