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Re: [TowerTalk] Equipment Corrosion

To: "Martin Ewing" <martin@aa6e.net>, <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Equipment Corrosion
From: "Tower (K8RI)" <tower@rogerhalstead.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 22:11:01 -0400
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>


Another possibility is to build a small "hutch" to enclose the equipment.
Older equipment used to have small heaters that were nothing more than say a 15 or 25 watt resistor under the chassis some where near the VFO. The idea was to keep the equipment stable, but it also helped keep the corrosion at bay as long as they had power.


In the case of the hutch it could just be a plywood enclosure for all the equipment on top of a desk. The front could be a plastic door, or nothing more than plastic sheeting used in building, or plastic drop cloths. A small heater inside the hutch with a circulating fan should keep it all at the same temperature. Flipping the plastic back to use the equipment would cause no problems (as long as the equipment could be properly cooled while in use) and as the equipment would be warmer than the air there would be no condensation. When finished operating, just power down the rigs and flip the plastic cover down over the front.

Just throwing the plastic over the equipment would not be sufficient as there would still be condensation without the heat.

Good Luck,

Roger Halstead (K8RI, EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
N833R, World's Oldest Debonair (S# CD-2)
www.rogerhalstead.com
My vote: It's condensation t
hat is causing your troubles. This happens
whenever your gear is cooler than the "dewpoint" of the air.
Two solutions: Lower the humidity to lower the dewpoint, or heat your stuff. If you have a leaky shack, a dehumidifier may not be a good solution, but if you can keep your important stuff warm, that should work.


Or you can slather Vaseline on everything. :-)

73, Martin AA6E

_______________________________________________

See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.

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_______________________________________________

See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.

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