I have three RF remotes for my big dish with the same problem. The original
rubber contacts were coated with what looks like graphite or carbon or some
sort. Pretty much nothing sticks to the rubber or the carbon but I found
that if I rough up the contact surface with an emery board, I can make small
bits of aluminum foil stick with regular wood glue for several months. I
put a drop of the glue on scrap paper, dip the tip of a toothpick into the
glue and use it to pick up the precut foil. Hold the foil against the
contact and pull out the toothpick. If your lucky the foil is not stuck on
your finger but on the contact :-). Seriously, it's not that much trouble
and beats the $80 cost of a new remote.

Ron


"Phil" wrote in message
...
For what it's worth, I tried this (on a Dish satellite
remote) and it work very well for about 3 hours and then
the conductive material began falling off. After a few
uses of each button, I was right back where I started,
with the addition of much conductive junk floating
around inside the remote control.

I tried conductive silver paint (from a spray can, but
applied with a "Q tip") and had the same results.

There is a product sold for this specific purpose, but I
haven't tried it yet. It is apparently rather volatile
(you are warned to use it within a specified period of
time after opening, or it dries up. It was available
through a few distributors, but don't remember which.
I should follow up and find it and try it as well.

But, save your money and time with the windshield repair
stuff. That hint was apparently written by a professional
hint writer or by someone with incredibly good luck.

Lastly, I know the difference between anecdotal and
empirical data, so take my experiences with the appropriate
quantity of salt.


phil


"TimmY N" wrote in
groups.com:

from Hi Fi World:

"If a button on your TV or Stereo remote
control stops working due to over use
it is possible to fix it. There is a product that
you can get from most auto part stores made
by *Loctite* called "Quick Grid Rear Window
Defogger Repair Kit". It is a conductive fluid
usually used to fix rear window defroster elements in
car rear windows. To fix your remote, open up the casing
and paint the fluid on the base of the buttons
that are not working effectively (...after cleaning them
with rubbing alcohol and a q-tip first!), let it dry, and
re-assy the unit. It should now work again
good as new! "

(Note: this fix will also work for the rubber
control buttons on portable radio scanners
and shortwave radios also!) : ) : ) : )