PALOMAR SKIPPER 300 ???

[Melee401]

I have seen this relay chatter problem in solid state amps.
All I can tell you is that it (I believe) has something to do with the balancing of the input load.
I corrected it on a few amps by using an input jumper of differing length.
Also you may want to try coiling the input line in 4" or so windings 5-6 wraps and wire tie it to keep it from unraveling.
If the above does not work then only other thing I can suggest is to look at the control line to the relay starting at the relay and working back. Look for capacitors (No, not the one used for the SSB delay) and check to see if they are ok. Electrolytic caps go down in value (as I am sure you all know) over time and therefore loose the ability to properly clamp current when needed. Especially those used in high temperature environments like here.
Hope this helps.
Melee

 

[Bionic Chicken]

Perhaps it is not the amp but the radio that has the problem. Most amps are forgiving to an extent in regards to reflected power but radios are not. Is the radio output normal? You might also swap the antenna for a dummy load just to cover all the bases. If the power was not going out the antenna the only place it could go is back into the amp. Relay is the first thing in line. You might be able to run a burnishing tool through the relay and make it work but most likely the relay will need to be changed. Once they start arcing they are pretty much gone.

BC

 

[Switch Kit]

old post huh , how in the hell could this have been ? but the amp was repaired not once but twice since this thread. Both times and why ? are beyon me. But both times , a switch on the front of the box was changed to fix the chattering relays ?

Friend had it repaired via old timer TV repair man. I honestly don't know the details nor did my friend ? All I saw was a new switch replaced on the front of the amp . He ran the box for another month and the same problem came back with the chattering relays ?

It has been fixed again but both times I was out of the loop so it pretty much remains a mystery to me. He has now decided to sell the amp while the getting is good and it is in working condition.

IM not much up on tube amps (or transistored ones) but the tube amps I've had over the years were simply cut and dry. They either worked without problems for months into years or they had problems from the get go , would have repaired only for them to have somekind of different problem later or the same.

I personally no longer much care for tube amps unless I know where there coming from and what performing state they are in . Other then that , I will pass on them for the most part nowadays. Back in the day it seemed to be a audio quality and the hopes of less TVI in the case of tube boxes , over the years I found out that tube amps can and will bleed just as bad as anything else (at least in my case)

 

[W5LZ]

Just a few thoughts and "I wonder"s.

The type of amplifying device used, tubes or transistors, make very little difference in 'quality' of the output. It can certainly make a difference when the source of power to run the thingy is considered. Tube type amplifiers are typically 'better' suited to fixed installations, they 'bumping' AC power up to supply them is certainly easier/cheaper than doing the same thing with transistors. Increasing voltage is much easier than increasing current, biggest difference between the two required power supplies. Tubes are voltage 'intensive', transistors are current 'intensive', sort of.

Tubes and transistors have different characteristics, if you take those characteristics in to consideration when designing what they will be used in, either will typically work just fine. Just like the size of tires, sort of. Them 2" wheels on a chair don't work very well on a car, and them 15" (or 16s,18s, or 20s) on cars are a real PITA on a chair, but can be used if you're desperate enough . Use what's best/easiest in any particular circumstance, right?

Very few tube type amplifiers are 'self-adjusting', or "one size fits all" unless you throw unbelievable amounts of money at them! Transistor amplifiers can be, but are subject to limitations. If you don't mind twiddling a few knobs, both are manually tunable and as such, can be much more efficient if done correctly. Both very costly if not done correctly. (I can be 'bribed' into twiddling knobs very cheaply, I think it's fun... personal thing.)

Learning how to 'mess' with tubes or transistors is costly, and no matter how costly, that learning is the cheapest thing you can do. You can substitute any thing for "tubes and transistors" and it'll still be true, right? That says nothing about safety, and that's a biggy with tubes. It's your 'neck, treat it like you want (mine's too short to tie back together and I ain't much of a gambler). Them Transistor thingys can get you too, so 'careful' is nice.

And then there's always the legal part. I couldn't care less if you are legal or not, not my problem. The thing about it though, is that if it's 'boot-leg' it doesn't have to meet any common standards. What'a'ya gonna do, complain to the better bid'nez burro? I'm sure there are some very well designed 'boot-leg' amplifiers. I'm also sure that there are an order of magnitude greater number that are not exactly well designed/built, right? Your choice.

The only mystery/magic about any of this electronics stuff is why you don't learn enough about it to start with. And taking for granted that anything you see on the internet is the 'real deal' about it (including what I say about any of it).
Having given all these words of wisdom (for free!), I'm gonna quit. Might even refill my coffee cup. Might even go see who'z dressed in the latest fashion down at the beer-joint. Now THATS interesting! (Geeze, don't get me started on that! )
- 'Doc

 

[Melee401]

BINGO!!!!
I think.
I just went through this on the mobile version of this amp the 310m.
There is a GIMMICK capacitor in this keying curcuit.
Mine got fried somehow.
Anyway, all it is is 2 wires wrapped around each other with no apparent connection.
On the schematic it looks like a cap but says "GIMMICK".
Anyway, my key circuit chattered like that too until I put enough wraps onto the gimmick. Then it worked perfectly.
I don't really know how the thing got burned off except that what was left darned close to a grounding tab at the bottom of the cathode post for the three finals. So close I thought at first that the 2 wires had burned loose from that.
It chattered real good until I had about 6 turns on it.
Some people here helped me out because I had never heard of a GIMMICK before.
Check out the thread Palomar 310m GIMMICK and there will be a link and lots of good input from the fine folks here.
It is my understanding that as components get older in the keying circuit the value of this "capacitor" may fall short of the needs of the keying circuit and thus not be capable of providing what is needed to keep that circuit stable over time.
It is located on the bus strip hanging off the inductor that ties the tune/load caps on the 310m.
The two amps identical in thier keying circuits (I checked).
If you follow the coax off the terminal strip the tune/inductor ballance hangs on you should see that the coax shield is grounded and that the center line runs a little further to a terminal strip to the terminal that the load/tune ballance coil hangs off. Then the keying circuit has a bus strip with a few ceramic caps, a few resistors and one small elctrolytic cap. The GIMMICK should between those two bus strip termnals at the base of the ballance inductor coil.
You may have to lengthen the wires for more turns, I did. I re-routed a wire of the same type for the small strand and clipped the extra.
The larger one I just used a piece of 20ga multi-strand I had.Then I turned the small wire around the large one until the keying stabiized, then put a few extra turns on for luck.
Good Luck!
melee

 

[Melee401]

GIMMICK

 

[Buddy 2020]

I see toll-free is back on the board so I thought I would dig this up and hopefully get an idea on what I could look at on this one or to change what I need to change to get her going again. Thanks

I have a polymer skipper 300 which is also putting out around 300 on low and really 400 on the high watching from the brownlong golden mkii pushing almost 10 w Problem is I’ve got incredibly highest swr only thing is I’m sure this is a problem. I am unfortunately using just a magnetic mobile on top of my filing cabinet so I’m sure this thing is getting fried. If it not have an already man it is not rated for 300 W.