[Boatanchors] Cleaning a bandswitch

[Dave Sublette]

Best Deal I can find is a 5 oz bottle, needle applicator for $32.99 from
Apollo AV in Michigan.  Anyone got a better deal?

Dave, K4TO

On Sat, Dec 20, 2025 at 10:20 AM Dave Sublette <k4to.dave at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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>>