[TenTec] Hercules II

[Ken Brown]

Mike Hyder -N4NT- wrote:

>The first Hercules was the model 444.  Its fan is temperature controlled --  
>sounds like a small Lear jet when the amp is idle and like a 747 in full 
>reverse when it gets warm.  Mine caught fire due to oscillations. It also has 
>many, many protection circuits (but no smoke detector).
>  
>
On the other hand....

The Hercules II is the model 420. It's fan noise is barely perceptable 
as long as there is just a little noise coming from the transceiver's 
speaker to mask it. (I mostly wear phones, so I don't hear the fan at 
all.)The 420 has plenty of protection circuitry. Mine has held up 
admirably in contest duty service, and I don't feel a need to keep a set 
of spare PA transistors around. The 9420 power supply does get a little 
warm in contest service, and I'll probably fabricate a new top panel 
with a fan mounted on it someday.

Paragon I and Hercules I are matched sets. Ten-Tec manufactured exactly 
as many Hercules I as they did Paragon I. If you can find a pair they 
are real collectors items, rare as hen's teeth.

DE N6KB