Perhaps that are types and grades of motor oil out there that will work with
certain types of resistors I dont think it very practical to research to
find which are compatible. Perhaps the oil companies already know. You could
make it a project to enquire with them and post the information on this news
group.

"Art Unwin KB9MZ" wrote in message
m...
Russ,
The point I am making is that some comments are repeated
so many times they take a life of their own
Think about it, the resistors of old are a far cry from
the carbon resistors of today which are not as porous,
if it is a worry then coat it with epoxy !
Then there is the "rust" question, the paint cans of today
have a teflon liner ! Even the latest ham data states that
motor oil CAN be used ( no, it will not explode !) but raise
a question of "life", possibly a suggestive comment that you
change the oil every 5000 qso's.
Certainly industry gives a good guide as to what is the best
to use for their circumstances but it doesn't rule out every
thing else for all time, and this includes motor oil of which
there are many types.
Regards
Art

Russ wrote in message
. ..
On 10 Aug 2003 08:19:18 -0700, (Art Unwin KB9MZ)
wrote:

Well it would seem that the 'don't use motor oil' comment
which has been passed on by mouth to mouth over the decades
doesn't seem to stand up to scruteny.
Yes, the question is raised so many times over the years
and the same old stories pop up, but without any
substantiation such that it just appears to be gossip.
One statement mentions attack on resisters, where's the proof,
If it is true then it surely can be easily overcome.
Hopefully this time, one of the many posters over the
years on this subject will make observations that are
relevant to the present day instead of waiting for a book.
Art


Well Art, the detergents in modern motor oils are specifically
formulated to dissolve carbon deposits and sludge (largely made up of
carbon) and keep in in suspension. I'm pretty sure that the resistor
in my Cantenna is carbon. Transformer oil is formulated to have a
high dieletric strength. Mineral oil is relatively pure, lightweight
petrolatum (like liquid Vaseline(r)) and has a pretty high dieletric
strength just because of low impurities. Motor oil? I don't know.
ATF? I don't know about that either. What I do know is that the
designers of my dummy load specify either transformer oil or mineral
oil. That's good enough for me. I'll mosey on down to the
transformer shop of the local electric utility and buy the folks there
a round of coffee in the morning or over to the veterinary supply and
buy a gallon of mineral oil U. S. P. I think it's safer that way. We
hams are in interestingly cheap lot. We'll spend thousands on a new
rig that could break down tomorrow and then pour a gallon of
"whatever" into the dummy load instead of spending twenty bucks for
mineral oil or fifty bucks for MFJs transformer oil. This in a unit
that with ordinary care will last a lifetime. Sheesh!

Russ








"Keyboard In The Wilderness" wrote in message
news:4q8Za.31351$ff.14186@fed1read01...
From the Google Group Search Engine: For what it is worth

The Handbook (at least my 1990 edition) has some information on this
subject.
In the Station Accessories chapter there are plans to build a couple
of
Cantenna type dummy loads. They mention an oil sold by Texaco (if I
remember
correctly) for turbine lubrication that is, according to the author,
the
same
oil as is used in transformers. They quote the exact product
designation.
Apparently, it's sold in minimum 5 gallon quantities and I think it's
about
$5 per gallon. If anyone's interested, let me know and I'll look up
the
information and pass it along. It's supposed to be PCB-free, also.

The article also cautions against using motor oil for various
reasons, among
which is that it attacks the resistor (actually, I think it's the
additives
that cause the problem).




"Art Unwin KB9MZ" wrote in message
m...
"Keyboard In The Wilderness" wrote in message
news:fjUYa.31252$ff.5358@fed1read01...
Jav -- asked many times before -- for the answers go to Groups
Google.com
http://groups.google.com/

I don,t fully understand why motor oil should not be used
in a dummy load! I need to make one so I can calibrate
one of my instruments. I intend to use one of the uptodate
gallon paint cans that has a PTFE liner and solder the lid on.
Since we now have the means to use low wattage signals for
tuning up purposes there is obviously no reason to store it
in the shack . So what really is the problem with using
available oil instead of emulating the aproach of industrial
transformers or regurgitating old thoughts ?
Art








Search for Oil For Cantenna or Oil For Dummy Load

Mineral Oil works well for me.


"Javier Henderson" wrote in message
...
I got a Heathkit Cantenna recently, sans oil.

Where do I find transformer oil? The few industrial suppliers
in my
area (Monterey, CA) want to sell me drums of the stuff. I only
need
a gallon...

Is motor oil OK to use?

73,
-jav w6vms

On Fri, 15 Aug 2003 06:31:04 GMT, "Jimmy"
wrote:

Perhaps that are types and grades of motor oil out there that will work with
certain types of resistors I dont think it very practical to research to
find which are compatible. Perhaps the oil companies already know. You could
make it a project to enquire with them and post the information on this news
group.


:-)

It would make as much sense to fill the can with mud, add one
electrode, and feed it against the shell. Some may no doubt find
their life's mission in then determining what grade of oil (to replace
the water) would improve this option.

It would certainly offer more caloric mass than a resistor, is freely
available, and all would quite agree - conductive and lossy.

[How many errors can you find in this proposal? Submit answers on the
back of a $20 bill and post to:]

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

Man, a simple question I asked, and it's still being debated!

I'll reserve my next question, "Can I store a battery on a bare
concrete floor", for another slow day.

73,

-jav w6vms

On 15 Aug 2003 10:08:30 -0700, Javier Henderson wrote:
Man, a simple question I asked, and it's still being debated!

Yup, every time.

I'll reserve my next question, "Can I store a battery on a bare
concrete floor", for another slow day.

Will that be before or after asking about which editor to write
web/text/??? documents?

sdb

--
| Sylvan Butler | Not speaking for Hewlett-Packard | sbutler-boi.hp.com |
| Watch out for my e-mail address. Thank UCE. change ^ to @ |
It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral
busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his
cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our
own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval
of their consciences. -- C. S. Lewis

On Mon, 18 Aug 2003 15:44:54 -0600, Sylvan Butler
d wrote:

On 15 Aug 2003 10:08:30 -0700, Javier Henderson wrote:
Man, a simple question I asked, and it's still being debated!

Yup, every time.

I'll reserve my next question, "Can I store a battery on a bare
concrete floor", for another slow day.

Will that be before or after asking about which editor to write
web/text/??? documents?

sdb

ed or ex. B^)

Russ

Sylvan Butler d writes:

On 15 Aug 2003 10:08:30 -0700, Javier Henderson wrote:

I'll reserve my next question, "Can I store a battery on a bare
concrete floor", for another slow day.

Will that be before or after asking about which editor to write
web/text/??? documents?

Emacs, of course. Is there anything else?
-jav

On 19 Aug 2003 13:44:46 -0700, Javier Henderson wrote:
Sylvan Butler d writes:

On 15 Aug 2003 10:08:30 -0700, Javier Henderson wrote:

I'll reserve my next question, "Can I store a battery on a bare
concrete floor", for another slow day.

Will that be before or after asking about which editor to write
web/text/??? documents?

Emacs, of course. Is there anything else?

I thought the topic was editors, not shell replacements!

(vi in the form of gvim for me, thanks)

sdb

--
| Sylvan Butler | Not speaking for Hewlett-Packard | sbutler-boi.hp.com |
| Watch out for my e-mail address. Thank UCE. change ^ to @ |
It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral
busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his
cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our
own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval
of their consciences. -- C. S. Lewis

On Fri, 15 Aug 2003 06:31:04 GMT, "Jimmy"
wrote:

Perhaps that are types and grades of motor oil out there that will work with
certain types of resistors I dont think it very practical to research to
find which are compatible. Perhaps the oil companies already know. You could
make it a project to enquire with them and post the information on this news
group.


Yeah, or hey! You could just use transformer oil. Art is being
pedantic and difficult.

Russ

"Art Unwin KB9MZ" wrote in message
om...
Russ,
The point I am making is that some comments are repeated
so many times they take a life of their own
Think about it, the resistors of old are a far cry from
the carbon resistors of today which are not as porous,
if it is a worry then coat it with epoxy !
Then there is the "rust" question, the paint cans of today
have a teflon liner ! Even the latest ham data states that
motor oil CAN be used ( no, it will not explode !) but raise
a question of "life", possibly a suggestive comment that you
change the oil every 5000 qso's.
Certainly industry gives a good guide as to what is the best
to use for their circumstances but it doesn't rule out every
thing else for all time, and this includes motor oil of which
there are many types.
Regards
Art

Russ wrote in message
...
On 10 Aug 2003 08:19:18 -0700, (Art Unwin KB9MZ)
wrote:

Well it would seem that the 'don't use motor oil' comment
which has been passed on by mouth to mouth over the decades
doesn't seem to stand up to scruteny.
Yes, the question is raised so many times over the years
and the same old stories pop up, but without any
substantiation such that it just appears to be gossip.
One statement mentions attack on resisters, where's the proof,
If it is true then it surely can be easily overcome.
Hopefully this time, one of the many posters over the
years on this subject will make observations that are
relevant to the present day instead of waiting for a book.
Art


Well Art, the detergents in modern motor oils are specifically
formulated to dissolve carbon deposits and sludge (largely made up of
carbon) and keep in in suspension. I'm pretty sure that the resistor
in my Cantenna is carbon. Transformer oil is formulated to have a
high dieletric strength. Mineral oil is relatively pure, lightweight
petrolatum (like liquid Vaseline(r)) and has a pretty high dieletric
strength just because of low impurities. Motor oil? I don't know.
ATF? I don't know about that either. What I do know is that the
designers of my dummy load specify either transformer oil or mineral
oil. That's good enough for me. I'll mosey on down to the
transformer shop of the local electric utility and buy the folks there
a round of coffee in the morning or over to the veterinary supply and
buy a gallon of mineral oil U. S. P. I think it's safer that way. We
hams are in interestingly cheap lot. We'll spend thousands on a new
rig that could break down tomorrow and then pour a gallon of
"whatever" into the dummy load instead of spending twenty bucks for
mineral oil or fifty bucks for MFJs transformer oil. This in a unit
that with ordinary care will last a lifetime. Sheesh!

Russ








"Keyboard In The Wilderness" wrote in message
news:4q8Za.31351$ff.14186@fed1read01...
From the Google Group Search Engine: For what it is worth

The Handbook (at least my 1990 edition) has some information on this
subject.
In the Station Accessories chapter there are plans to build a couple
of
Cantenna type dummy loads. They mention an oil sold by Texaco (if I
remember
correctly) for turbine lubrication that is, according to the author,
the
same
oil as is used in transformers. They quote the exact product
designation.
Apparently, it's sold in minimum 5 gallon quantities and I think it's
about
$5 per gallon. If anyone's interested, let me know and I'll look up
the
information and pass it along. It's supposed to be PCB-free, also.

The article also cautions against using motor oil for various
reasons, among
which is that it attacks the resistor (actually, I think it's the
additives
that cause the problem).




"Art Unwin KB9MZ" wrote in message
m...
"Keyboard In The Wilderness" wrote in message
news:fjUYa.31252$ff.5358@fed1read01...
Jav -- asked many times before -- for the answers go to Groups
Google.com
http://groups.google.com/

I don,t fully understand why motor oil should not be used
in a dummy load! I need to make one so I can calibrate
one of my instruments. I intend to use one of the uptodate
gallon paint cans that has a PTFE liner and solder the lid on.
Since we now have the means to use low wattage signals for
tuning up purposes there is obviously no reason to store it
in the shack . So what really is the problem with using
available oil instead of emulating the aproach of industrial
transformers or regurgitating old thoughts ?
Art








Search for Oil For Cantenna or Oil For Dummy Load

Mineral Oil works well for me.


"Javier Henderson" wrote in message
...
I got a Heathkit Cantenna recently, sans oil.

Where do I find transformer oil? The few industrial suppliers
in my
area (Monterey, CA) want to sell me drums of the stuff. I only
need
a gallon...

Is motor oil OK to use?

73,
-jav w6vms