Dusting off the Ol' AT Pro - Tips for maintenance?

I suggest the following. Can be applied to most makes/models.

1) By all means, give it a nice sponge bath with soap and water

2) Grab a pencil with an eraser, and rub down the battery contacts inside, on the plastic battery holder and also on the battery ends, especially if you are using rechargeables. Oxides tend to build up at these points causing poor connections.

3) Get a tube of silicone grease and apply a thin coating to the "O" ring on the battery cover.

4) Carefully remove the coil and headset connectors, inspect them, lightly clean them with a toothbrush. Also clean out the threaded hole which aligns with the threaded plugs. Apply a thin layer of silicone grease to the rubber "O" ring on each plug. Re-insert the threaded plugs, applying inward pressure while hand tightening them.Be careful to not make them too tight.

5) Remove the coil cover if there is one. Remove all the inside dirt. Wash both the coil and cover well and re-apply the cover.

6) Inspect the integrity of the wires including where they attach to the coil.

7) Remove the plastic bolt through the elephant ears on the coil. Inspect the integrity of the washers. Replace if worn, to maintain a good, locked coil.

Never never never put a hot coil and/or hot electronics box in the cold water after it is hot from being in the sun or hot car. The instantaneous cooling causes a strong vacuum, possibly getting water inside the coil or electronics box. This will ruin your day, and possibly cause permanent damage to you unit.

Thanks for the reply - that sounds like a good plan! I didn't think about the grease on the o-rings so I'll add that to my list.

The hot to cold advice is great for all electronics, the reverse is also true in many cases. I've seen more than one thing get fried from brining it in from freezing temps and plugging it in right away.

Thanks again