Mineral Oil

[digital-conjurers at ADELPHIA.NET]

This is always an interesting thread when it comes up...

Cooking oil, well, in my sub-tropical locale, where critters are a problem (field mice, rabbits, squirrels, 23,000 species of crawlies during the humid summer) this would be a no-no, as it would probably draw them to the shack, ("Cooking Oil! Yum!") which is in it's own shed on the property.  Just something to keep in mind.

Now, I know this be heresy, but in my own _home brew cantenna_, I have used non-detergent 30 weight motor oil for a few years now with no ill effects, and my AM rig has gotten it plenty warm at times.

All said, if I had my druthers, it would have been mineral oil, as recommended by Heath for their Cantenna...but for some reason, everyone within 60 miles of me was out of the stuff when I built the homebrew dummy load.  It was dirt cheap, too.

-Lin/KJ6EF



>> On Dec 16, 2005, at 5:55 PM, GBrown wrote:
>>
>> >     Any kind of cooking oil at your local grocery store.
>>
>> I would not recommend using cooking oil in a cantenna-style dummy
>> load. The problem is that cooking oil is hydroscopic. It will absorb
>> water and allow the electronic components to corrode.
>>
>> Mineral oil is an excellent choice. Transformer oil will work better,
>> but it's harder to obtain and older versions contained potentially
>> toxic PCBs. Mineral oil is inexpensive, and it will last for decades.
>>
>>
>> Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
>> Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
>>              -- Wilbur Wright, 1901
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