[TenTec] Hercules 444 amp

Mon Aug 11 15:52:18 EDT 2014

*Ten Tec Ten Tec Ten Tec..... Now that we have the Ten Tec part done, I
don't own a Ten Tec Amplifier. Sure wish I did! My close friend purchased a
MP of 3-500ZG tubes from RF Parts about 9 months ago. So far he will admit
to several abuses by mistake.  My friend is also famous for talking the
local 2 meter repeater into Timeout and then into the reset! The good news
is that the Taylor Brand 3-500's seem to be doing well. Much better than
the 572B Chinese Branded tubes. My first MP of Taylor 572B tubes. we had
one just drop to very low emission. There was no reason for it to do so. We
never ran the little SB-200 with more than 50 Watts of drive. The Warranty
Pair worked well for 6 weeks and then we pulled them and re-installed the
original Cetrons. Now, we light up and use both pairs for a few hours each
month and all has been good so far. With the current state of affairs about
572B tubes. We will try and get an extra pair when the New Batch arrives
at RF Parts. We will of course wait to get some feedback about these
supposed (( as good as Cetron )) wonder tubes first. My Paragon (585) just
loves the SB-220. ((( two 3-500ZG's )) She does 45 to 50 Watts with no
strain into the Heathkit Amp and by running the Radio and Amp with that
much Headroom..... We believe that the signal should be nice and clean. *
*
73 folks de Wade/KJ4WS*

On Mon, Aug 11, 2014 at 12:23 PM, Duane Calvin <ac5aa1 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I did - that's why I mentioned that there seemed to ba a rash of failures
> around the same time with the RF Parts 3-500ZG's.  They were currently
> advertising to indicate they were "better" than the Taylor branded tube
> made
> in China, but as a number of us discovered, there seemed to be a
> "production
> problem" (I'll call it, to be kind) that we all felt.  I don't know how the
> later tubes fared because the person I sold the amp to stored it in a
> closet
> with a lot of other ham gear he intended to put on the air some day.  I
> think he eventually sold it all, so I have lost track of it.  Not a big
> deal
> at this point, but the common wisdom at the time was to find EIMAC's, if
> you
> could, as they were a lot more reliable.  That could be completely upside
> down now, especially since EIMAC's are probably scarce as hens teeth.
>
>         73, Duane
>
> Duane Calvin, AC5AA
> Austin, Texas
> www.ac5aa.com
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Rick -
> DJ0IP / NJ0IP
> Sent: Monday, August 11, 2014 7:07 AM
> To: 'Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment'
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Hercules 444 amp
>
> Duane, even if things were in best order, all products from all companies
> still have occasional premature failures and somebody is always the proud
> owner.  Perhaps you just had bad luck, unless you heard of a lot of similar
> cases.
>
> 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
> (Nr. Frankfurt am Main)
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Duane
> Calvin
> Sent: Monday, August 11, 2014 1:33 PM
> To: George Fritkin; Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Hercules 444 amp
>
> I don't think we're talking power out, but rather long-term reliability. At
> the time I had the two pairs of RF Parts 3-500ZG's they were touting how
> they had the factory running to meet their manufacturing criteria.  They
> had
> done a lot of work to improve the factory's product to meet their
> requirements.  Maybe this is all old news now.
>
>    73, Duane
>
> Duane Calvin
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Aug 11, 2014, at 12:41 AM, George Fritkin via TenTec
> <tentec at contesting.com> wrote:
> >
> > A couple of years ago I decided to replace the Eimacs in my SB220
> > after all they were the original tubes.  I carefully measured power
> > out.  We were going to San Diego so on the way I picked up a new pair
> > at RF parts.  I got home installed the new tubes.  Guess what, with
> > new tubes.........exactly same power out
> >
> > Oh, we'll
> >
> > George, W6GF
> >
> > Sent from my iPad
> >
> >> On Aug 10, 2014, at 6:51 PM, "Duane Calvin" <ac5aa1 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Sure, Carter.  My Centurion came new with two RF Parts 3-500ZG's.
> >> This was fairly early in the life of this tube configuration
> >> (graphite anode variety) and manufacturer, and TT had just started
> advertising they were using them.
> >> After about 2 years of occasional use, generally running between
> >> 600-900W (and all settings well within the safe zone), one of the
> >> original tubes developed the infamous grid/cathode short.  I replaced
> >> the original tubes with a new matched-pair of 3-500ZG's from RF
> >> Parts, and shortly after that I sold the amp (with a used spare
> >> tube).  I know lots of guys who have had Heath and other amps with
> >> EIMAC 3-500Z's in them for years with very few problems.  Yes, mine
> >> could have been a late early life failure, but at that time I was
> >> reading of others having similar problems with these tubes.  That was
> >> a few years ago - maybe RF Parts has improved their relationship with
> the
> factory that makes these tubes and all is well today.  So, my "data"
> >> consists of one in-person experience along with a number of other
> >> reported failures around the same time, for whatever that's worth.
> >> The implication, to me, is that the tubes at that time were not of
> >> the same quality level as EIMAC's.
> >>
> >>   73, Duane
> >>
> >>
> >> Duane Calvin, AC5AA
> >> Austin, Texas
> >> www.ac5aa.com
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of
> >> Carter
> >> Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2014 8:33 PM
> >> To: tentec at contesting.com
> >> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Hercules 444 amp
> >>
> >>> On 8/10/2014 2:08 PM, Duane Calvin wrote:
> >>> This was certainly true of the  EIMAC tubes, as long as you cared
> >>> well for them.  I've not had as good a luck with the current
> >>> Chinese-sourced tubes (specifically, the 3-500ZG's from RF Parts,
> >>> which the Centurion uses.)
> >>
> >> My Centurion (which I obtained used 20 years ago) finally had one of
> >> its tubes [rather spectacularly] go to the great beyond.
> >>
> >> Unless I get really lucky and find a NOS pair at the e-place, it
> >> seems like my only other option is a matched pair from RF Parts.
> >>
> >> Could you please elaborate a bit on your statement above that says
> >> "I've not had as good a luck with the current Chinese-sourced tubes
> >> (specifically, the 3-500ZG's from RF Parts)".
> >>
> >> 73,
> >> Carter K8VT
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> >>
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