low output from this 4 pill

[JimboSlice]

First one deal key second is audio

 

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Those pictures look fine, but you have a hot combiner and one cooler pill.

One way to tell if the capacitor on the input transformer is bad would be to swap the two caps (the big brown ones) from side to side. If you end up with a different cooler pill that's for sure your problem .....

But, if it stays the same there is a smaller cap going to ground (one to each pill) on the cooler pill, swap that with one of the others on the other "2-pill section".

As you see the pattern of swapping parts is to verify that one pill is not the problem.

Until you get to the point that you decide to swap pills, the fact that it is cooler than the others means it's doing something, but could be weak with a changed "hfe", not "62" anymore. The output combiner is warm or hot to the touch at the "combiner resistor" says there is a problem.

 

[JimboSlice]

The "Splitter" is the other one that looks just like the "Combiner", one splits the input signal to each "2-pill section" and the other combines the outputs from each "2-pill section", and why it is so important to be balanced.
Yes, the meter reads Capacitance, be it f, uf, or pf.
Did you try to talk to anyone with just the 4-pill on "AM", and they said it was bad?

I'll have to check the splitter tomorrow.

 

[JimboSlice]

Those pictures look fine, but you have a hot combiner and one cooler pill.

One way to tell if the capacitor on the input transformer is bad would be to swap the two caps (the big brown ones) from side to side. If you end up with a different cooler pill that's for sure your problem .....

But, if it stays the same there is a smaller cap going to ground (one to each pill) on the cooler pill, swap that with one of the others on the other "2-pill section".

As you see the pattern of swapping parts is to verify that one pill is not the problem.

Until you get to the point that you decide to swap pills, the fact that it is cooler than the others means it's doing something, but could be weak with a changed "hfe", not "62" anymore. The output combiner is warm or hot to the touch at the "combiner resistor" says there is a problem.

Ok, that makes sense just like finding a misfire on a truck, I will swap the caps as you stated the brown ones first then move to the smaller ones going to ground off the pill, A BBI video I watched where an amp was doing something similar just wasn't as low output as this thing and it was bad caps on the input transformers. I just posted the meter photos so you guys could see what I'm working with. I'd love to have several bird meters, but I do not have a base station or the funds..................yet

 

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Good luck, and let us know the outcome.

73

 

[Xracerx13]

are those meter photos of the radio and 4 pill ony?
That Dosy meter you have only shows average power and not PEP.

 

[JimboSlice]

are those meter photos of the radio and 4 pill ony?
That Dosy meter you have only shows average power and not PEP.

yes 4 pill only driving with 980ssb, meter on the 2000w scale. didn't do any more being driven it was minimal on the meter.

 

[Xracerx13]

Here's the 980 specs from cb radio magazine website.

Out of the box you’ll see maybe 5-8 watts AM peak and 10-12 watts SSB peak.
However the basic CB output of this radio will match up well with most two pill amplifiers

 

[Braddah Vic]

In my limited knowledge, I do not beleive you can accurately test the pills gain while they are still in the amp. I could be wrong. More knowledgeable people will hopefully soon chime in.

How'zit you can test it by lifting the Base, Emitter and Collector while it's still in the amp. NOTE: Don't hold the solder iron to long on the removal prosses just enough to float the solder and lift it up with pick tool. If you have a transistor tester to check it that's good, but if not, you can use a multimeter to test it also. I'll put a YT link here on how to test it with the multimeter.

 

[lonestarbandit]

Hey Vic. I meant he couldn't test them as they were.... soldered in to the circuit.

 

[Braddah Vic]

Hey Vic. I meant he couldn't test them as they were.... soldered in to the circuit.

How'zit lonestarbandit he could test them in the circuit he just has to lift the tap BCE off the board and he can test them. But by the way his postings sound like he doesn't have the right test equipment to test things. He said he had a multimeter on hand so he could use the to test for OL. I've done this to many amps to test for short on the transistors without pulling them out. But I have a PEAK Atlas DCA55 to test them. I know with all the knowledge and help on here he will be getting it up and running like it should be. That amp with a 2-pill driving it should putout 1000-1200w with the proper power supply that it needs to run it. A stock alternator is not big enough to push that power it needs. Now day's you can upgrade your stock alternator with a higher amp one and drop it in plug and go. Also a dual battery setup with some good 4-gauge OFC not those cheap CCA one's they can't handle current flow. And a lot of ground strap wires from the engine block to the frame and so on. What I did to my truck is I grounded everything from hood to fenders to frame. Cab, box bed, bumpers and so on to the frame and also my Batteries Neg to a ground buss to the frame too. That will really help out on any setup being anything from a 8-pill or smaller. Anything bigger would require a second alternator and batteries and larger wire. Oh, and I forgot to mention he needs to run his amp POS (+) straight to the battery with at least an 80A inline fuse mounted closes to the battery with in 18" or shorter is best and NEG (-) to the frame of truck. Also goes for the 2-pill on a its own separate wires with at least a 30A inline fuse will help him out lot.