The alignment process is described in the operator’s manual and requires a special non-metallic hexagonal tool and a frequency counter or calibrated receiver. One slug tunes the frequency while the other sets the band spread. Each of the five bands has a coil with two slugs for adjustment. I wrote about the PTO rebuild process in an earlier article.įortunately, this radio tuned pretty smoothly but the replacement of the dial string had ruined the calibration. At one time, Ten Tec even offered a “rebuild kit,” but they haven’t been available for years.
The vernier also had brass bearings that could wear unevenly. Over decades, it tended to dry out and become sticky.
The problem is often caused by the grease that was used to lubricate the mechanism. Ten Tec used a Permeability Tuned Oscillator (PTO) design to tune the radios of this era, and they are notorious for being stiff or even frozen. Complementary pair installed on audio output board Aligning the PTO Some of the resistors in the final circuit were a little damaged, so I replaced them as well. I ended up making a similar heat sink out of some aluminum. Complementary pair of audio output transistorsĮBay turned out to be the best source, but I couldn’t get both transistors with the original integrated heat sink. This ad from the May 1960 edition of Audio magazine shows another challenge - they came in several case styles. The fact that these transistors are still sought after by audio aficionados and guitar effects box enthusiasts just adds to the challenge. The transistors, 2n4105 (NPN) and 2n4016 (PNP) haven’t been made since the 1960’s. High-quality (and scarce) transistors Amperex Ad for Complementary Pair of Germanium Transistors Here’s a simplified version of the audio output circuit. The early Triton radios used a germanium complementary pair of transistors for the audio output, and they were toasted.
I began troubleshooting, and it didn’t take long. Schematics aren’t hard to find either, downloadable from several sources. Before selling complete radios, Ten Tec started with radio “building blocks” for experimenters, and that modular approach continued into the radio line. One of the great strengths of these early Ten Tec radios is their modular construction. Troubleshooting the Triton’s audio problem Triton II Audio Power Amp (partial) Things were looking up, but still no audio output. Finding a replacement proved challenging since at 2-5/8-inches in diameter, the original part is unusual. As you can see in the photo, the path is simple and it didn’t take long to get it working. Some elastic string from the fabric store worked. A new dial cord and speaker Restrung Frequency DialĪfter cleanup, the speaker and dial cord were first.
That was ok, because I planned to use it on a 12-volt solar generator anyway.
It did power up, but there was no audio, and the power supply voltage was too high. The dial cord had disintegrated, the speaker cones had been gnawed through, both in the radio and in the power supply. It had been stored for some time, and was apparently popular with the mice who lived in the same shed. The set included the radio and the matching 262G power supply/VOX. Mice enjoy living in (and eating) radios Internal speaker - a little mouse damage It would allow some radio entertainment as we camped around the country. Although it was in rough shape, I though it would make a good radio for our teardrop trailer. The Triton II (the 100 watt model) in this article came from an amateur radio buddy who had acquired it for his station, but didn’t want to spend the time repairing it. I owned a Ten Tec Triton IV in the late 1970’s and always liked it. With coverage for the 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10-meter amateur radio bands, 50 to 100 watt output on SSB and CW, they may have been the first affordable, fully solid-state models. The Ten Tec Triton I/II transceivers were released in the mid-1970’s and marked a milestone in High Frequency (HF) radios.