Woody, soldering is part art and part science, but like painting a car, the result is a matter of how well you prep the surface, keep your tools in good working order, and use the right tools. Lead

Hi Woody, My el cheapo made in China soldering station I picked up at the 2013 Dayton Hamvention doesn't have a temperature scale, only one with colors so I'm not exactly sure of

THANKS! to all for great info. in response to my soldering questions. Here and off list. ALL very helpful. I am now waaay more knowledgable and inspired. I'm grateful to all of you for your time

For those concerned about tip life, turning off your iron when not in use and turning it down when taking a break, leads to long tip life measured in years. While I'm thinking specifically about a

I use the Weller Tip"8" at 800F (that is about a 35W iron) and the Tip7 for 700F work (about a 28 to 30W Iron). It depends on Tip length. For surface mount using a 1.25" long tip, use the higher

try an infrared gun to check the temp tip of your gun

Probably all of the answers are correct. I have found that soldering irons and their reported temperatures only at best estimate the tip temperature. While it’s true various solders melt at a

I guess I am the outlier, I use 640-645 typically unless it's a large ground pad or joint and then I'll run it up past 700. I like the lower temperature as it doesn't burn the tip. But maybe that

I've always used 665F for lead, and 750F for other alloys. Mike kd5rjz

Guys, 8 years as a Sonar technician in the Navy and 39 yrs as a land mobile radio technician before retirement. My choice is 800-825 deg F. That temp gets the job done at each joint quickly. de Roy

Hi Woody, I use a Weller EC1001 with a small conical tip for both SMD and for conventional thru hole PCBs. Temp generally set at 700F, using 63/37 multicore rosin flux solder. Heartily recommend the

Hi Woody, I have mine set to 750 Fahrenheit on a mostly pointed tip with very slight rounding on the end. Seems to handle just about everything but the really heavy jobs like PL259 shields and the

Hi Woody! I use (and we used in the electronics repair shop I worked in for 41 years) 700 degrees F. If you have a 40 or 50 watt iron, it’s all you need. Don’t mess with the temperature. You

For a long time, I used 700 degrees for just about everything. Lately, I find myself inching up toward 800 degrees. Also, I only use Kester rosin core solder. I've worked at companies that have

Questions for experienced builders who have a soldering station that allows the temperature of the tip to be adjusted. For normal kit building, what temperature do you generally use? (Fahrenheit

Bobby, I am not familiar with the GW3UEP, but would like to learn more about it and where to get the kit. I have been thinking of modifying a 40 or 80 meter Pixie to work on 60 meters. But I would

EuGene: Curious here. Did you build one of the GW3UEP 60 meter transmitters? I just finished one and it works great. It puts out around 5 watts output when powered with 12 volts DC. If you did

I messed up on my posting...I have channels 4 & 5 (bought 'em from 3rd Planet Solar)...it is channels 1, 2, & 3 that I need. If I find a source for them I will post it on here (and on other groups

GM Keith I just read the newsletter and will add my congratulations also. Great piece of work - thank you very much. I see others have noticed your work and have recommended it to their clubs.

Eugene: Here is a USA source of crystals for two of the 60 meter channels: <https://kc9on.com/product-category/crystals/> This is the location for KC9ON's 3rd Planet Solar site. He has crystals for