[TenTec] Titan 425 D&C

[Chester]

	I have an 11 year old Titan 425 amp that has thousands of
operational hours contesting and chasing DX. Over these 11 years I have
had one final tube failure (first year!) and changed the (very abused
with high speed CW) vacuum relay at least half a dozen times. When I
first got the amp, I noted in the users manual that TT recommended an
annual Dust and Clean. So I do it! Does it help? I really don't know,
but it sure doesn't hurt...if your careful.

	To help keep dust out of the amp, I cut up a cheap air
conditioner air filter, just large enough to cover the air vents on each
side of the cabinet. (Make sure it's NOT too air restrictive.) I used
plain black sewing thread to loosely tie the air filter to the air vents
on each side. This will not keep all of the dust out, but it sure helps.

	Simple tools needed: home vacuum cleaner with a 'blind's
attachment', small/stiff shop-type brush, one-inch wide paint brush,
alcohol, shop rag, sewing machine oil, a rainy day in late summer, one
hour of 'free' time.

	The cleaning process is just plain intuitive requiring only
patience and a handful of 'CAREFUL'.

	Remove the tubes and clean the tube and the rubber sleeve's,
using the shop rag and alcohol, making sure to remove the alcohol
residue. Set the (expensive) tubes away from your work area. (I do not
mark which socket each tube was removed from?) Remove the small chassis
cover on the bottom of the chassis. Using the small paint brush and
vacuum, carefully brush and vacuum that entire cavity, including the
tube sockets and the fan output duct. I also use the shop rag and
alcohol to clean the aluminum housing inside the amp where the tubes
mount, and the small paint brush to clean all of the high voltage
components near the tubes. Be very careful when dusting the HV wire
wound choke.

	Using the vacuum/paint brush/shop-type brush, I clean as much of
the bottom of the chassis as I can reach with those tools. Next I use
the brushes and vacuum to clean as much of both capacitor plates as I
can reach, the same for the three pc boards near the power output
connector. Next clean the HV components near the HV connector on the
back/inside of the chassis. Clean the HV connector itself. Inspect the
band switch and if needed, put a SMALL dab of silicon grease on the
switch detents (of course NOT on the switch contacts). Next to last,
clean as much as reachable in the front panel wiring section. Then
firmly, but not hard, press each wiring connector in the amp to ensure
they have not wiggled loose.

	Then using the small shop type stiff brush, brush clean the fan
vanes, using your finger to hold it in place while your brushing. I
reach into the fan through it's opening behind the tuning cap (be
somewhat careful of the large dropping resistor sitting right in front
of this fan opening). I then brush as much of the fan vanes by reaching
into its output funnel, inside the bottom compartment. Then use the
vacuum to remove the dust residue you have cleaned off the fan vanes.
Add one drop of (Singer) sewing machine oil on shaft at it's back
bearing and clean any left over oil from the shaft.

	Replace the tubes and reassemble the chassis, being very careful
to set the aluminum HV crowbar bracket back to it's correct position.
D&C the back and front panel.

	Since I wear headphones almost always, I can not hear the amp's
fan. To semi-solve this problem, I tie two white strand's of sewing
thread to the air outlet on the chassis top cover. Since I habitually
glance at all of my operating equipment during operations, I am always
assured the amp's fan is doing it's job. During contesting I place a
small fan on the floor, pointed into the louver vents of the power
supply and one fan blowing into the air intake louver on the right side
of the cabinet cover. My amp sits on it's own small table with nothing
within 6" of the air intake vents and nothing within 12" of the air
exhaust louvers on the top of the cover. I cut two 8" long pieces of 2x4
and set the power supply (on the floor) on top of these pieces of wood
for air circulation purposes.

	OVERKILL? Heck no! Just one ham's way of providing a little TLC
to his ham gear. Do you D&C your ham gear? 

 	 

Tom/W4BQF
calderman AT cox.net