[ARC5] Radios and the Canal

[robinson at tuberadio.com]

Hi there,

Here is an article on tropicalisation of radios
and its effects......
http://www.tuberadio.com/robinson/Manuals/AWA_Technical_Review_Tropicalisation.pdf

Regards
Ray


> High humidity promotes corrosion.  The South Pacific was a tropical
> environment which meant huge levels of humidity, much of the time.  Plus,
> it's a salt air environment which makes things even worse.
>
> My Dad served in the CBI, in India and Burma.  He pointed out that one big
> bugaboo in their gear was little tubular ceramic capacitors which would
> collect moisture inside the hollow center, and short out.  Or, that
> insects would nest inside the capacitors and cause them to fail.
>
> This is the main thing MFP was developed to protect against.
>
> Salt air works on exposed metal, real quick.  Antennas are at risk as well
> as radios.  The copper turns green in a hurry and solder joints
> deteriorate.
>
> Dad also said that corrosion went hand in hand with infection.  Even years
> later, he would warn me to watch out when handling surplus gear, because
> "You don't know where it's been; could have come from the tropics where
> infection was high!"  If I got a even a tiny cut when working around a
> surplus rig, he'd insist on my swabbing it down with merthiolate or
> mercurichrome (do they even still make these any more?) or maybe even haul
> me to the doctor for a tetanus shot.
>
> 73
>
> Mike
> W4DSE
>
>
> --- On Sun, 5/12/13, Robert  Eleazer <releazer at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> From: Robert  Eleazer <releazer at earthlink.net>
>> Subject: Re: [ARC5] Radios and the Canal
>> To: arc5 at mailman.qth.net
>> Date: Sunday, May 12, 2013, 8:27 AM
>> I thought the same thing as Mike at
>> first.  Surely the coastwatchers would have been better
>> off with something like the SCR-288 or even a land-based
>> version of the SCR-274-N - rather than the behemoths they
>> probably had.
>>
>> But first, they originally were sited and equipped in
>> peacetime and did not have to do a lot of running around,
>> mobile style, even after the war started.
>>
>> Second, they needed some real RF power!  Communications
>> had to be as reliable as possible.  There were times in
>> which vital messages were not received or had to be relayed
>> through intermediate stations.
>>
>> And by the way, they mention in the book that the "high
>> moisture levels" in the South Pacific were an serious
>> impediment to good communications.  Not sure what they
>> men by that. Corrosion is an obvious problem, as are storms,
>> but it's not clear to me why water in the air is a concern.
>>
>> Wayne         
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