[R-390] Fw: [K6BW] Some helpful radio hints

[Bill Smith]

Ideas from one of the K6BW members, a California Ham club.   They sound good
to me.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Josh Heide" <kd6kml@interx.net>
To: "HWA QTH Reflector" <k6bw@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2003 6:20 PM
Subject: [K6BW] Some helpful radio hints


> Here are a few things I have found over the years. Hope you find something
> useful here. Maybe some others here can pass on some helpful hints.
>
> 1. If the display of your HT or mobile has been slightly scratched, try
> polishing it with Brasso metal polish.
> 2. Use a small length of surgical tubing or automotive vacuum line as
> extention for small knobs. Makes them muich easier to grasp and turn. I
> learned this one from the Sheriff's deputies in Napa.
> 3. Use the same tubing as shaft couplers to provide insulation on things
like
> variable capacitors. This will also allow for some offset betwees the
shafts.
> 4. To really clean up glass that has a dirty film on it that won't come
clean
> by other means try using a product called "Bar Keeper's Friend". Works
really
> well on the car's windshield to remove road film.
> 5. To lubricate the gears and other mechanical parts of the older military
> radio equipment (R-390, R-1051 and such) I use a mixture of Marvel's
Mystery
> Oil and Mobil 1 synthetic gear oil mixed in equal amounts. Really keeps
the
> parts operating smoothly and does not gum up.
> 6. To clean the mechanical parts of the above mentioned radios, go to an
> automotive paint store and get some wax and grease remover. This is used
> before painting to clean the surface. It will not harm most painted
surfaces.
> I have not had any trouble with it bothering the lettering or laquer on
the
> coils and chassis of my R-390. It will really cut through the old hard
> grease. (PPG number DX-330)
> 7. To lubricate coil forms to allow the slugs to move freely, like in the
> rack on a R-390, carefully clean the coilform and them dust it lightly
with
> ground mica. This is available from gun shops with a good selection of
> reloading supplies.
> 8. A reat product for all around corrosion prevention and lubrication is
> called Corrosion-X. It is available ar marine supply houses. I use it on
> everything from guns to autmotive to electronics. It can be used on jsut
> about anything. If applied to the end of a piece of coax when the
connector
> is put on, water will not migrate into the cable if it becomes exposed to
the
> elements.
>
> 73 de KD6KML   Josh Heide
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