power antenna switch heating up

[Dave WM]

I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but I did note my switch getting hot when operating that power antenna.

I put the switch in a small baggie and pumped in enough electrical contact cleaner in (aerosol can) to flood the entire switch, Then operated it while still in the baggie several times (not hooked up). After I also wiped the extended antenna down with some fine steel wool to polish up the metal. Plugged the switch back in, there was a noticeable improvement the speed of the antenna and the switch did not get warm at all. I prob should done one step at a time to see if it was the cleaning of the antenna or the switch in the electrical contact cleaner that did the most improvement.

[Mike]

Heat is caused by resistance, so, cleaning the switch and the contacts probably solved the problem.

[hr369]

My antenna is slowing down. I even put wax on the mast to speed it up but didn't notice much change. I will try deoxit on that antenna switch and see if it makes any difference.

thanks.

[Dave WM]

5 hours ago, hr369 said:

My antenna is slowing down. I even put wax on the mast to speed it up but didn't notice much change. I will try deoxit on that antenna switch and see if it makes any difference.

thanks.

Try the 0000 steel wool, it will really polish up the metal and remove any residue that maybe gumming up the works. You can feel the difference, as you polish up the steel wool will feel grabby, but then will start to smooth out. It will generate some mess, so you may want to wrap the bottom of the ant with a towel to catch the tiny metal flakes from the wool. You can also try it on a old manual antenna 1st to see the results before trying on a prized antenna. I had no problems but would always suggest other try for themselves on something not valuable first.

Edited October 12, 2016 by Dave WM

[Mark Maras]

 A crumpled wad of aluminum foil works well for removing crud from chrome.   It's softer than steel wool and less likely to scratch the chrome.