[Icom] PW-1 SO-239 discoloration

Sun, 7 Apr 2002 09:57:44 -0400

Yes, and no....

IF the connector body is silver plated, it is very "normal" for it to
tarnish....  just like dinnerware that is silver.

But, that means that you have an atmosphere that is heavy with sulphur
compounds.  The tarnish is usually silver sulfide.

The other types (cheaper) are usually nickel plated and these do not
discolor.  The silver plating gives the best contact resistance (minimum)
and reduces unwanted leakage around the connector.

I ALWAYS recommend using the PL-259 and SO-239 that have Teflon
insulation and silver plating.  They are somewhat harder to find, but are
much better in performance.

You can remove the tarnish by using a liquid silver cleaner like Tarn-X. 
All you do is wipe it on and then WASH EVERYTHING OFF.  You can see the
tarnish go away.  It's a chemical reaction and there is a chemical
residue that you MUST remove or it will corrode the connector.  I use a
Q-tip to apply the chemical, then a hot water rinse.  

It might be time to put dummy 259s on every unused 239 connector to help
prevent future occurrences.

Ed
K1ZOK

On Sun, 7 Apr 2002 08:37:30 -0500 "WA9ALS - John" <[email protected]>
writes:
> Much of the time I have PL-259 connections to SO-239 connectors 1 and 
> 4 of
> my PW-1's antenna switch.  When I'm contesting, I usually also have 
> PL-259s
> attached to 2 and 3.
> 
> Is it normal for the SO-239s that are unused to discolor brownish?  
> Today I
> noticed that the areas of connectors 1 and 4 that are exposed to the 
> air are
> brownish, but the part that's usually under a PL-259 is 
> pristine/shiny
> silver.  Connectors 2 and 3, that are only used during contesting 
> and
> uncovered the rest of the time, are completely discolored.  Other 
> SO-239s in
> the shack are not discolored like this, although some are much 
> older, e.g.
> on my tuner.
> 
> Normal for the PW-1 connectors??  Any way to clean them up?  
> Protective
> lubricant to use?
> Thanks!  73 - John (WA9ALS)
> [email protected]
> 
> 
> ----
> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan W6OLD, [email protected]
> Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
> 

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