[Towertalk] Hook-In-Mouth

Tom Rauch W8JI@contesting.com
Sat, 20 Apr 2002 11:24:46 -0400


> You've forgotten the most probably cause .. the 'slide' upon which the
> roller moves is in need of contact cleaner!  The contact between the
> roller and that rod is difficult to clean! Don - N8DE
> 
> K8fu@aol.com wrote:
> > 
> > For all of you out there that have tuners with roller inductors I
> > put to you my dilema. Bought a roller inductor tuner at a hamfest
> > last weekend. While the unit appears almost new the SWR jumps all
> > over the place while moving the inductor.

Ouch! Don't use contact cleaner on the roller, especially if you are 
going to transmit while rolling the roller. If you want to clean the 
slider, use a solvent that does not leave a residue and an ink eraser 
for the parts you can rub. Make sure you wipe off all the residue.  

Most coatings left by contact cleaner breakdown and cause problems, 
as do most lubricants. There are only certain areas where electrical 
contacts can be lubricated.

What I like to do is disassemble the roller and clean and plate or 
replate the parts with silver. Silver plating and cleaning solutions 
for refinishing silver are available. I use something nasty to eat 
(it has arsenic compounds) called Silversmith.   

What type of tuner is it, and what type of roller? That has a lot to 
do with how to actually repair the problem.73, Tom W8JI
W8JI@contesting.com