Can my UHF "wear out"

[growler2058]

G'day all, a question of interest (for me anyway), can my uhf wear out. I've got a uniden uh-o12, it was in the ol' gal when i bought her and assume it was probably installed when it was purchased new as a mines vehicle in 1990. Do these things wear out? is there any sort of maintenance that will extend it's life. What sort of aerial should I be using? The aerial at the moment looks dare i say it Gay. its about a fencing wire thick with a couple of fibreglass looking thingys (blue) on it. It whips around like all get out whenever I drive it on the hard top let alone dirt.

thanks much

[Finly Owner]

The "Gay" looking erial is on of the best type you can get, for several reasons:
1. it bends under trees and low stuff
2. you can get different db rating aerials of this type
yours sounds like either 6 or 9db.

As for your set it should last years, as long as it is secured correctly in your rig. Sometimes the LED displays loose some segments, but generally nearly all Uiden survive in rough vehicles.

Always keep your Mic connection tight and aerial connection tight, never over stretch mic cord and all will be fine.

try this link to understand db
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?675-UHF-radio&p=7759&viewfull=1#post7759

Tim

[rkinsey]

Lets see if I can answer this one.

All electronic components have one enemy... Temperature ... In this case I'm talking about heat. Yes, electronic components will fail to conduct an electric current at very cold temps but we are talking about -50 C. Its similar with heat where the components will start to deteriorate over a period of time and will eventually fail. Large differences in temperature will just increase the rate that these components will deteriorate.

The main culprit that causes heat buildup in electrinic devices (Computers, Tvs Hi Fi systems etc) is dust. Its attracted by the magnetic field produced by the unit and by the air flow through the device from fans that try to keep the device at an optimal operating temperature. Eventually the dust gets caught in grills and filters and blocks the air flow causing a rise in temperature in the device.

So in short, yes, your UHF radio can wear out. What can you do to lengthen the life of your device?

Keep the device free of dust and dirt. To do this you can use compressed air to blow out the unit. If you dont have a compressor you can get cans of compressed air from Jaycar, Dick Smith and Officeworks. The most efficient way to clean your device is to remove it from its installed space and then, if possible, take the case off of the unit. You can then clean the dust and dirt more easily. Dont blow the dust out of the unit with your mouth. This will blow moisture into the device and moisture and electronic parts just dont mix.

Cheers,

Rob

[the evil twin]

Antenna - some people like the stainless steel whips some people hate them. Good up to 3 dBi from 3 to 6 they are OK as an elevated feed option and from 6 to 9 they suck as they spend 99.9% of the time anywhere but vertical... but thats purely my opinion.
Tim is correct about them being very robust tho so if you do a lot of wheeling around low scrub trees etc then they are an option.

Uniden UH-012 - a good budget UHF set. Should last for years as a rereational unit. Don't let it get caked in dust (causes them to heat up) as Rob said and, again as Tim said, esp look after the Mike connection by not pulling on it etc. It is an electronic device so will crap itself without warning if it feels like it and its biggest enemies are heat and vibration.

[Finly Owner]

Yeah i apoligise for missing the dust thing as have had them in trucks etc with dust, but the radio sets have always been inside dash with less dust in there than on top of dash, so never had one fail and didn't give dust much thought. But have always had robust UHF sets not the little toy radio sets.

I have worked on older cbs and found the insides of little radios are very flimsy and do not have a lot of movement tollerence , unlike bigger robust sets. Just thought I'd share this trivial info.

[rkinsey]

I have worked on older cbs and found the insides of little radios are very flimsy and do not have a lot of movement tollerence , unlike bigger robust sets. Just thought I'd share this trivial info.

Hey Tim, any info is better than no info at all.

Cheers

Rob

[Finly Owner]

I agree, so give me back my info, I want to be an Indian giver. ROFLMAO

[growler2058]

Thanks fellas it will be getting pulled apart this weekend and getting a good blow out

Cheers

[Bob]

I agree with the above comments. Dust is a killer of electronics due to heat . Dust combined with high humidity is another killer due to power leaks across the dust.

[Bigrig]

Older technology was also prone to 'dry joints' where the solder on certain parts of the board would 'burn' out - if you are IEEE certified or really know your way around circuitry then you could have a lash at fixing it, but I'd suggest it's better just to go for a new unit.