Antenna Cable Question

Kevin Cabral · Aug 16, 2016

I noticed a bit of a rubbing mark on the antenna cable today. From my guessing, it has been rubbing against the frame of the Inspire. I hear the cable is a coax cable. For it to be damaged, the cable has to be cut completely off? I've been seeing people putting things around the cables so it protects it. Is this necessary at all? I assume the rubbing mark that is seen on the cable now is because when the arms go up. Hopefully this rubbing mark doesn't lead to any damage to the outside layer of the cable in the future. Should I be concerned at all or will the cable be fine even with some rubbing mark on it?

Thanks in advance.

The Editor · Aug 16, 2016

Kevin Cabral said:
I noticed a bit of a rubbing mark on the antenna cable today. From my guessing, it has been rubbing against the frame of the Inspire. I hear the cable is a coax cable. For it to be damaged, the cable has to be cut completely off? I've been seeing people putting things around the cables so it protects it. Is this necessary at all? I assume the rubbing mark that is seen on the cable now is because when the arms go up. Hopefully this rubbing mark doesn't lead to any damage to the outside layer of the cable in the future. Should I be concerned at all or will the cable be fine even with some rubbing mark on it?

Thanks in advance.

Yes - this was actually an area of concern for me when I first got hold of the Inspire and started to examine it's build quality and design.
I did actually identify this straight away as a 'weak' point and put some heat shrink tubing on both antenna cables where it touches the chassis.
I know from experience that high frequency vibration can cause cables in contact with sharp/rough surfaces to be eaten into over time.
I would advise protection if even only with insulation tape.

Kevin Cabral · Aug 16, 2016

That's good to hear I'm not alone with this. So far the cable has some rubbing mark. Eventually it'll eat through the cable for sure. Is it possible to use clear tape at all and wrap the tape around the cable? Or is electrical tape better?

I was thinking of using electrical tape and folding the tape on itself. So the sticking part of it is not showing. Then wrap the cable and use clear tape to secure it so it doesn't come out. At least then it'll be easy to remove if I ever choose to in the future. Good idea?