[TenTec] Oh? Centurion PS

[Paul Gates, KD3JF]

I think you are right as I remember years ago Duane.

Paul Gates, KD3JF
--- Duane Calvin <ac5aa1 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hmm, didn't they used to wind their own transformers? 
> Seems to me back when
> I bought my Centurion (1997?) this was one of the several
> things they
> advertised they built themselves (including the variable
> tuning & load
> capacitors).  Mine worked fine, and I remember it having
> the ratings
> mentioned by Bob,K4TAX.  Maybe all that has changed.....
> 
> 	73, Duane
> 
> Duane Calvin, AC5AA
> Austin, Texas
> www.ac5aa.com  
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tentec-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com]
> On Behalf Of Dan Atchison
> Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2007 12:10 PM
> To: tentec at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Oh? Centurion PS
> 
> Hi, Bob:
> 
> Don't know how you came up with that rating for the
> Centurion HV 
> transformer. My four year old 422B has a 2250 volt at 0.5
> AMP CCS 
> transformer in it. That's no where near 2500 W CCS. To
> answer the 
> previous question posed by someone who said the HV PS in
> the Centurion 
> is less than adequate, my experience is this:
> 
> 1) 15 months after purchase my HV transformer went bad --
> shorted 
> primary windings. This known transformer deficiency by
> anyone here on 
> the reflector was NOT fixed by TenTec under warranty -
> they steadfastly 
> refused to replace it. $700 bill because they said one of
> my 3-500Z was 
> bad. They sent a new tube (yes I was billed for it), but
> I put the old 
> one back in.
> 
> 2) 10 months after replacing the transformer, the second
> transformer 
> went bad - shorted primary windings, same darn thing.
> While TenTec 
> would replace that one under warranty, I elected not to
> ship it back 
> (they would NOT send me one in exchange) because I was
> afraid of 
> shipping damages to the amp - and was afraid they'd say
> another 3-500Z 
> was bad.
> 
> 3) I elected to purchase a Peter Dahl replacement HV
> transformer. I had 
> Peter Dahl increase the secondary winding to give me 2400
> Volts ($375). 
> I have never looked back. Same tubes, same amp, different
> transformer, 
> no problems (related to the transformer or power supply).
> The slightly 
> extra voltages gives me a little extra power that really
> wasn't 
> necessary (but 3-500Z like a higher voltage than the
> Centurion PS 
> delivers). Oh, yes, I am still using the original tubes -
> including the 
> one they said was defective.
> 
> Am I bashing TenTec? The Centurion is a fine QSK
> amplifier, but the 
> known HV transformer issue has NEVER been admitted by
> them (read all 
> the reflector emails about this issue, the Canadian
> transformer's 
> always seem to fail with shorted primaries). I just wish
> the company 
> would come clean and admit their transformer vendor has
> quality issues. 
> Fix the vendor or go with a better one.
> 
> Dan -- N3ND
> 
> 
> 
> [TenTec] Oh?
> Bob McGraw - K4TAX RMcGraw at Blomand.net
> Sat Aug 4 21:22:17 EDT 2007
> 
> Previous message: [TenTec] Oh?
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>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------
> 
> The Tentec Centurion does what the company says it will
> do. It is rated 
> at
> 1300 watts SSB output. Nothing wrong with that. The HV
> power 
> transformer
> in the Centurion is rated at 2.5KVA or 2500 watts CCS.
> The HV power
> transformer in the AL-82 is rated at 1.8 KVA or 1800
> watts CCS. The HV
> transformer in the "light weight" Tentec Centurion HV
> transformer 
> weighs 36
> lbs while the "heavy duty" power supply in the AL-82
> weights 32 lbs.
> 
> Folks, just be careful, someone is jerking your leg. As
> Will Rodgers 
> once
> said "it's not what people know that concerns me. It what
> they know 
> that
> isn't correct that gives me concerns."
> 
> 73
> Bob, K4TAX
> 
> 
> 
> 
>
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