User's Guide

A.5 Antenna Connection and Weatherproofing
All RF connectors must be properly installed to prevent damage and water intrusion that can
enter through the cable jacket. Proper installation of RF connectors includes hand tightening
(no tools should be used), and utilization of self-fusing, butyl tape (known as splicing tape) to
protect the connection from harsh environments and vibration.
Follow this procedure for proper installation of RF cabling onto any Endpoint, piece of
infrastructure or 3D-P and other bulkhead style antennas.
This procedure uses the 3D-P 3dBi Omni Antenna as an example.
Figure 17: Antenna Weather Proofing
1. Tighten antenna connection by hand only. Do not tighten with any tool.
2. Wrap the entire connection twice with the Plymouth Phillips 122, butyl splicing tape. The tape
must be stretched during wrapping, activating the self-fusing aspect of the tape. Be sure to allow a
significant overlap of each turn.
3. Install the antenna as shown above. This antenna is vertically oriented to make use of the cable
clamp. The antenna can be rotated 90 degrees if needed. Additionally, in certain situations the
bracket can also be rotated and mounted on a vertical pipe. Be sure to use the included lockwashers
when attaching the nuts on each u-bolt.
TOP TIP:
It's also to best to wrap the tape up to connector, or the opposite way of intended water
flow. This is done to prevent the rubber tape from wicking water in. Do this for each tape
layer where possible. On the last turn don't pull the tape hard, just leave it loose and press it
down. This will help prevent it from unwrapping.