We are surrounded by stuff. Sooner or later an item of equipment will land in front of you that does not work. Somehow it becomes your responsibility to make it work again. A systematic approach helps.

Even though the tips described here mostly relate to electrical and electronic equipment, the methodology can be applied to most circumstances, whether it be a transceiver, coffee pot or a lawnmower. It is all about figuring out how to make broken devices work again.

The business fixing stuff is a big topic – larger than can be conveyed by this page. Servicing equipment is a skill set and like all skill sets, abilities will improve with practise. We are now surrounded by more gadgets, toys, and appliances than at any point in history. Being able to make basic repairs to the things that we all use is more than just nice to do. It has become an urban survival skill. When something develops a fault, try to fix it first.

If the equipment is dirty, then clean it before attempting to fix it. Not only does it become easier to service something that is clean, but the process of cleaning will often reveal the defect without having to perform a deep analysis.

Read the full article

A comprehensive article on the process of repair featured in the November edition of QTC. It provides some structure to the process of repairing anything, with an emphasis on Amateur Radio hardware. It looks at the issue of where the threshold is for repairing versus discarding broken equipment and differences in approach between equipment that worked once, then stopped and equipment that has just been built and never worked.

Fixing stuff article: https://qtcmag.com/books/txyo/#p=18

The pdf version of the November 2022 magazine may be downloaded here: https://vkradioamateurs.org/home/qtc-magazine/qtc-pdf-download/

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