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The use of a 3/8" open end wrench is strongly suggested to hold the hex nut in place while you hand tighten
the wing nut. This will prevent the 2-1/2" long hex bolt that goes inside the balun from rotating and possibly
breaking an internal soldered connection.
The supplied wing nuts should be hand tightened only.
Do not use pliers or other tools to tighten them as
excessive force may damage the internal connections or the ceramic insulators.
Example shown:
Connection of Braided Feedline
and Hand Tightening the Wing Nuts
The DX Engineering VFCC is not affected by moisture and may be left outside in all types of weather,
including heavy rain, as long as the VFCC is positioned so that water will drain from the case. However, they
may not be
immersed
in water and care should be taken to avoid blocking the drainage of condensation or
any water that could get inside.
To enhance weather resistance, it may be useful to put a bead of high quality, non corrosive, marine grade
silicone, like DX Engineering part number
UMI-82180
,
along the seams. Depending on the mounting
orientation, leave a small opening in the seam at the lowest point to allow any condensation to drain. Silicone
which contains acetic acid, which has a vinegar-like smell, is corrosive to aluminum and should be avoided.
We recommend the use of a high quality
DXE-PL259
Teflon® silver PL-259 connector. Be sure to
waterproof the coax connection with proper tape layers, first using
DXE-3M2155
rubber splicing tape. Wrap
the connector with one layer from end-to-end while stretching the tape by a factor of about 2:1. Follow with
a wrap of
TRM-06133
vinyl tape. Unlike some waterproofing solutions promoted to the Amateur market,
splicing tape can be easily removed at any time and will not permanently adhere to the fitting.
DX Engineering VFCC units require no maintenance when properly installed.
There is a spare wing nut with hardware next to the SO-239. Your existing coaxial cable from your radio
connects directly to the SO-239 on the VFCC.
DO NOT ground the case of the VFCC
.
