Can tropicalization treatment over years cause problems? - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

netsmo62 · 9th Apr 2021, 10:02 pm

Hi, I was wondering if the tropicalization treatment over time on transistor devices can lead to operating problems, because here I have a Grundig Satellit 3000 that has a yellowish patina above and below the printed circuits that I have not seen on other similar specimens.

The radio is in excellent external condition, it has not suffered shocks, lightning strikes, electrical network setting errors but basically after it has always gone apart from the usual problems with the band keys after several years of standstill, it does not work. the FM band is heard pianissimo (and it is not the amplifier section that goes regularly with no input signals) and nothing on the others bands.

The frequency meter marks unbalanced frequencies on certain ranges (LW and MW above all) and on the FM it is misaligned by 1 Mhz with respect to the talking scale ... surely it can also be the old electrolytics, but for safety I was also asking about the treatment in question. Thanks in advance F.

9th Apr 2021, 10:02 pm	#1
netsmo62 Tetrode Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Nonantola (MO), Italy Posts: 56	Can tropicalization treatment over years cause problems? Hi, I was wondering if the tropicalization treatment over time on transistor devices can lead to operating problems, because here I have a Grundig Satellit 3000 that has a yellowish patina above and below the printed circuits that I have not seen on other similar specimens. The radio is in excellent external condition, it has not suffered shocks, lightning strikes, electrical network setting errors but basically after it has always gone apart from the usual problems with the band keys after several years of standstill, it does not work. the FM band is heard pianissimo (and it is not the amplifier section that goes regularly with no input signals) and nothing on the others bands. The frequency meter marks unbalanced frequencies on certain ranges (LW and MW above all) and on the FM it is misaligned by 1 Mhz with respect to the talking scale ... surely it can also be the old electrolytics, but for safety I was also asking about the treatment in question. Thanks in advance F.