how to solder antenna on module?

[Primoz_Horvath]

Hi,

I have a fatshark goggles with nexwave rf 5G8 module. The coppercolor part from the antenna has broken of the board. I try to solder but without succes. The solder does not stick to the copper part.
Maybe it is not possible to solder to the copper? Do I need special solderwire for the copper or is it some different technik?

cheers

 

[needelmanDP]

Is it possible that the connector is brass, which people seem to solder with a small torch. Did you scuff it up and use flux? Look for some Youtube videos on soldering brass

 

[Primoz_Horvath]

ok, thanks,

yeah maybe it is brass. But I'm not in a hurry to use a torch so close to an electronic board. But I somehow managed to solder it a bit, its connected for the moment. But I have a second goggles, my backup plan.

 

[Primoz_Horvath]

Now I have a similar problem.
I have a vtx and the antenna connector broke of. I have another antenna from which the connector was also broken of, so it was time to solder the antenna directly to the vtx, enough videos which show how to do it.

Now, it is impossible to solder onto the antenna point of the vtx. It does not stick onto the point, at all. Ground pads are fine to solder on.
Does anyone else had this problem yet? Maybe it has something to do with the vtx, which has no dedicated antenna pad for such a soldering job?

 

[Kilrah]

Hard to say without seeing but most likely when the connector was ripped off it took the pad/track with it so there's nothing left to solder on to and what you think is copper is actually just the board.

 

[1hander]

try sanding it lightly with a small piece of maybe 1000 grit sandpaper using the ending of dowel rod or flattened toothpick.. sometimes they use different solders that wont mix lead free solder etc etc .. clean both surfaces to remove all traces of old solder, sand lightly then clean with qtip and alcohol , alcohol wont hurt the board or components but dont get em swimming you know

you might try solder paste
as well in stead of solder wire and try lead free stuff as well.

if the solder pad is gone,, you could try finding the trace and adding a wire too it..but this all depens on it taking solder.

 

[Primoz_Horvath]

Hard to say without seeing but most likely when the connector was ripped off it took the pad/track with it so there's nothing left to solder on to and what you think is copper is actually just the board.

This is probably the case. there was only a small dot, I could hardly see it.

 

[Primoz_Horvath]

try sanding it lightly with a small piece of maybe 1000 grit sandpaper using the ending of dowel rod or flattened toothpick.. sometimes they use different solders that wont mix lead free solder etc etc .. clean both surfaces to remove all traces of old solder, sand lightly then clean with qtip and alcohol , alcohol wont hurt the board or components but dont get em swimming you know

you might try solder paste
as well in stead of solder wire and try lead free stuff as well.

if the solder pad is gone,, you could try finding the trace and adding a wire too it..but this all depens on it taking solder.

Thank you for the extensive reply. I won't bother too much getting sandpaper,lead free stuff and so on. I have some spare vtx that I can use, and which I just installed tonight. But I guess the solder pad is gone. (Cause I only saw a tinny dot and now its al gone since I have been scratching with a tiny screwdriver to find something to solder on.
I saw some videos about how to solder an antenna to the vtx and I was ready for it. Guess it is not always that easy.
cheers