Duelund conversion to DIY Helix Geometry Cabling

@steakster, a pleasant surprise to read your post and last night thoroughly enjoyed  ‘Race of the Century’  I have missed a few deliveries from USA because of crew shortage. Would you be interested? Nothing at the minute but who knows?

I have watched clips of the final race before but not with all the build up and background. I had the good fortune once on a stop-over in Bermuda to watch match racing in Hamilton harbour. 17 of the world's top 25 skippers competed. I took the boat owner out to the start line in the rubber duck with food and beer and we closely observed them jockeying for the favoured end of start line which shifted often in gusts. Great fun.

I lived on my boat in Durban harbour east coast of South Africa for 32 years and finally sold it to marry a girl I met at my 21st birthday party. I have been asked why it took me over 40 years to marry her and my answer is much like my audio hobby, I don't like rushing things 😬  We now live in rural Ireland and very little audio interest here.

So my deliveries were local to start which meant most were Durban to Cape Town. The sailor's bible 'Ocean Sailing Passages of the World' warns of waves up to 20 meters in height on this stretch of Indian Ocean seaboard caused by one of the strongest currents on the planet rushing into an opposing SW regularly gusting at over 60 knots equal to Beaufort force 11  This builds character!

On a 35' catamaran delivery from Cape Town to Annapolis for their annual boat show we made it to Barbados 14 hours before hurricane Ivan came through which was full category 5 and at the time claimed strongest ever. Waited for the sea to settle some then set course for US east coast where we encountered hurricane Jeane which had hit Florida then curved North and chased us up the coast with winds steadily increasing. The anemometer broke on the masthead, stuck at 82 knots. I was preparing to head for shelter, nearest being Charleston but radio reported some easterly component in hurricane's heading so I held course. The hurricane became easterly then did a loop de loop and curved back and hit Florida a second time! This is what caused terrible damage as lots of the storm shutters and other precautions had been taken down. With 21 Atlantic crossings I have many stories but not to be told here. Some guns, some drugs, some vanilla and sea rescue and scuppering.

Hope nobody gets seasick'

Charles

@lemonhaze - I'm yet to hear of anyone using the Helx geometry with BNC connectors, so I am unable to recommend that type of connector.

Here's a few from Parts Connexion...

Search Results for: bnc (partsconnexion.com)

Hope that helps

@lemonhaze

Glad to hear that it only took 40 years to make the right decision. Better late, than never. LOL!

It would be fun to swap stories over a few Dark & Stormy’s. Many laughs to share. No doubt, you’ve accumulated a boatload more tales. I’d love to hear the one about scuppering. It sounds like it has mystery and intrigue. As does the rescue. Hearing a Mayday over the radio is always unsettling.

Heavy weather. Heavy seas. Not for the feint of heart. Your loop de loop with Hurricane Jeane must have been a crazy long thrill ride. Anemoneter busted @82 knots – yikes! Finally making port - and celebrating – while fatigued to the bone. Then come the repairs! Been there.

I’d definitely be interested in crewing on a delivery. Though, I’m no longer the spry deck monkey of years ago. But, always up for another adventure.

_ _ _ _

Have you heard this one? Centuries ago, the British Navy used to ‘recruit’ seamen in pubs by offering them pieces of eight – that usually found their way into the bottom of a beer mug. The new recruit would swig down his beer –display the coins - and then be hauled off to a ship. The reason that glass was installed on the bottom of beer mugs is so that pub patrons could look underneath to make sure that they weren’t being surreptitiously recruited.  Myth?

@steakster,  

🙂

@grannyring,  I have found 2 Van den Hul BNC connectors in my stash box which are probably gold plated brass and though not ideal will try them and then compare with another made up helix interconnect using KLE RCAs with cheap BNC-RCA adapters. I think that the cheap adapter might do more harm than good and negate the excellent KLEs.  It's not easy to find a good low mass unit with almost all being brass and then gold plated. The link you provided took me to AECO which is Tellurium Cu. and what appears to be the best of my recent search. Quite pricey!

I am about to order some Teflon tubing and have the choice of 0.5mm or 1.0 mm wall thickness. Is one better for the purpose than the other?

Thanks, Charles