[Elecraft] TMP connectors

Sun Jun 8 20:13:23 EDT 2025

When I was at HP we recommended DeOxit red liquid on precision instrument (NanoVoltMeter) connectors- in fact we shipped a tiny bottle with each instrument. There is another - ProGold - for gold plated connectors. Both are “Good Stuff” for keeping connectors clean and conducting.
73, de K0PF

Sent from my phone

> On Jun 8, 2025, at 5:55 PM, Rick Robinson <rickw8zt at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Are you thinking of DeOxit ? Thin red liquid that has been around for years
> and great for cleaning and protecting . Not messy. Noalox is for aluminum
> electrical connections. Look up DeOxit and I think you will see this is
> what would be the proper product.
> 
>> On Sun, Jun 8, 2025 at 7:42 PM Drew AF2Z <pubx1 at af2z.net> wrote:
>> 
>> NO-OX-ID contact grease is the stuff. Works great for RF and audio
>> connectors.
>> 
>> 73,
>> Drew/AF2Z
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On 6/8/2025 17:27, Ray Maxfield wrote:
>>> Hi Jim and GP.
>>>  I would only use No-Oxide "type grease" on the TMP connectors.
>>> A very lite coat is all that is needed.
>>> 
>>> Ray WA6VAB K3
>>> 
>>> ________________________________
>>> From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net <elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net>
>> on behalf of chetsubaccount at snet.net <chetsubaccount at snet.net>
>>> Sent: Sunday, June 8, 2025 1:11 PM
>>> To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
>>> Cc: jim at rhodesend.net <jim at rhodesend.net>
>>> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] TMP connectors
>>> 
>>> Hi Jim,
>>> 
>>> The last time I re-plugged those connectors after having my K3's sub
>> out, I
>>> did apply a small amount of dielectric grease to the tip and the shell.
>> Just
>>> used very little smear (not a glob) on the tip of my finger to touch
>> those
>>> parts. That also made correct and full insertion easier.
>>> 
>>> Contacts use pressure to squoosh their little conductive hills into/onto
>> the
>>> mating surface. After that, they need protection from atmospheric and
>>> moisture deterioration. The grease keeps it from reaching those
>> microscopic
>>> areas as it gets pushed aside all around of where they squoosh.
>>> 
>>> I've been using it on outdoor coax connectors for ages, and recenrly on
>> the
>>> braid of crimp-on connectors before crimping. Never had an issue .
>>> 
>>> 73,
>>> Chet, N8RA
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net <elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net>
>> On
>>> Behalf Of Jim Rhodes
>>> Sent: Friday, June 6, 2025 10:26 PM
>>> To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>>> Subject: [Elecraft] TMP connectors
>>> 
>>> My K3 does not get a lot of use anymore because its spot on the desk has
>>> been taken by the K4D.  Now the K4 has been at the mothership and the K3
>> was
>>> perking along just fine and then went silent suddenly.  No receive, no
>>> transmit.  I opened it up and poked around a bit the next day with the
>> top
>>> cover off and all of a sudden the receive started crackling and transmit
>> was
>>> fine.  Buttoned it back up and it worked fine during off and on use for a
>>> few days, then it went quiet again after an all day stretch.  So I popped
>>> the top and twisted all of the TMP connectors that I could reach,
>> powered it
>>> up and it has been working fine again.
>>> My question to the group is: Has anyone ever gone to the trouble of
>> treating
>>> all of those pesky little connectors with some kind of dialectric grease
>> to
>>> keep them from this kind of behavior?  By the time you add the second
>>> receiver and the 2 meter board there gets to be a lot of the little
>> buggers
>>> in there and most of them are hard to get at.  Seems like it might be a
>> good
>>> project to try now that the K4 is on its way home again.
>>> 
>>> Jim K0XU
>>> jim at rhodesend.net
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