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Re: [TenTec] Hercules II problem

To: <jac.trademarks@tiscali.co.uk>,"Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Hercules II problem
From: "Donald Watters" <dwatters@ns.sympatico.ca>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 17:24:33 -0300
List-post: <mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
John -

Are you absolutely positive that the load inpedance on 10/12M is an actual 
50
Ohms?  If the Z is low then excessive current will be drawn and the PS will 
shut
down.

Just a point and a possibility, OC.

Don,  VE1BN

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "JohnCrux" <jac.trademarks@tiscali.co.uk>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 5:14 PM
Subject: [TenTec] Hercules II problem


> Desperation time.
>
> I repaired my 9420 PSU and reset the four 25 amp rails at  exactly14 v 
> under
> load. I repaired and re-aligned the Omni-V.
> Then I re-assembled the entire station, including the auto-atu. All
> inter-connecting/control cables are original TT.  My added 120 amp 
> commercial
> ground bus wire connections linking everything are rock solid as are the 
> coax
> connections.
>
> For a few days there was no problem getting 500 watts from the Hercules II 
> on
> any band 10-80m (not tested 160; no antenna at present.)
>
> That held good for a week or so.  Then a very old problem came back to 
> haunt
> me. The Herc trips out ("fault") at around 150 watts out on 10m and at 
> around
> 250 watts out on 12m. Switch off and back on, and all other bands work as
> before. The SWR  remains as before on all meters ( Herc, ATU and external
> SWR/power bridge. It is 1:1 or very close.
>
> But it does not always trip. Today after having it trip at 150 watts on 
> 10m, a
> little while later it ran perfectly OK on 12m at 400 watts out.  I have 
> also
> had 10m return to normal output from time to time.
> It is unpredictable, except that if it trips on 10 then will probably do 
> so on
> 12m.
>
> OK; I already swapped the 10/12m low pass filter in the Herc. The Omni-V 
> is
> working fine on all bands including 10/12m and gives normal output.
>
> My best guess is that this is maybe a mechanical problem with one or more
> bandswitch relays. The front panel bandswitch is normally set to "auto", 
> but
> even if I manually select 10/12m, it makes no difference, so the switch is
> probably OK.
>
> The Herc manual indicates that it is not just a matter of the relays 
> switching
> in that LPF for 10/12m. Other relay contacts appear to be used to disable
> (short ?) other band filters, perhaps to avoid stray resonances in the 
> unused
> circuits.
>
> Anyone seen this problem (including my friends at TT service, please !) 
> and is
> there a solution ? If only I could pop the covers off the relays to check 
> the
> contacts .....   Surely someone has seen this ????
> Yes, I know it is no longer made, but the Herc is a super amplifier and I 
> have
> made many QSOs with it.  Just need to get 10/12m back in service reliably.
> 73   John   G3JAG
>
>
>
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> 

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