PALOMAR SKIPPER 300 ???

[Switch Kit]

Not really up on these tuber amps , this one has 4 x 8950s in it , dummy load with peak reading meter I saw 300 DK to over 400 watts peak from the radio doing 4 watts into the box on the 11 meter band on the high side. Does this sound about right ? What would be the best drive in for something like this ? I would prefer to drive it lighter then harder , Can they handle a large swinging radio say 30 to 40 watts ? Any help on this one would be appreciated........oh .....and as far as being used goes with tubes in excellent shape , what would be a fair price for one of these ? Thanks (Not the best picture, I took it with my cell phone camera)

 

[fatdude1]

hey switch your right on there no more than 4 watts drive


amp looks like its in nice shape

 

[351_bear]

skipper 300

$$$$ 175 isnt a bad price

 

[Switch Kit]

3 watts in (Galaxy 66) giving me 300 solid watt DK with over 400 watts pep audio swing on the high side , was hitting 8 s units 30 miles away Alpha 5/8s to Imax 2000 , this 1974 gem has some balls for sure !! didn't even try it on SSB . Who ever had it ? took very good care of it , the only thing on it that doesn't seem to work is the receive amp , which IM guessing should be an easy fix. Just wish I knew a little more about it.
Thanks for the reply Fatdude.

 

[lords]

yep most of the have a small transistor for receive
not saying do this but I have been doing it for years with tube amps..peeps underrate drive tubes on some amps..
do the Load and tune...then key up and inject a tone (hum is good and a steady one) and set the load(should only be a small movement) same with the tune for the highest swing..

 

[Switch Kit]

Re: skipper 300

$$$$ 175 isnt a bad price

Got this one for 200.00 , for a 1975 amp with 100% 8950s (I believed the 70 year old that sold it to me) , the chrome is as clean as a whistle on top and for what little I do know, it looks very clean inside as well. 300 watt DK is a 300 watt DK (-: , SWR was 1.4 through the amp off the A-V-5/8s ground plane , audio quality was fantasic a mile away as well as 30 miles away. Next test will be sideband,Im not to concerned with the receive amp , but I know they do work well on SSB . If I figure out the fix and the transistor I need to change for that ? I'll do that. For what little I do know about tube amps , I have much respect for them , I've been zapped a few times over the years sticking my paws in them , IM so far very pleased with the box as if I were a kid in a candy store syndrome. Thanks for the suggestions here gentleman.

 

[lonestarbandit]

kudos for the find! looks nice! and people always do seem to underestimate tube audio........... enjoy!

 

[Switch Kit]

Turns out the guy who ended up with this amp screwed things up a bit , something had happened to his Alpha V-5/8s (unknowing to him) the ring section of his antenna had broken off from the piece where the coax goes in , (unknown by him because the amp was still keying up and he claimed he was still getting out (there's no telling how long he had used the amp like this ?)) When I checked his match it was a 3.0 and I told him there was something wrong and something had to be done to repair the problem , this is when I found out that the ring had broken off from the coax connection on the antenna , We repaired the antenna and it was back down to 1.2 , but unfortunately ,when all was put back into line , a set of the relays would only chatter and spark and would no longer key the amp ? This did not make the user happy at all )-: I told him that I really didn't understand tube amps that well and the fact that he had been using the box with the antenna shorted like that more then likely had something to do with it ?? It was pretty much as if he was blaming me for his problems and all I could tell him was that , you should have checked your match from time to time , and he would say , well it was working before we fixed his antenna that was shorted to begin with and now that the match was back down to normal the relay was chattering and sparking and not keying up the amp anymore. All I could say is that you were using this amp on a shorted out antenna and as you said it was working , but after the antenna was repaired it started acting up on you , my problem with the dude is I can't explain to him why other then thinking when you were using it on a shorted out antenna , the power must have been going some place and IM personally thinking this is where his problems come from now ? I honestly don't know ?

 

[paws264]

Turns out the guy who ended up with this amp screwed things up a bit , something had happened to his Alpha V-5/8s (unknowing to him) the ring section of his antenna had broken off from the piece where the coax goes in , (unknown by him because the amp was still keying up and he claimed he was still getting out (there's no telling how long he had used the amp like this ?))

When I checked his match it was a 3.0 and I told him there was something wrong and something had to be done to repair the problem , this is when I found out that the ring had broken off from the coax connection on the antenna , We repaired the antenna and it was back down to 1.2 , but unfortunately ,when all was put back into line , a set of the relays would only chatter and spark and would no longer key the amp ?

This did not make the user happy at all )-: I told him that I really didn't understand tube amps that well and the fact that he had been using the box with the antenna shorted like that more then likely had something to do with it ??

It was pretty much as if he was blaming me for his problems and all I could tell him was that , you should have checked your match from time to time , and he would say , well it was working before we fixed his antenna that was shorted to begin with and now that the match was back down to normal the relay was chattering and sparking and not keying up the amp anymore.

All I could say is that you were using this amp on a shorted out antenna and as you said it was working , but after the antenna was repaired it started acting up on you , my problem with the dude is I can't explain to him why other then thinking when you were using it on a shorted out antenna , the power must have been going some place and IM personally thinking this is where his problems come from now ? I honestly don't know ?

Switch, I can see no connection to the failure of the antenna and the failure of the keyer(?) in the amplifier. Because it is a tube amplifier, the "Load" tuning might accomadate the high SWR without damaging the unit.

The question is, "Was the amp really working when you walked through the door"? Did you see it put out watts while you were on site?

.

 

[Switch Kit]

I did see watts and it was (or seemed) to be working , I noticed the swing was really big for some reason ? This is when I personally checked his match and saw that it was in the red and this is when I found out after looking at the antenna that the ring had broken off (bird shit and age ) at the joint where it connected to the coax connector. We fixed the ring and the matched dropped back down and this is when the problems started. He never knew this because he never checked it for at least a month that I know of or a few weeks anyway and he continued to use the amp for all the time even with a shorted antenna .........and you are basically telling me , that because it was a tube amp that he couldn't have hurt it using it that way ??? and the chattering relay is now because of something else ?? It was working with a shorted out antenna but then when the antenna was repaired it started doing what it was doing ?? and no ,the coax was not hooked up backwards ither.

 

[paws264]

Switch, check you inbox

 

[Switch Kit]

nothing there Paws ?

 

[paws264]

Jim, I understand what you are saying, it seems that the amplifier stopped working after you fixed the antenna; the owner needs someone to blame and you are the convenient scapegoat.

I am going to sort things out as I understand them, first we will address the antenna.

You said that the “ring” on antenna was broken, and that the SWR read 3:1 and you were concerned that this may have created the problem causing the amplifier not to key and put out watts. The ring on the antenna is part of the matching system and, if it were misadjusted or missing, the antenna would resonate at a higher frequency because without the ring it is electrically shorter.

If, there were a “short circuit” at the antenna end of the coax, your exciter would see the “load” of the impedance (sum of capacitive reactance and inductive reactance) of the coax. The SWR meter was showing you the percentage of power not being delivered to a suitable load. Watts not absorbed in the coax completes the circuit to ground.

Jim, anything COULD happen, but for my years of experience I have never seen a SWR mismatch on the output of a tube amplifier cause the symptoms that you describe. High impedance-high voltage devices (Tubes) are less susceptible to damage because of “where” they are in the circuit and the voltage levels used. Solid-state devices output devices (12 volt transistors) cannot tolerate mismatches or power fluctuations.

Nothing that you did in repairing the antenna could cause a problem in the amp.

Switch, in the PM I asked if you had the amp in your hands, the reason was, I could talk you through the repair if you can duplicate the problem at home on your bench. I mentioned also in the PM what it sounded like could be causing the problem.

Get the amp in your hands and do not be concerned about the B+ volts, I’m sure the problem is simple and, the high volts can be disconnected.

 

[Switch Kit]

if IM understanding you Paws , your saying because the antenna was shorted and even though he used the amp off and on with the antenna in the shorted state for up to a month , chances are the antenna didn't cause the problem even though it keyed up shorted but not after the ring was repaired and SWR back to normal ? I also had mentioned that before I personally found out that his antenna was shorted , I had changed the transistor on the back above the coax connectors in hopes of repairing the receive amp that had never worked since getting the box and it too seemed to work after the transistor was replace , but again , it was before I found out the antenna was shorted. The relay chattering and sparking all came after the antenna was fixed . It's kind of frustrating for me because I really don't understand amps very well , especially tube amps , I only know that this amp is as clean as they come for a 30 some year old box , and the tubes were all 100% tested (I honestly couldn't say about now though) but I've got to believe it can't be anything serious , but then again , I don't really know ? I've changed keying transistors before in the past which fixed problems in other amps , but I also had help and guidence along the way. I've always been a little leary about sticking my hands into tube amps of any kind , I've known a few people over the years that were killed doing it The only local tech in my area , and he's a good one ,but he WILL NOT TOUCH TUBE AMPS !! he will deal with anything solid state though. I honestly can't say I blame him. I believe he knew the same guy in the high desert about 5 years ago that was killed working on one. (OK , It wasn't "shorted" the match was a 3.1 and from what your saying it couldn't have hurt the amp after weeks or even a month of using it like that)

 

[Switch Kit]

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