Tim:  You didn't say what kind of "dirt" you're trying to remove.  That's a major factor in determining what "the best chemical" is for cleaning it.

If you're talking finger oils, just dirt in general I've found that Windex and a terry cloth rag does wonders.  Windex on the front panel and knobs work great.

If you going to the extreme which includes cigarette tar then it might be necessary to go to more suitable chemicals.  Deoxit has been mentioned here many times for cleaning band switch contacts and controls. 

It would be good for you to research this question on eham.com.  The subject has been addressed many times.

Good luck.

JKA:  I could never afford a cash box..... always kept mine in an old sock..... but that was a long time ago.  I haven't needed cash storage for some time now.

Randy:  That's the way I learned it too but also learned one for mixed company:

Bad Boys Ruin Our Grass But Violets Grow Wild.

Al - K8AXW

I can't say with authority if bringing up the amp with a variac with the tubes in place would be harmful to the tubes..... I just don't know exactly what happens when the HV is brought up with the tube filaments at less than full voltage/full emission. 

No doubt there will be others here than can answer that question.  If it was me I'd rig it to bring up the HV to full voltage with the variac sans tubes.  If all was OK, then I'd MAKE SURE THE HV IS BLED OFF and then reinsert the tubes and then fire it up normally.

If it blows, then you'll know it's the tube(s).   

Last time I checked all the empty boxes made by Bud and Hammond are selling for big bucks!

I'd take the tubes out, make sure the dangling anode leads don't touch anything, and then use the variac to bring the power supply up to the rated voltage.

I wouldn't bring the PSU up with the tubes in place, unless it uses a separate filament transformer.

Trisha:  You're absolutely correct on all accounts. 


It's difficult not to become "jaded" in our outlook because for every one of these there are ten times that many who fall into the category of:  Build it - Sell it - Forget it.

I do understand Elecraft has two things going for it.....no doubt more, but the two that impresses me is that they're an American company trying very hard to stay in business and in spite of that difficulty they continue to bring out exciting new products and improvements to the old ones. 

You never stated to what extent you're going to "refurbish" your beam.  I did that very thing many years ago and found that it was necessary to completely disassemble it and wash the inside out with a water hose!  This included disassembling the traps. Why?  Because insects had PACKED the inside of the elements with a nest...... or nests.....  call it an insect apartment complex! Whatever.

How'n the hell little bugs got all of that trash inside those elements is beyond my comprehension. But they did it. It stinks and it's corrosive.

It hasn't been down and cleaned now for 15 years and I'm now using it until it fails.  Then, because of my age and inability to climb anymore, it stays "failed."

Take your time..... mark everything well and do a good job. 

Looks to me like it's time to start experimenting with some kind of antenna that can be clamped to the handrail....maybe with a counterpoise...... Personally I'd forget the downspout.  Too many ifs or whatifs involved. 

The "manipulation" is deliberately taking advantage of a weakness.  In this case the weakness is a basic characteristic of a ham.  Ask any ham what makes him drool the fastest.  A new piece of gear or a chicken leg?

This is deliberate and insidious!

As for the car and XYl vs. ham radio, I've been down that road and was able to deflect most objections from the XYL.  However, I was finally done in by our Congress and auto manufacturers.  Aside from your ass and a gallon of gas..... there's no more room!  We won't even talk about ruining $800 worth of auto electronics at 70mph.......

Mark:  Lookin good!  I have bridged open traces with wire and solder before but have never used solderwick.  Great idea.  Perhaps that's why I never picked up on it.

Alan:  I think with things like this you eventually reach the point of diminishing returns. 

If your antenna is mediocre then any time and money you spend on it will probably give you more bang for your buck; more enjoyment for the effort. 

Too many times a person can buy a piece of gear for a very reasonable price because the selling company is hoping to make up for it by selling you a never ending supply of "improvements" and or additions.

I have a problem with manipulation!

Mark:  I really am not trying to be nit-picky.... but the top trace....looks like it's a bit thin to me.  Also some of the trace is eroded.  Perhaps both of these observations are illusions of some kind.  If that's the case, I apologize. 

Pace was a maker of CB equipment..... usually pretty good equipment.  I owned two Pace CB transceivers....a base and a mobile.  I still own a Pace SWR/Power meter.

The amp shown is a CB amplifier and it has to be biased in the linear region of the PA transistors in order for it to amplify an AM CB signal with any kind of linearity at all.

Unless I missed the PA transistor voltage and conduction curve charts someplace, you can't tell what the bias is.

I suspect it's the detergent as well but didn't know if there's any difference in the various brands.  We were told to use Cascade liquid and like blind horses, this is the way we went.  

We no longer try to wash anything aluminum in it.

Thanks for the replies.  Will file this one.

One that I won't file is to replicate a trick a buddy tired one day.  He rewound a transformer, painted it with shellac or something similar..... and after his wife left to shop for a few hours, put it in the oven.

He became involved in something else and about 15 minutes before his wife came home he suddenly remembered the transformer in the oven.  He raced upstairs from the shack, threw open the oven door and was greeted with a ball of fire that came out of the oven and across the kitchen!  Needless to say he had to buy his wife a new oven and have one set of cabinets refinished.

He also had to nurse an ass ripping as well!