Plus: When To Head to the Repair Shop Immediately.
by Robert Smith
Most high-end radios like the Motorolas and Kenwoods offered by South Sales are pretty rough and tumble. They can take a lot, and if they're a modern digital model they probably don't even need regular maintenance. But if yours is showing warning signs, it's time to bring it in:
- Any changes in functionality such as deteriorating reception or range. Even if the change doesn't have a major impact on your use of the radio, changes in function can indicate growing problems that will be easier to address early.
- Visible damage. The radio may appear to work just fine for a while, but there could be internal damage that should be addressed before it causes further problems.
When to drop everything and deliver your radio to a repair shop? Any time it comes into contact with water--even if it appears to work just fine.
Why? Because the greatest danger from water isn't just being wet--it's the corrosion that can set in hours or even days later. And simply opening it up and setting it under a fan won't resolve the problem--in fact, it can make it worse by driving the water deeper into the electronics where it can cause even more corrosion.
When you bring it into the shop, we'll immediately open it up and treat it with chemicals that prevent corrosion before it can begin. Bring it in quickly enough, and we can usually save your expensive investment from permanent damage.
Robert Smith has been repairing two-way radios since he was a boy. His earliest memories include sitting in front of a box of broken radio pieces and saudering them together while his father sat nearby working on other pieces. Robert has been repairing radios professionally since 1989. He is lead bench technician for South Sales Communications.
