[Amps] Ameritron band switch repair

[Jim Thomson]

Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2013 12:58:55 -0500
From: "Randall, Randy" <Randy.Randall at uchealth.com>

Subject: Re: [Amps] Ameritron band switch repair
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<5CBCD439080F744F966BB2815C0607750272E20F1242 at MAIL-B.healthall.com>
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I have picked up a few Wellers 8200's and D550's at hamfests for as little as $2.00 working and in good shape but minus the tip. It is odd that some hams think that soldering guns are useless or only for tube work. Bargains are out there but you have to be early and dig in the boxes!


Randy E. Randall AB9GO

##  I had 1-2 soldering guns go kaput on me.  I gave up on em and instead use a heavy duty iron.  The iron of choice is made by “american beauty”  Mine has a 100w ele  and a .375” diam tip..which tapers
to a wedge.   You can also get em in 150W.   You can also get em  in 550 watts, with  half inch diam tips.   Those are made for doing plumbing jobs.  telco’s have used the american beauty irons  for the ;last 75 years. 
seldom used these days,  but every office still has em laying around.   You don’t lose heat with big .375 to .5” size tips.  They store a helluva lot of heat.  

##  IF u are building hb amps  with big bandswitchs  like the model 85/88 type.....don’t mess with solder. use machine screws and wide cu strap at the switch end.  At the tank coil end, u simply wrap the cu strap
around the tubing coils, and they are cinched down super tight with a single machine screw.   Then if u have to change the tap position, no big deal, just loosen the machine screws. 

later... Jim  VE7RF