[Boatanchors] Cleaning a bandswitch

[Dave Sublette]

Thanks!  I will get on with it.

Dave, K4TO

On Sat, Dec 20, 2025 at 9:42 AM Ed - K9EW <k9ew57 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I second Dale's suggestion about cleaning the crystal pins and sockets.
>
> If some bands work and some don't, it may be a crystal problem.  The
> crystals may have aged (oxidized) and won't oscillate due to high
> resistance.  The solution then would be to find replacement crystals.  The
> crystals could be resurrected, you may want to ask a crystal manufacturer
> to do that for you.
>
> -ed, k9ew
>
> On Sat, Dec 20, 2025 at 8:29 AM parinc1 <parinc1 at frontier.com> wrote:
>
>> The  standard cleaner sems to be DeOxid. They make it in a spray can but
>> that is wasteful (and maybe  dangerous), so for years now I have ben buying
>> it in a small plastic bottle with a needle applicator.  On a rotary switch,
>> a Q tip + DeOxid  is  ideal as long as you  don't leave cotton threads.
>> But  first, I would remove the heterodyne oscillator crystals and clean the
>> pins and then insert/pull reinsert and se if that does  not solve your
>> problem.
>>
>> Dale W4OP
>> ________________________________
>> From: boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net <
>> boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on behalf of Dave Sublette <
>> k4to.dave at gmail.com>
>> Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2025 6:08 AM
>> To: Boatanchors Reflector <Boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
>> Subject: [Boatanchors] Cleaning a bandswitch
>>
>> My beloved Drake 2B has quit operating on a couple of bands.  I suspect
>> that a few positions on one or more of the bandswitch wafers need
>> cleaning.
>> Q-tips, isopropyl alcohol and spray contact cleaner come to mind,  But is
>> seems to me that a very thin bladed burnishing tool for relay contacts
>> might also be called for.  I know caution is in order so as not to file
>> away the surface area of the delicat blades and fingers.  What other
>> techniques might you know of?  I am not anywhere near to being a
>> competent restoration tech.  I know there is a valued source of info here.
>> What say ye?
>>
>> Thanks and 73,
>>
>> Dave, K4TO
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>