I'd say that RF stuff is pretty much mysterious so I generally avoid it. For instance, part of the Apollo stuff had a frequency multiplier. We opened it up and

I'd say that RF stuff is pretty much mysterious so I generally avoid it. For instance, part of the Apollo stuff had a frequency multiplier. We opened it up and it was essentially an empty box with adjustable pegs inside. I don't want to deal with that sort of magic nonsense :-) Another hard part is things that are encased in epoxy or welded shut. In this case I used X-rays but its generally a problem. Overall, the main secret of reverse engineering old stuff is to spend way more time on it than an sensible person would.