PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-576
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 576
NOVEMBER 2000
PS 576
51
NOV 00
PS 576
50
NOV 00
Cold-Weather Commo . . .
7)
Rubber and rubber compounds
become stiff and brittle as temperatures
plunge. In cold weather, cables and wire
should be flexed slowly and carefully to
keep them from cracking and breaking.
1)
Carry small batteries inside your
clothes to keep them warm. Reactivate
cold-soaked batteries by warming them
under your clothes.
2)
If a radio set must be set up outside,
put it in a sheltered place. A wind block,
like a lean-to, helps keep sets away from
direct exposure to cold air.
3)
Raise RF cables above the ground to
keep them from freezing to the ground.
Use poles or tree limbs to raise the
cables.
4)
Check antenna systems often and
remove snow, ice or slush that might
diminish your signal or create a “falling
ice” hazard.
5)
Put frost shields over microphones.
If you don’t have a shield or your
handset doesn’t have a place to fit one, a
piece of plastic—like a battery bag—will
do the job.
6)
Remove all snow, ice, water and dirt
from cable connections before connect-
ing them. You’ll get a poor connection or
break connectors, if you don’t.
13)
Any equipment that generates heat
during operation will “breathe” or draw in
cold air as the equipment cools. If heated
equipment is brought into contact with
extremely cold air, the glass, plastic and
ceramic parts may break. So give hot
equipment time to cool down before
taking it out of a shelter into the cold.
“Sweating” is the opposite of
“breathing.” If cold equipment is brought
into contact with warm air, the moisture
in the air will condense on the equipment
and freeze when the equipment is taken
into the cold again.
So wrap cold equipment in a blanket
or parka for a bit before you take it into a
heated shelter.
12)
Keep cables out from under the
snow. Pull them free after every snowfall.
A cable hidden under snow is hard to
find except when it’s pulled loose by a
big foot or run over by a track.
11)
Make sure all knobs and controls
move easily. Stiff controls might indicate
a moisture freezing problem.
10)
Make sure all motors and fans run
freely. Snow and ice build-up can shut
down a critical fan and kill a much-needed
motor.
9)
Plugs, jacks, keys, shafts, bearings,
dials, and switches can malfunction due
to contraction of metal parts in extreme
cold. Check them often and keep them
warm and clean.
8)
Lube, but don’t over-lube. Lubricants
can get stiff in cold weather and fail to do
their job. The keys to lubing in the cold are
frequent checks to make sure lube hasn’t
gotten stiff and frequent applications.
when we think of
13, most of us think of
bad luck
. but here are 13
cold weather commo tips
that will bring you only
good luck
.
ahhh,
nice
and
warm
!
i'm f-f-
freezing
!
i like
the view
from
up
here
!
now
you've got me
covered
!
ooh!
i'm so
stiff
!
keep
me movin'
free
and
easy
.
that
smarts
!
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