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 Post subject: Re: Help identify
PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 4:32 pm 

Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2017 11:31 pm
Posts: 161
Someone lucked out and got some high end sat com gear!

The very first two pictures you posted are what appear to be WR-137 broadwall wavegude. Construction is typically copper body (rectangular tube) with solid copper or solid brass flanges (depending on customer request). These can also be made of 100% aluminum; rectangular tube and flange. In your case, the body is copper. The top flange (based on gouges) appears plated copper. While the bottom flange (attached to coupler) appears brass. Though lighting may affect what I’m seeing.

On the directional coupler, you have several SMA coaxial connectors. These are typically gold plated brass. The thin metallic tubing between the SMA connectors is RG141 semi-rigid coax. The RG141 coax is either tinned aluminum or tinned copper. There will be a tinned copper center conductor running down the middle. The material used to tin the center conductor is silver. The wavegude and coupler are costly to say the least. I’d try eBay if your’re inclined. If not, with a little work on your part, you may have a lot of good metals for scrap to say the least. With shipping involved, you may make more money scrapping the brass and copper. Weigh your options, pun intended.

The very last picture you posted is of a solid state amplifier of some sort. Be extremely carefull when pulling those tiny boards out. If you look with a 10x loop, you will see very fine gold connecting wires, won’t take much abrasion to knock them off. There will be some gold traces and solder pads a well.

Be on the lookout for small relays in some of this equipment. The contacts typically are solid gold. Barely as big as the fine tip of a mechanical pencil. I’m in the process of stripping out several of these high end relays, tedious, but the gold is there and it’s real. Uncommon in all but the high end comms gear.

Again, nice score!

Have fun!


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 Post subject: Re: Help identify
PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 4:50 pm 
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Chris says the Mitsubishi processor’s blocks are apx $12 per pound.

Way to go rusty!
I’ve been digging and see the same stuff coming up as mentioned. There gold connectors in there but they are very very small.
Pull them loose and you should have enough to be worth putting in a separate bottle for a quote rate on them. Just got to get over a few Grains weight for a quote.

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 Post subject: Re: Help identify
PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2019 6:30 pm 

Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2014 9:12 am
Posts: 82
It’s hard to see but I think that’s what you’re talking about rusty
Thanks for all the info
The wave guides they are heavier then you would think
And the tops and bottoms are the same material and plating


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 Post subject: Re: Help identify
PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 10:39 am 

Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2017 11:31 pm
Posts: 161
tincanman,

While your image is a bit fuzzy, yes, that appears to be a wee lil nugget of gold attached to a thin strip of copper!

And yes, WR137 and WR187 copper waveguide with copper or brass flanges weighs quite a bit. If whomever you sell it to pays you for all the metals involved, you should make a pretty penny!

Enjoy!

RFIII


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 Post subject: Re: Help identify
PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 1:20 pm 

Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2017 11:31 pm
Posts: 161
Lost,

So far, I’ve stripped out 5 of those relays with the tiny bits of gold that make up the contacts. My total weight as of today is a whopping 0.640gms!! I nip the copper the gold is bonded to as close to the gold contact as I can. I’m going to assume that in this case the weight of the gold bit exceeds the weight of the copper. Just a guess on my part.

I’m therefore assuming, biggly, that maybe, 3/4 of that weight is gold? Regardless, fun stuff. Oh, and I’ve never seen a gold miner knowingly throw out the smallest fleck of gold!!! Keepers for sure!

Enjoy,

RFIII


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 Post subject: Re: Help identify
PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 4:06 pm 
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I can’t say for sure how much gold to copper weight ratio falls. And I’m not as sold as others the gold is pure. Military contacts tend to be 18-22kt alloy. Still valuable though.

As for flecks and flakes... I try to collect as much as I can. But I have a limit to my willingness. I’ve held the adage you scraped too far when you’ll vacuum up gold. I save and send in most of the gold scrappings but some inevitably winds up lost to the shop•vac every time.

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 Post subject: Re: Help identify
PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2019 8:02 pm 

Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2017 11:31 pm
Posts: 161
I was gambling on the purity to be somewhere around the 18ct-22ct as well. Figured 24ct to be too soft.

I did cut one in half with some jewlers’s nips, it was shiny gold all the way thru until the copper tab.

I’ll admit, it’s tedious getting them out. My eyes are a bit old for this!


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 Post subject: Re: Help identify
PostPosted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 4:40 pm 

Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2014 9:12 am
Posts: 82
What are the red wires?


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 Post subject: Re: Help identify
PostPosted: Wed Feb 13, 2019 5:15 pm 
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My limited experience, probably nickel

Especially with the effort to cover not only the unshielded ends but the insulation as well.

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 Post subject: Re: Help identify
PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2019 12:32 pm 

Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2014 9:12 am
Posts: 82
I managed to pull some insulation off
I think it’s a gold wire
Would it go as #1 insulated


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