[TowerTalk] Topband: Keeping tuning boxes dry.

[GALE STEWARD]

Put a moth ball or two in the box before you install
the cover. No more ants or bugs of any kind. I've done
it for years in all of my outside enclosures (RF relay
box, 80/160 switched L network box, etc.) with no ill
effects to the components inside. The moth balls
"evaporate" over time so you have to periodically
"renew" them.

73, Stew...



--- K9RBorowski <k9rb at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> I've been using grey plastic electrical boxes with
> gasketed covers from Home Depot for a good number of
> years now and found that they are pretty impervious
> to U.V. and temperature extremes. Some are over 10
> years old exposed to the Florida sun and still
> appear like new. I started using 3/32" drilled holes
> in each bottom corner and found that they were still
> large enough to let tiny ants and other small
> insects in, then they die and the decayed remains
> would clog the small holes. I found a far better way
> by using a 7/8" to 1 -1/4" hole saw in the bottom of
> the box and cover it from the inside with a bit
> larger piece of window screening and use a glue gun,
> epoxy, what have you, to secure it to the box. I use
> JB Weld. You can forget about any condensation
> build-up or small insects after that. One may wish
> to use a piece of Fiberglas furnace filter material
> over the screen in a real dusty area but my location
> hasn't needed that and all has stayed clean inside
> the boxes. I've had 
>  various boxes with cheese slicers, ceramic
> transmitting caps, vacuum variables, motorized
> roller inductors, switches, and open relays with no
> problems whatsoever since using the screening
> method. The previous 3/32" holes all got a dab of
> silicon caulk to seal them once I found this method
> worked so well. 
> 73, -=Rog-K9RB=- (playing topband for 45 seasons now
> and still experimenting)
> _______________________________________________
> Topband mailing list
> Topband at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/topband
> 


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com