The repeater-builder.com site has a great web page on the repair of Toshiba S-AV17 RF PA modules fabricated on a ceramic substrate at: http://www.repeater-builder.com/kenwood/s-av17-repair.html
The article notes how difficult it is to re-tin the stripline inductor traces because the ceramic substrate transfers heat so efficiently to the heat sink. So, I thought, "why not turn the heat sink into a heat source?" Borrowing from the "candle-warmer/embossing-gun/solder-paste" technique for hot-air SMT soldering, as shown at: http://www.zianet.com/erg/SMT_Soldering.html I put the S-AV17 module on a candle warmer for ten minutes before, as well as during, the re-tinning of its traces. With the candle-warmer pre-heating, soldering was as easy as if it were an FR4 PCB. 73, Ross N0GSZ
