Brian,
A leaky transistor is one that was manufactured with a defect, and that is
NOT Ten Tec's fault. It is impossible to test every transistor coming off
the production line, and so lot sampling QC is the order of the day.
Manufacturers using transistors deal in such large lot quantities of
components they cannot test every one before assembling a product, so they
try to catch this sort of thing in final overall burn in and test. But, if
the trannie maker had a loose weld onto a contact such that it was too close
to another junction, or if they had a chemical impurity in the mixture of
forming the crystals that might not show up until several heating cycles of
normal use have happened, thus your problem.
Indeed, if transistor crystal structures have too many impurities added,
(where they have to have a few to conduct), then you have a leaky junction
which was more common in early Germanium days. Glad they found it so quick,
that is the strength of dealing with people who not only troubleshoot, but
build the transceiver in the same shop!
73,
Stuart K5KVH
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