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Altai A8n (ac) Series Super WiFi Base Station
Installation Guide
Altai Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved
Weatherproofing A8n (ac) Series Radio
Antenna
Introduction
Sealing materials are applied to outdoor antenna connectors to
accomplish several goals. First and foremost is to prevent water from
entering the connector. The second reason is to protect the connector
from gradual degradation due to UV radiation and pollution. Sunlight
and weather will oxidize metal surfaces and cause DC resistance to
increase on exposed mating surfaces. It is true that the RF cable
connectors are supposed to be weatherproof, but if left exposed to
weather conditions, they will tarnish and start to look rather ugly in a
short time. A good taping job will also prevent the RF cable connectors
from loosening up, which is a common occurrence for RF cables
exposed to vibration and strong winds.
We recommend the following sealing materials for weatherproofing
the antenna connectors:
1.
High-quality, all-weather, black plastic electrical tape, preferably
3/4” (19mm) wide to make it easier to manipulate the tape around
the A8n (ac) Series BTS radio antenna ports. An RF port is often first
wrapped with a layer of electrical tape to make it easier to remove
the butyl rubber layer. In addition, one or more layers of electrical
tape are used as a final outer wrap to provide UV protection. We
recommend the 3M Scotch Super 88 Vinyl Electrical Tape for this
purpose.
2.
High-quality, all-weather, black butyl rubber tape, preferably 3/4”
(19mm) wide to make it easier to manipulate the tape around the
A8n (ac) series BTS radio antenna ports. Butyl rubber tape is self-
amalgamating - it chemically bonds to itself, forming a strong,
waterproof joint. A layer of butyl rubber tape is applied around a
connector joint to provide a weatherproof seal, often on top of a
layer of electrical tape. We recommend the Andrew Corporation
butyl rubber tape for this purpose.
