Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[David Dunlop]

I almost forgot to pass along a soldering tip in case anyone else needs to do soldering work on the 52-Set Receiver Aerial connector.

The soldering terminal in question is less of a typical terminal and more an extension of a small piece of heavy sheet steel. It sits on top of a much larger, vertical piece of sheet steel, same gauge as the main receiver chassis steel, to which the two aerial terminals are fitted, along with the right hand side Clip for the ARRESTERS, PROTECTING, GAS GAP. In fact, the accumulation of steel at this point is so thick, a 1/8-inch thick steel spacer is fitted between the left side ARRESTERS Clip and the back of the sub panel to bring both clips parallel to one another. The net result is the creation of a massive heat sink for the aerial connector, which needs to be taken into consideration for any soldering work.

My soldering station iron, set to its normal 350 degrees C, only generated enough heat to let the soldering tip skate about on the surface of the solder. I had to haul out the trusty vintage WELLER HD Soldering Gun to get the job done.

Also, I have no idea just how much heat the glass envelop of the Gas Gap Arrester is designed to handle, so I removed it from the clips prior to working on the terminal connection. Apart from the unknown heat risk, the right hand clip sits directly under the soldered aerial terminal and there was a good possibility any solder dripping from the terminal could wick into the space between the arrestor end cap and its clip.

As it was, it took about 5 minutes after completing the work before either aerial terminal or the right hand Arrester Clip were comfortable to touch.

David