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Texas star 350dx high drive keeps burning input rf choke..

Funny you say that, no, they are knock offs or reprints..i could have spent the same for hg..ordered off flea bay..i read many customer feedbacks that said they were not original but worked very well..my bad..if that is the issue. I have used the hg1969s before with good success. I finally was able to meet and speak with a tech last night 100 miles away (Because I have 2 more s units) and he asked the same question. without an hfe tester, best I could do was c/b diode test, they both were 590's 5 off from oneanother. Since I was looking for 600 I deemed that acceptable to install. Hello and thank you!
The transistors you installed I take it are HG?
 
Ok. Using the knock offs. Since not a true Toshiba, the capacitance values across the transformers and on input and output will more than likely be different. Will need retuned. Also since the amp is biased, I wonder how hard they are pulling for idle current?
 
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If I understand you correctly, I checked bias resistance (1.3 ohms) and base/ground when manually keyed was 6.24..perfect as far as I know, so i then hooked radio/swr/amp/500w meter with swr/antenna to test the rest...seems I get about 50 watts with 1/4w or so dead key, and swings to 80 from there consistently..normally the dead key on cobra test radio is set at 2, swings to 8..but my output is shunted by 3swr and only drives to 2 watts..thank you crusher!
 
Funny you say that, no, they are knock offs or reprints..i could have spent the same for hg..ordered off flea bay..i read many customer feedbacks that said they were not original but worked very well..my bad..if that is the issue. I have used the hg1969s before with good success. I finally was able to meet and speak with a tech last night 100 miles away (Because I have 2 more s units) and he asked the same question. without an hfe tester, best I could do was c/b diode test, they both were 590's 5 off from oneanother. Since I was looking for 600 I deemed that acceptable to install. Hello and thank you!

There are only certain Toshiba knock-offs that are any good.
The very cheap $30 ones are not them.......
 
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There are only certain Toshiba knock-offs that are any good.
The very cheap $30 ones are not them.......
I paid more for these than hgs...i think the set was 85...im not nieve enough to spend 30..i think I will play harder with transformer capacitance, input and output caps..if I really want to go further I may mess with windings..i do not care so much for power output, I'm getting good reports, but the swr affects to my old Washington are a concern..by chance, what cap is the output tuning cap?? Looks like I have some electrical theory to absorb and learn here or path of least resistance get hg's ordered today for 80? In most cases do hg's install pretty much plug and play without heavy tuning issues? Thank you..
 
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Am I correct in my assumption that c22 is output tuning cap? Originally, if I have my numbers right, was .o22k, very different from schematic, it was shorted thus causing the l1 choke tyo fry, I replaced it to schematic spec, I think .01..i have played with that using a 1000pf mica I had left over from replacement kit, it didn't change Anything..i had 1 .o22k left over from c17 I think, tried that in its place, that didn't change Anything either..just adding more info here in case it helps..
 
Gentleman, crusher, ranch 55, shadetree mechanic, and all those I may have missed, a great shout out and thank you to you all! In summary, this unit came to me free with 2 shorted caps or more, 1 diode, 2 bad resistors, and was blowing rf chokes, then the transistors. With a 110 bucks in parts, weeks waiting for the mail deliveries, and countless hours playing amp technician I finally have an acceptable amp giving me 100 watts! 2 turns of 18g wire I had around enabled me to then place caps back across the transformers and lower my swr to 1.5!!! My Washington seems to be swinging comfortably, I feel safe in using it now consistently. Sure, later when I have more extensive testing equipment and knowledge I may revisit this project with some brand new hg's, adjustable caps, but for now I will leave well enough alone and call it a win
73s!
 
Should get at least 240-250 watts out of that amp if its working properly.
True, it did 5 s units to a gentleman 100 miles away for 3 key ups with the originals..doing the math, that's 400 on ssb. For now im.happy to be above the static until I can buy another.
 
(n)
Getting a Texas Star 350 amplifier to perform correctly is actually pretty easy and straight forward.
Imagine you opened your first radio 4 months ago, and only have a volt/ohmeter, then you read the millions of miles of language on the internet, then every time you search for rf probes, hfe testers, and every other gadget you get obliterated by too many options and info..the trials of a noobie that just can't go to a radio shack and take the simple route..then you open a amplifier that resembles a schematic but with many variances and obvious problems I did not want to tackle to begin with. Energy flow has always been an enigma to me, even house wiring I have to go by the book, and if I have to wire a 3 way switch I have to look at my books every time..its a whole new theory, and when it's too complex without a fundamental understanding you just gotta take a step back and breathe. I wouldn't even know where to start with electrical theory, I just jumped in the pool..im drying off for awhile, it's gardening season
 
UPDATE, after installing a good pair of hg's, returning all caps and windings to schematic specs, the old Texas star returned to a 1.3 swr, tops out at 375 on my dosy meter, putts along nicely at 15w max pep from radio giving me great reports and modulation around a comfortable 250-300 pep! Another lesson to be learned is by copying the impedance match of an m455 the fakes will put out the same as my white tornado, 225w pep, as BBI suggested in a video of his on fakes. Thank you all and 73's!
 

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