Tram d201 power drop

[BlackCeaser]

Could give me some pointers in this problem . I have a tram d201 and it was working fine , it put out 4 watt and swing 5 on the bird . Now it puts out 2 1/2 to 3 watts and swings back a watt . I stop using the radio for a while and it worked fine for a while now it's back to the same old , same old . Dose anyone have any ideas .

[Bombero]

Hey Ryan..

Have you had the tubes tested?

Bombero

[BlackCeaser]

Well I have no way of testing the tubes and no spears .

[TheCBDoctor]

Could give me some pointers in this problem . I have a tram d201 and it was working fine , it put out 4 watt and swing 5 on the bird . Now it puts out 2 1/2 to 3 watts and swings back a watt . I stop using the radio for a while and it worked fine for a while now it's back to the same old , same old . Dose anyone have any ideas .

Hi BlackCeaser,

Whenever a meter swings backwards on a Bird meter it is a good indication that there is a problem in the Final section of the radio. In this case the Final Tube. I would guess that replacing the Tube will correct the problem. That is where I would start. The bird meter is an average reading meter. On a Peak reading meter the radio will swing forward and should read about 16 watts peak power. If the tube is bad, then chances are that it will barely swing forward on peak or will swing backwards. In which case the Final tube or a component in the Final circuit is bad.

When replacing a Tube it is always best to replace all of the tubes in that circuit. Replacing just the Final tube may work, but it will be only a matter of time before another tube (Say the driver) in the circuit will fail. It is like replacing the worst tire on your car and leaving the others. It won't be long before another tire fails. That is the same with a Tube amp cicuit.

Some photos of a Tram D201 from my website.

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Some photos of a Tram D201A

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Click on a photo for info

Good luck

[BlackCeaser]

Thanks Rick for the help i hope this will by changing these tubes will solve my problem once and for all . But as you can under stand i do not want to trow parts at the radio as this can be an expensive processes . I will look at the tubes and see what they are and if I can buy a set from Rf parts . If any one knows the tubes or have any other info it would be great to hear from you all .

[tulmkr]

Have you made any changes in your antenna or coax? You may have to simply re-tune, and load the radio. It sounds odd, but by just moving my old tube radios changed the tune and load. I would start there and see if you get back to what where you were. Dont forget that on many tube radios, if you swap the final, you sometimes have to neutralize the tube if it goes into random oscillation. Sonars are nororious for it, not sure about the tram.

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Wednesday, 16 January 2013, 19:51 PM

Looking at the tram diagram, the final is a 6l6gc, and the driver is a 12by7a. The 12by7 is the same tube used as a driver in the yaesu 101e, so be careful if you find a used one. The 6l6gc tubes are getting hard to find, they are used in alot of older higher end guitar amps, and are highly sought after.

[dirtyjob]

have you tried simply adjusting the tune and load on the back of the radio ?????? These will go out of whack with every antenna you run, adjust both for highest reading and you should see your 4watts easily. If you have never adjusted these they are under a removable plate on the back, I own a d201A and have to adjust these on any new antenna install.

P.S. Contrary to popular belief tubes last a long time "most of my Trams tubes are well over 20 years old and still test 70 - 80% on my eico tester" and all the tubes these radio's use are readily available, easy to find and not expensive at all.

[BlackCeaser]

Yes I did the whole retune and matching and that made no difference . I dont know it could be the tubes or something in the power supply going I will star removing the tubes a cleaning and see if that helps .

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Thursday, 17 January 2013, 15:45 PM

Now that I started to pull the tubes out I've found that both the driver and the final are the same . Can this be a problem ?

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Thursday, 17 January 2013, 15:45 PM

Now that I started to pull the tubes out I've found that both the driver and the final are the same . Can this be a problem ?

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Thursday, 17 January 2013, 15:45 PM

Now that I started to pull the tubes out I've found that both the driver and the final are the same . Can this be a problem ?

[tulmkr]

are they both 12by7's, or both 6l6's?

[BlackCeaser]

Both are the 6L6gc

[tulmkr]

The driver or audio tube should be a 12by7. If its a 6l6 and the filiment hasnt been changed, it could be toasted. Im looking around and noticing the different versions of the radio. I think I should keep my mouth shut bcause Im seeing some with 2 6l6 tubes, and others with a 12by7, and a6l6 as a final. I think you would have to check the voltage at the tube socket to find out what tube is actually supposed to be in there. Im sure a tram guy can offer you more help than me. Too bad it isnt a sonar, I have 2 spare sets of tubes for that radio. Sorry I couldnt be more help.

[BlackCeaser]

Thanks man not a problem I will check the voltage and remove all this dust as well as clean the sockets . I give thanks for all help given . I got a pm about tubes so if it need them i will look into that option .

[tulmkr]

The schematic clearly shows the 12by7 as the driver for the 6l6gc. If someone put a 6l6 in there, I wouldnt be suprised if that driver tube is a bit on the soft side.

[BlackCeaser]

Is the 12by7 tube the same tube that is used it the driver postion of 101 zd

[tulmkr]

Yes its the same tube....12by7, or 7a

[BlackCeaser]

Ok cool I have a 101 zd i will pull the tube and let you what happens in the tram .

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Thursday, 21 February 2013, 20:18 PM

Ok it has been a while but had some work done on the radio and it looks good but now have an other problem and after spending so much money this I need held to fix . The problem is the receive . The meter will not read properly in receive and it real loose in transmit I mean it swings a lot .Any ideas guys .