Waterlogged Connector
When I was preparing some used hardline for use I came across this waterlogged connector.
I would have taken a 'before' photo of this had I suspected a problem, but the connector was properly wrapped in layers of tape and all the 'good stuff' that is normally used by professionals to prepare coax connections.
This connection just goes to show you that even a professionally installed joint can become victim to water.
Notice that the orange 'O ring' gasket has corrosion on the INSIDE side-- the gasket did it's job and kept the water IN, rather than OUT in this case.
The arrow at left points to some actual liquid water that was observed in the shell of this 7/8" female UHF connector.
The amazing point to make about this is that I had purchased the cable six months previous, and it had been sitting inside dry garages for at least eight months previous to this photo.
The water, once it had gotten inside the connection, had no way to leave-- as the joint was very well sealed and taped.
Most likely, the water got in 'up the line' on the RG8 that was the pigtail between the antenna and the Heliax. Even though the connector at the Heliax was properly sealed, somewhere 'up the line' was a connection that was not adequately sealed against moisture.
Don't make the assumption that because a connection looks good on the outside that it is indeed good. This connector looked just fine, not a hint of a problem from the outside. Perhaps a well trained eye might have caught a touch of 'dew' on the insulator of the PL259 that connected to it externally, but for the casual observer it looked perfect. Surely the radio system that this was used with didn't work perfectly-- and it's quite likely that this was the reason the used cable was being sold.