[1000mp] Soldering iron

[Pete Smith]

At 08:31 AM 2/16/04 +0000, Ian White, G3SEK wrote:

>Bob Main wrote:
>>For those of you who have made the different mods to these rigs, other 
>>than my 200W soldering gun, what would you suggest I get to work on these 
>>circuit boards?  I have ideas, but prefer to hear what you have to say.
>
>* Thin silver-loaded solder - regular thickness adds too much solder.
>
>* Thin (1/8in) de-solder braid - for when you still add too much solder. 
>It's also great for removing all kinds of components from boards.
>
>* A good pair of tweezers, that won't cross over and flick SMD components 
>all over the room.
>
>* Spare SMD components - for when you flick them across the room. They're 
>cheaper than wire-ended components, these days.
>...

One question and one suggestion.

Aside from W8JI's noise blanker mod, are there any important mods for the 
MP/MkV series that require messing with SMDs?  Tom says on his web page 
that this mod is basically unnecessary on either model if you remember to 
turn the blanker gain(s) all the way down.  I've concluded that I'll do the 
click mod but forget about the blanker mod.

The best addition to my tools in years is an Edsyn 951SX 
temperature-controlled soldering station.  It cost ~$75, and gets up to 
heat very quickly without delivering too much heat for the job.  Why take a 
chance with overheating a circuit board with a 200-watt iron?  I'd save 
that one for PL-259s.

73, Pete N4ZR
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