[Johnson] Valiant VFO drive

[Sherrill Watkins]

Gentlemen: I have had very good success cleaning and lubricating both switch
and variable resistor contacts in vacuum tube and transistor gear using an
inexpensive product, available from most auto supply stores, called "PB
Blaster". This product seems to easily disolve and remove crud and oxidation
and lubricates well. A 12 spray can is less than $5.00.  -73- Sherrill W.
k4own. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Kenneth Arthur Crips [mailto:CRIPS01 at MSN.COM] 
Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2005 2:49 PM
To: Glen Zook
Cc: Johnson
Subject: Re: [Johnson] Valiant VFO drive


To add to what Glen said clean up the wafer switches I have tracked so many 
problems to these switches.  So often, when we get these rigs, they have not 
been powered up for decades. I clean then as a matter of course. Heathkit is 
really bad.  Heathkit rigs are, for most units, well engineered but after 
the surplus parts supply ran out about 1960 the quality of the electronic 
parts Heathkit replaced them with was not always as good in quality.  But 
the worse is Swan because of their method of combining frequencies through 
the gang switches to get the transmitted frequency, bad wafers equals bad 
radio. Because of this a friend if mine calls them Swine's. The best thing 
for really dirty wafer switch is a SMALL! amount of Brasso on a Q-tip the 
goo this gets off of these switches is something to see.  After you are done 
with the Brasso treatment spray the switch down with a circuit board/switch 
cleaner to get the Brasso residue off of the switch. To finish hit up every 
contact with tiny amount Caig DeoxIT. DeoxIT is like Holy Water for old 
switches. Go to caig.com to read up on it.  When you clean wafer switches 
you realize how bad smoking is on older electronics.  I had a set of the 
Yaesu Twins FL, and FR-101 (good looking but real turkeys) I purchased these 
off of a pipe smoker. When it was heated up it smelled like I was burning 
incense. But there where band switch problems so I hit the inside of these 
radios with Blue Shower the fluid coming off of the radio looked like strong 
coffee, yuck. Sure wish I could still get Blue Shower it was the best 
general electronics cleaner but it has a Freon propellant so it a no-no for 
all of us.


                                             Ken de W7ITC

Kenneth A. Crips Radio Station W7ITC
Cheyenne, Wyoming with The Chew Crew
Beezie, Chic', and Cowboy three
outrageous Irish Terriers.
 
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