[Elecraft] Equipment Storage and operation

[Dave Sublette]

I should start with an apology to the group.  Although I stand by what I
said in a previous post, I feel that the way I expressed myself was in
violation of decorum standards for this group.  I am sorry for that.


After letting my BP come down and thinking about it a bit, I realized that
I have useful experience doing the very same thing that the gentleman was
asking about.  I stored and operated equipment in an unheated, uncooled
outdoor environment for over 20 years.  To wit, I operated four microwave
bands with transverters and amplifiers mounted remotely in a "weatherproof"
box mounted at 185 feet on my 200 foot rotating tower.  Here is what
happened:

The equipment was mounted in an enclosure commonly referred to as the
"white box project" among microwave folks.  It is of very high quality
design and construction, having sealed gaskets around the hinged cover and
screened vents.  The equipment inside consisted of DEMI transverters, which
I built from a kit and amplifiers that were originally built for commercial
microwave links.  The point being, it was all very good quality.  I have
the test gear to verify that it was all operating with good sensitivity,
etc....

Over the course of the time I used it, I had to bring it down every two to
four years for repair.   Corrosion from condensation was a big problem.  On
the circuit boards, chip components would crack and solder connections
opened, probably from expansion and contraction due to heat and cold. I
don't recall any electrolytic capacitor failures, but those would certainly
be vulnerable under those conditions.

It was first degree abuse of electronics equipment, no doubt.  My defense
for this is that it was unavoidable because the equipment has to be mounted
close to the antennas to minimize transmission line losses.  I believe the
majority of us that operate microwaves mount our equipment like this and
there are many stories similar to mine.

Some folks mounted fans and light bulbs in the remote enclosures.  The fans
removed some of the heat in Summer and the lightbulbs maintained some heat
in Winter and kept some of condensation from forming.  Short of elaborate
measures, I don't know how the operating conditions could be matched to
those in a heated and air-conditioned shack.

So here is my attempt at constructive suggestion.  I still cringe at the
thought of putting any equipment in an unheated and uncooled space outside.

73,

Dave, K4TO