Expensive test gear?

Most useful is a magnifying glass to look for dry joints
I'd estimate that 90% of rigs given to me to repair
are resolved by optical examination followed by solder
re-flowing.

Soldering irons - to the bottom of one of your smaller bits,
attach a chocolate box connector (& remove the plastic
covering before it melts and fills the shack with toxic fumes!)

To the other half of the chocolate box connector, attach a
range of obscure "bits" of metal that you've fashioned to deal
with the various SMD shapes. Most Useful is an old Henley
"Solon" bit that has a slot filed in it to sit either side of an
SMD R or C.

"SMD rework station"??? Fashion from bits left over from
your Mecaano set - create an overarm with a spring loaded
plunger to bear down onto the component to prevent
tombstoning. Working end of plunger to be wooden, cocktail
stick or chopstick serves nicely. Sacrificial 'cos slowly
burns away. Only once had a problem with resins oozing
out from wood.

Come on, chaps, this is simple mechanical bodging, a trivial
matter for any self-respecting _REAL_ Radio Ham!
(Unless you fail to secure your PCB before rework,
it ain't "Rock It" Science :-) )

"Only used for the one repair"??? Is that a CBer talking? Surely
the essence of _REAL_ Ham Radio is that you're using this
type of equipment all the time? (Not true for a CBer-masquerading-
as-a-Radio-Ham, though!)

"today's microprocessor, DSP and firmware laiden transceivers"? All
_REAL_ Radio Hams thrive on how thing work and how to modify
them!

Indeed, if you're a _REAL_ Radio Ham, then your transceiver will
have been designed, constructed and modified by you, so the
" microprocessor, DSP and firmware" will be your design anyway and
therefore not a problem.

"laiden"????? ITYM "laden". I'd advise you not to seek a job in education
because of that!

"Leigh" wrote in message
...
G.A.Evans G4SDW wrote:

Ham Radio is a technical pursuit for gentleman. Those who think
that they are Radio Hams but send their rigs back for repair are
"CBers-masquerading-as-Radio-Hams", no more, no less.

But with today's microprocessor, DSP and firmware laiden transceivers,
would repair be both possible and cost-effective once the radio amateur
has purchased a SMD rework station and expensive test gear, etc, that
would only be used for the one repair, etc?