Debate: Crimp connectors vs compression fittings for outdoor drops

I did two jobs last month, one with crimp connectors and one with compression fittings on the same type of RG6. The crimp job had signal loss up to 3 dB after a rainstorm, but the compression job held steady. I'm leaning toward compression being better for weather resistance. What do you guys use when you have exposed cable runs?

2 comments

2 Comments

daniel47413d agoMost Upvoted

Ha! 3dB loss after a rainstorm? That cable was practically crying for help. I've seen crimp connectors look like they went swimming and forgot to come back up for air. Compression fittings just laugh at water, it's like they're wearing a raincoat while the crimps are out there in a paper towel. I've been burned too many times by outdoor crimps turning into tiny waterfalls inside my connections.

ward.jamie13d ago

And the thing nobody talks about is how much of that moisture damage is actually from condensation inside the cable itself, not just rain getting in. Even a perfect seal at the connector doesn't help if the cable jacket itself lets humidity sneak through over time, which most cheap coax does. So you can have the best compression fittings in the world but if your cable is breathing like a sponge, you're still going to see that dB drop eventually.