How to Weatherproof Your Signal Booster's Cable Connections?
After installing a signal booster system (also known as a signal amplifier), there is an often overlooked step - weatherproofing the system's outdoor coax connections.
What is weatherproofing?
As the name suggests, this is the act of making something (a cable connection) resistant to extreme weather conditions (especially water) in order to prevent damage or loss of function.
Why is weatherproofing important?
Weatherproofing is necessary to prevent water or moisture from entering the signal booster's coaxial cable. It's not just for cell signal boosters; it's also great for outdoor WiFi antenna cables and TV antenna cables.
Additionally, coaxial connectors are made of metal, so prolonged exposure to water and air can eventually cause tarnishing and corrosion that can affect performance.
Weatherproofing will ensure your system coax cables, connectors, adapters, and couplers stay in tip-top shape for your connectivity needs.
How do I weatherproof a cable connection?
Weatherproofing is simple and cheap.
You need two things:
Waterproof tape, such as moisture-proof tape, weatherproof tape, or waterproof silicone tape, for moisture protection
UV protection electrical tape
Step 1
Make sure the outdoor cable connections are securely hand-tightened before weatherproofing. The most common outdoor cable connections are cables from outdoor antennas to long coax cables running inside your home or RV, and connections between coax and window jumper cables.
Step 2
Cut a piece of waterproof tape long enough to cover the cable connector - about 12 inches should be fine.
Step 3
After removing the backing of the tape, place the tape about 1" above one of the coaxial connectors and start wrapping the connection until it's about 1" below the second connector. When wrapping the connection, be sure to stretch the tape to activate the adhesive for a stronger seal, and overlap the layers of tape about halfway.
Step 4
Press on the waterproof tape to make sure everything is sealed properly.
Step 5
Cover the waterproof tape with electrical tape. Place electrical tape over the start of the waterproofing tape and start wrapping it the same way you did before.
Step 6
Press down on the electrical tape to make sure everything is sealed properly.
Step 7
Do this for all outdoor cable connections to keep the cellular amplifier system working at peak performance.
Additional tips for peak performance
Weatherproofing will extend the life of your cell phone repeater, but if the external antenna is not properly installed, it can damage the antenna and degrade system performance.
Many antennas have two small holes in the bottom, called weep holes. They exist to allow water and moisture to escape. When installing an external antenna, more specifically a Yagi antenna, make sure the drain holes are facing down.
If the Yagi antenna is installed with the drain hole facing up, water will slowly accumulate in the antenna housing and may seep into the connector. This degrades the performance of the antenna over time, affecting the performance of the overall system.
To keep your battery booster performing at its best for a long time, make sure the outdoor antenna is properly installed and the cable connections are weatherproofed.
The above briefly introduces the method to make the cable connection of your signal booster weatherproof. If you want to buy a signal booster, please contact us.
SOMI is a professional custom antenna accessories manufacturer. Specializing in the production of TV signal amplifiers, TV signal connectors, TV signal splitters, etc. We have experience working with many large companies around the world to understand customer needs and product requirements. We have experience working with many large companies around the world to understand customer needs and product requirements.
