[TenTec] Centaur

[Ken Brown]

What transceiver are you using it with and how do you have the keying 
hooked up? If you are using a Ten-Tec transceiver (most models) and have 
the full keying loop connected and enabled, it would be normal for there 
to be a vacuum relay that clicks following every dit and dah.

I have both a Hercules II and a Titan. The vacuum relays appear to be 
identical, yet the Hercules is much quieter. On the Titan, I replaced 
the neoprene rubber grommets used in the vacuum relay mounting. The old 
ones were hard and brittle from age. I also replaced all of the solid 
wires connecting to the vacuum relay with multi stranded braid, using 
hemostats to prevent wicking of solder into the braid beyond where the 
solder needs to be for the connection. The Titan's vacuum relay noise is 
now less than it had been, not being as efficiently coupled into the 
rest of the chassis, yet it is still noisier than the Hercules II.

I recommend that you check the grommets (I've never seen inside a 
Centaur, so it is only a guess that grommets are used similarly to the 
Titan) used in the relay mounting and see whether they are soft and 
pliable, versus hard and brittle. New ones may quiet it down.

DE N6KB
>  Centaur amp has a very loud and distracting relay "clacking" that  tries  to 
> follow each dit and dah at lower speeds but holds in with short  drop out 
> delay at 35 to 40 wpm.  Has anyone had any luck isolating this  relay from the 
> circuit board to prevent acoustically coupling, to soften the  noise?  
> Would appreciate any constructive input.  Thanks.   Mike/K4KJC.
>
>