Goede middag Hans,
you might have noticed some very heavy thunderstorms at about the time your RB quit service. (We’don’t live too far apart as you know well, thus my suggestion concerning the above)
I (but it’s not only me of course) would recommend to remove the outside antenna from your RB’s input if there is thunderstorm activities in your vicinity, to prevent static build up on the antenna causing harm to the receivers RF (front end) input circuit.
Good afternoon AirNav,
I have been involved in RF & Microwave applications with a customer, that used many a certain type of our companies RF amplifiers between their “outside”- antennas and receivers. A lot of those amplifiers failed from time to time, and careful investigation by R&D found “static” to be the reason for destroying their input hybrid. That could be clearly identified by using extreme microscopic magnification, and one could easily trace the discharge’s “foot print”. A redesign of the amplifier’s input circuitery finally solved the problem. (the mentioned hybrid had been replaced by another type, that prooved to withstand static at least to an extent, that we did not get any complains from the mentioned customer no more. (.............regarding his amplifier's problems, there were [a lot] others of course]).
Karl