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Author Topic: Dentron Clipperton L conversion for 10 meters  (Read 19846 times)
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ka2zni
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« on: September 05, 2007, 08:21:44 AM »

 Well, for one thing, scratch the Drake L4 I was supposed to get.. I caught the seller lying thru his teeth and got out of that deal, I was ticked at the time but probably saved myself some headaches.

 Anyway I am picking up this item .... I HOPE! I won the bid and there shouldn't be any trouble this go around. It's not of the big bottled Tube variety I wanted, but have good luck with 572 B's in times past and hopefully will be no exception here.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270161884434&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=017

Anyway, I'm interested in 10 meter AM and wanted to convert the 'ole girl for use up there as well as 75&40 AM... 1 plus is it has 160 meters, the L4 didn't.

I also like the way the fan is positioned in front of the tubes for better cooling.

Something to play with anyway... Should be able to hold a 200 watt carrier and modulate 150% or so with no trouble. The 572 B's I've used in the past took AM'ing real well with no ill effects, as long as you run them within' a reasonable limit.
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WD8BIL
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« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2007, 08:44:23 AM »

Hi Kevin..... On the Clipperton......

1) There's a mechanical stop tab on the bandswitch front plate keeping the switch from the 10M position. Simple use a screwdriver and bend it back to allow the switch to reach the 10M position. 10 meters is already wired in the output tank and there is a 10M stop on the switch.

2) Find the input lowpass filter (FL1 IIRC) by following the small teflon coax from the changeover relay. The PC board is abot 1" square, has 2 torroids on it and is mounted on a doorknob capacitor. Remove the filter by unsoldering the input coax from it. Unsolder the small coax from the tube sockets and solder the one removed from FL1 to that point.
(This is kinda like trying to tell someone how to tie a shoelace Smiley )

The first few runs of this amp did not have the input filter so it may not be in there.

OR... you can just cut off the torroids and solder a jumper across the filter board.

I've used the Clipperton for RTTY at 350W carrier. On AM you'll wanna use it at around 250W carrier to give room for audio peaks.

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ka2zni
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« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2007, 10:49:20 AM »

Hello Bud,

 Thanks much for the info, certainly sounds easy enough to say the least!! kinda like tying shoe laces!!  Grin

Well, I am lookin' forward to getting this one, and yeah, I was figuring 250 the max for carrier, I was going to keep it at 150 watts and modulate around 900 watts +/- ... If everything looks good and it's not breaking a sweat I'll bump it too a 200 carrier and modulate it 1200 +/- ...

The radio I run for AM, seems too like that 150% mark the best...   As long as it's in the 125% to 150% range it looks good on the scope and sounds excellent to say the least. I have had many comments, including one or 2 from WA1HLR on how nice it sounded, so hopefully this Dentron will compliment the radio.

Thanks again Bud, appreciate the info!  Cheesy
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The Slab Bacon
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« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2007, 11:26:07 AM »

Julius?? Grin Grin
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ka2zni
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« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2007, 11:48:16 AM »

Correction made....   Cool
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WD8BIL
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« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2007, 01:31:48 PM »

Yes Frank ..... or is it Francis Huh
My name Is Julius, as was my Dad's, and his Dad's, and his Dad's before him.
At one time there were 4 Julius Chillers alive and walking this earth from Ohio
to  Czechoslovakia.

And Kevin; In the arggg SSB position (2700VDC on the plates)  it'll do 1300 watts easy. A 4" muffin fan on top sucking out makes things a lot cooler. I'm doing that on the 8874 MLA from BIL studios.

AND.... Bud is fine.... family nickname..

My Website
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The Slab Bacon
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« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2007, 01:44:30 PM »

Yes Frank ..... or is it Francis Huh
My name Is Julius, as was my Dad's, and his Dad's, and his Dad's before him.
At one time there were 4 Julius Chillers alive and walking this earth from Ohio
to  Czechoslovakia.

Buddly,
          I figgered it would be worth a giggle or 2 Grin Grin Actually I love that name, named after the great caeser!! Buddly although is better than Julie Grin I just figgered I'd have a little fun with Kevin. I have never heard anyone call you Julius. But I bet your momma did when you was about to get a good whoopin.

Oddly enough, I am one of the few dagos you will ever meet that goes by Frank and is not named Francis. My given name is Frank, named after my paternal grandfather. Go figger!!

                                                   The Slab Bacon
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ka2zni
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« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2007, 01:45:17 PM »

Hello Bud,

 Thanks much for that input and great pics! yup, I can see the muffin fan over top of the amplifier. I have one here that's pretty big, also kinda loud, we'll try that one 1st, and if it gets to loud there's a whisper quiet muffin fan I heard about we can try.

 The gentleman from which I am buying the Amp is by a trade an engineer, and you can see everything that he has done in the previous link I supplied to the amplifier, he was straight forward and very helpful on anything I may need or have questions too, so I feel much better about the purchase with this gentleman than I did with the Drake L4 when I caught some threads back in 2005 he posted going totally against what he said in his sale... I'm thankful now that I am out of that deal.

 Thanks again and Look forward to talking with you on the air sometime either on 75 or 40 AM ... In the meantime I am using a Henry floor Model Amplifier for AM, alot of people said I'm stepping backwards, the Henry is one LOUD amplifier with blower noise, so I ended up actually setting it up in another room.

 I wanted something with a smaller footprint so at times I could just be lazy in my lazy chair and flip around the bands changing things from my chair, but of 'course have no trouble calling on the Henry when some "Strapping" needs to be done!  Grin

Thanks again and we'll listen for ya on the band!

73's,
Kevin- KA2ZNI
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ka2zni
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« Reply #8 on: September 05, 2007, 01:48:15 PM »

Yes Frank ..... or is it Francis Huh
My name Is Julius, as was my Dad's, and his Dad's, and his Dad's before him.
At one time there were 4 Julius Chillers alive and walking this earth from Ohio
to  Czechoslovakia.

Buddly,
          I figgered it would be worth a giggle or 2 Grin Grin Actually I love that name, named after the great caeser!! Buddly although is better than Julie Grin I just figgered I'd have a little fun with Kevin. I have never heard anyone call you Julius. But I bet your momma did when you was about to get a good whoopin.

Oddly enough, I am one of the few dagos you will ever meet that goes by Frank and is not named Francis. My given name is Frank, named after my paternal grandfather. Go figger!!

                                                   The Slab Bacon


Yeah... Sure there Slab... Get me into trouble right off the git-go... I know who to watch out for now!!!  Grin

Catch you guys later on the band!!  Cool
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The Slab Bacon
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« Reply #9 on: September 05, 2007, 02:01:32 PM »

Yeah... Sure there Slab... Get me into trouble right off the git-go... I know who to watch out for now!!!  Grin

Like the old sayin goes: "If you cant take the heat, get out da kitchen" Grin Grin
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AF9J
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« Reply #10 on: September 05, 2007, 02:13:06 PM »

Yes Frank ..... or is it Francis Huh
My name Is Julius, as was my Dad's, and his Dad's, and his Dad's before him.
At one time there were 4 Julius Chillers alive and walking this earth from Ohio
to  Czechoslovakia.

Buddly,
          I figgered it would be worth a giggle or 2 Grin Grin Actually I love that name, named after the great caeser!! Buddly although is better than Julie Grin I just figgered I'd have a little fun with Kevin. I have never heard anyone call you Julius. But I bet your momma did when you was about to get a good whoopin.

Oddly enough, I am one of the few dagos you will ever meet that goes by Frank and is not named Francis. My given name is Frank, named after my paternal grandfather. Go figger!!

                                                   The Slab Bacon

Ummm Frank,

Have you forgotten my Buddly naming faux pas of a few months ago? Wink

Ellen AF9J
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Steve - WB3HUZ
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« Reply #11 on: September 05, 2007, 02:31:43 PM »

Just don't call him late for dinner.
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WD8BIL
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« Reply #12 on: September 05, 2007, 02:33:16 PM »

Good deal Slab ol' buddy. Ya....... I knew u were yanking my chain.

And Ellen...... I only get angry when I'm called late for dinner  Grin

Good luck Kevin and ifn ya need a manual or other help, let me know.
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ka2zni
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« Reply #13 on: September 05, 2007, 04:48:20 PM »

Good deal Slab ol' buddy. Ya....... I knew u were yanking my chain.

And Ellen...... I only get angry when I'm called late for dinner  Grin

Good luck Kevin and ifn ya need a manual or other help, let me know.


Thanks bud, I appreciate the info and the help to be sure. We'll surely keep ya in mind if we run into any trouble..

Kevin
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KF1Z
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Are FETs supposed to glow like that?


« Reply #14 on: September 05, 2007, 05:26:19 PM »


And Ellen...... I only get angry when I'm called late for dinner  Grin



I almost always make out better if I'm late for dinner.....

I'll scoop up all what's left!!!

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ka2zni
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« Reply #15 on: September 17, 2007, 01:16:12 AM »

Good deal Slab ol' buddy. Ya....... I knew u were yanking my chain.

And Ellen...... I only get angry when I'm called late for dinner  Grin

Good luck Kevin and ifn ya need a manual or other help, let me know.


The only other question I might have and I found it rather odd in their manual... You can juice this thing with a 140 watts input??? Thought cut-off would be somewhere around 100 watts for these particular tubes.. That just sounded flat out awful high to me. The amplifier will be here today!! (Checked tracking) Should have it on the air and playing by 3:00 pm, so if anyone is around 3880 stop in and say hello, Gonna give 'er a floggin' on AM right off the bat and see how she does..

Been so busy at work havn't had time to get on, so it will be nice to have a little time on the radio tommorow.

'73's all..
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WD8BIL
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« Reply #16 on: September 17, 2007, 08:01:46 AM »

Good deal Kevin.... I might get a chance to do some radio tonite but it'll be after 9PM.

There's a big 50 watt swamping resistor across the input of those tubes. So it'll take a 140 watt hit without damage. I wouldn't make a habit of it though. AND Beyond 100 watts drive there's not enuf power supply for clean voice peaks.

Keep'er at 250 watt carrier and you'll have a nice signal.

Good luk and hope to catch ya on the air.
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ka2zni
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« Reply #17 on: September 17, 2007, 08:14:56 AM »

Good Morning Buddly,

 Thanks for that info, and no, I didn't think it'd be very good for it smacking it like that, but atleast the head room is there for a little error if I get a little too boisterous on the microphone!  Smiley

 Yes, look forward to catching you on the air as well! maybe this weekend though, by 9:00PM I'll be out for another night of work, I'll only have a couple hours to fool with the thing before taking off...

But if you ever hear us in there be sure too say hi, and we'll do the same... I definitely plan on making good use of the radio room this weekend though that's for sure. I have a 40 Meter Double Bazooka up at 70' at the apex (Inv. V Style) , that's where I'll be during the day, and of 'course that 75 Meter Inv. Vee at about same height ...

Take it easy and we'll listen for ya around the bands!

'73's,
Kevin

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