"The Original" Palomar TX 500 questions

[loosecannon]

hi all,

i just aquired a linear off of craigslist, and i am hoping someone out here has played with one before and maybe someone might have a manual or schematic.

on the front it says, "the original" across the top, TX 500 at the lower right, and "by palomar" across the bottom.

this amp is very cool. it is a 4x2290.

looks like it has adjustable bias.

there are two 7805 transistors, and two more TO-220 style transistors with a VR next to them.

looks to have a 5 pole chebyshev low pass filter in it. (two big series coils and three parallel capacitors)

lots of little resistors and caps on the board too.

i dont think ive ever seen this many components in a cb style amp!

there are 4 two pin shorting blocks, one of which is labled, "HI".
this one doesnt have the shorting block on it.

havent fired this amp up yet, but all looks to be good with it.

any and all info is much appreciated.
if anyone has any questions about it, i will try to answer them.

thanks!
LC

 

[Moleculo]

Take a pic and post it. From the description, it sounds like you've figured it out pretty closely. I wouldn't be surprised if it also has a preamp based on your description. Pictures would help, though.

 

[seedkey]

please take some pictures of the insides and post them

 

[loosecannon]

i will try to find a way to take some pics today.

i have the amp with me, but i am at work until midnight, so i will try to find someone here who can take the pic for me and post it.

thanks for the interest!
LC

 

[9C1Driver]

Sounds like an actual Palomar, not some junk with the Palomar name stamped on the front like today. Good find.

 

[loosecannon]

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p319/loosecannonlv/palomarTX5002.jpg

here is a pic,
LC


sorry its not more of a close up.

i took the trouble of having a friend take a very hi res pic and emailing it to me, but for some reason i cant upload it.
every time i tried to upload that pic from my computer, the screen just went white instead of displaying the pic.

i will continue trying to upload the hi res pic from my computer.
any advice on this is appreciated,
LC

 

[AudioShockwav]

Looks a lot like the old Palomar Magnum 500, Adjustable Electronic regulated bias...if it is built the same as the magnum... the two jumpers next to that area on the board labeled "HI" switches from low drive to hi drive if you move the block ...Adjustable SSB delay on the board, two of the jumpers you can pull to monitor idle current so you can set the bias.... low pass filter. Nice amps, just put a couple of fans on it........that one and the Magnum 600(4 X 2sc2879`s) would run real warm due to the small (in my opinion) heat sink and the class of operation. I remember when Charlie 3 Electronics sold the 600 for 259.00 plus shipping...dealer price......back in the day.

73
Jeff

 

[loosecannon]

thanks so much for the info audioshockwave!

it really is a nice amp.

now i just need to find a manual for it so i can set the bias and the drive level.

knowing its the same as the magnum 500 should help.

if you happen to come across a manual or something on this amp, i would gladly pay you to copy/ scan it for me.

thanks again,
LC

 

[grasshopper1031]

heres my elite line tx 5500 ,uses 4x2879

 

[loosecannon]

grasshopper,

looks almost identical.

got any info on what to set the bias to?

thanks,
LC

 

[grasshopper1031]

YGPM................grasshopper1031

 

[VK4HMD]

Elite Line tx 5500

Hi Guys I have a similiar amp here in Oz and it runs 4 x MRF 455 transistors,has been very faithful over the years
Cheers
Marty

 

[357]

I remember when Charlie 3 Electronics sold the 600 for 259.00 plus shipping...dealer price......back in the day.

73
Jeff

now theres a name I haven't heard in a long time.
That guy was the goldmine of CB gear.
I've drooled over this catalog for decades, since 1992 in fact.

What ever happened to him? who was he?

 

[nomadradio]

Charley Vance was his name. One of the more-memorable characters from that era of CB contraband distribution.

He knew everybody in the business, and some of the stuff he listed was actually in the inventory of other folks in the business. But if you needed something unusual, Charley would know where he could get it for you.

He could be a bit fractious if you got into an argument with him. Charley would find a way to win it whether he was right or not. Fortunately for me I never found it necessary to dispute anything with him.

Charley was a reformed alcoholic, and helped a lot of people with their sobriety. Some of the folks he hired for his sales business had better packing skills than others, but I'll give him credit for 'giving back' once he had sobered up for good.

His daughter Cheri (pronounced "sherry") is still selling off his old inventory on Ebay. Her store is here: http://stores.ebay.com/charleythree-cheri?_rdc=1

It's anybody's guess how long it will take her to sell it all off.

Charley's been dead for around ten years now, IIRC. I still miss the guy.

73

 

[357]

Damn, RIP Charley 3