I didn't realize you were on the east side of the Atlantic, Nick. Given the issues with lead-free solder, it has been around a LONG time! Lead-free "silver solder" is required by the manufacturers of many RF systems for use where very high frequency (appx. 1 GHZ), high current RF flows. E.F. Johnson (of Ham fame and now a major manufacturer of Land Mobile radios and repeaters) is one whose equipment I have serviced that requires silver solder in their RF power amplifiers. In that case the justification is that silver solder is more conductive, especially to RF which flows only through the few surface atoms of the conductor.
It's not as easy to work with, as I mentioned before, but it has a long history of radio use. Don's comments echo my experience with "silver solder". I haven't personally used much of the newer stuff, but from what he says it hasn't changed much, Hi! I'm as "green" as then next guy, being a proud resident of the American northwest were we take ecological and pollution issues very seriously and being one of the few places where residents have consistently approved higher taxes to do things in ways that pollute less, but I also avoid stampedes to do "what everyone knows". As I'm fond of saying in various local meetings, if the fact that something can be toxic is justification for banning it, then we must ban coffee, sugar, all grains, most dairy products, etc., because any laboratory will confirm that if you shove a pound of it down the throat of a rat in one meal, the rat will die every time. It's not just whether it's toxic, it's toxic in what quantities that counts. I traded off-line messages with another British Ham yesterday in which we talked about the recycling efforts going on there and here in which we do not even put electronics scrap in the 'trash' any longer. It is recycled to recover the metals and other recyclable materials from it instead. Only the bare minimum of residue, and non-toxic, lead-free residue, finds its way into landfills. Now it might make sense to remove lead entirely if it's possible, but to me using it and recycling it is preferable if lead provides a superior product. But then that's just my opinion. I wrote my original reply on the assumption you were an American Ham, not seeing a call sign attached to your name. Sorry about that! 73, Ron AC7AC _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
