[time-nuts] GPS Patch Antenna Electrode Tarnish

[Hal Murray]

info at blackmountainforge.com said:
> The reason that silver is used is that the oxide is also a very good
> conductor. 

That's interesting.   Does anybody have numbers to back it up?  I poked 
around a bit but didn't find anything.

My memory (from ages ago) is that RF gear is often gold plated even though 
gold is less conductive than silver because gold doesn't oxidize and it's 
much more conductive than silver oxide.

How much of the crap on exposed silver is oxide vs sulfide?


Many years ago, a friend told me this story.  His friend was in charge of 
maintenance of microwave towers in California's central valley.  He 
complained a lot, and Bell Labs finally sent out a microwave engineer.  They 
went out to a tower and climbed up to look at things.  Just then, a crop 
duster came by spraying sulfur on the local grapes.  They had sent the right 
guy.  He had grown up in German wine country and instantly recognized what 
was going on.  The next batch of microwave gear was gold plated rather than 
silver.  Problem solved.



-- 
These are my opinions.  I hate spam.