- Action: To Do List item A0099 – Clean ground plate exterior surface.
- Action: To Do List item B0100 – Determine if backing plate and bronze hardware are necessary on ground plate.
- Completed: 4 March 2016
- Cost: $15.66
The bronze ground plate for the installed ICOM IC-718 HF radio system was encrusted with numerous barnacle attachments and displayed the harmless greenish color (verdigris) that bronze naturally develops due to exposure.
Order and received a Weiler Brush 4-Piece Drill Accessory Kit (cost - $15.66) from Amazon.com that had wire brush wheels that just barely fit in between the fins of the ground plate. It worked very well to remove the barnacles.
Research on the internet about the issue of steel mount bolts to attach a bronze plate yielded very little advice. As the installation with these steel bolts appeared secure and had no evidence of water intrusion, no action was taken. Any further contemplation of changing these steel bolts to bronze rods, or replacing the ground plate, will be determined after operational check of the SSB radio system.
