Replaced a 10-year-old static wick on a King Air and the VHF noise got worse, not better
Honestly I was chasing a scratchy comm complaint on a King Air 200 out of Addison last month, so I swapped both static wicks on the tail since they were original and looked rough. Figured that was a cheap fix at about $85 a piece, but after the swap the noise got louder on the number 2 radio and I burned a whole Saturday chasing grounds I never touched. Turned out the new wicks were fine, the real issue was a corroded antenna base connection that my disturbance just made worse. So here's the debate, do you replace old wicks as preventive maintenance during comm squawks, or leave them alone until they're actually missing? I'm starting to think I caused more harm than good on that one.