Guy at the supply house told me to lick the coax end

Was chasing a signal drop on a 3rd floor run in Denver last Tuesday, and this old timer swore licking the connector before tightening it helps seat the center pin. I laughed but tried it, damn thing made contact and my meter jumped from 4 to 12 dBmV. Has anyone else got weird shop wisdom that actually saved a job, or was that just my lucky day?

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1 Comment

shanenguyen3d ago

That 4 to 12 jump seems like a lot for just a little spit. I've seen dirty connectors swing way more than that just from wiggling the cable. You sure the old timer didn't just tell you to lick it for a laugh and you happened to get lucky? Moisture on a connection is a short term fix at best, and it's asking for corrosion down the road. But hey, if it got you through Tuesday, maybe it's a thing. I'd carry some dielectric grease next time, just saying.