[Boatanchors] Need help with Swan 14C

Mon, 22 Mar 2004 17:32:50 -0500

Heinz,

Why be shy about who you bought this from? They obviously find nothing wrong
with the way they did business so I would not feel bad at all about letting
people know who it was. Just be sure that you are 100% accurate in your
description and do not let emotion come into it. Just a factual description
of what you received.

There are all kinds of people sellling on the internet. Some are more honest
than others. Bottom line: You have to be aware that you might not be getting
what you think you are getting and ask a lot of questions. If they balk at
answering your questions or try to hurry you into a sale, run away. Now if
you have a strong desire for the item and/or it's a very rare or popular
item you have to decide what it's worth to you to gamble. Obviously another
factor is the total dollar amount.

Most of the people I have run into on and off of Ebay have been great to
deal with both as a seller and buyer. There is always going to be a small
percentage of the population who evidently sleep well at night while taking
advantage of other peoples good nature.

My one and only bad deal on Ebay was a pair of headphones that looked
awesome and were described as "pristine." I discovered them close to the end
of auction. They were about $15.00. COnsidering their apparent condition I
bid on them and won. Whenthey arrived they did not work. Opening them up and
a quick check with a VOM revealed that on each side one of the two voice
coils was open. I emailed the seller and they replied "Pristine is a
description of how they look. You never asked if they were functional or
not." Now one could argue with that over the commonly accepted "fitness for
use" implied warranty in most states. But for $15.00 is wasn't worth it. Put
them in the "project" pile, awaiting a re-wind some night while I watch a
movie. Live and learn. I now ask better questions and don't assume anything.
That lesson learned was well worth the $15.00.

I have some TIP series transistors (TI mesa tab-type power transistors) that
are approx in that voltage/current range I belive. If you can't find direct
replacements I'd be happy to send you a pair of these at no cost. Best
wishes with your project.

73,

Mark W1EOF

> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Heinz und
> Hannelore Breuer
> Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 8:06 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [Boatanchors] Need help with Swan 14C
>
>
> Hello,
>
> two weeks ago a posting by a well known ham appeared on various
> boatanchor lists where a Swan 14C was offered. No condition was given
> only that no cables are included. Well I should have asked ...
>
> The Swan 14C is a DC Converter module which plugs into the Swan 117-X
> power supply to use a Swan 500C transceiver and others mobile with a 12V
> DC input.
> The 14C was airmailed and arrived last week. It had pieces of plaster on
> the outside as well as on the inside and far worse the original power
> transistors had been replaced. The 14C originally used 2 transistors
> type MHT 1840 which are rated 60A @ 45V and according to the Swan 500C
> manual "are responsible for a large portion of the unit's cost. No
> compromise has been made."
> Well the power supply now has been hacked with 2 transistors 2N4279 and
> so far I have not found any data for those. I also have not checked them
> if they work properly as I could not confirm if they are able to handle
> the current and I don't want to destroy them if they are still ok.
> According to the manual the 14C draws as much as 40A when the 500C is in
> TUNE position. Normally it draws 9A in receive and an average of 16A in
> transmit. Anyhow the way the transistors are mounted they will certainly
> overheat or already have.
>
> I contacted the seller and he said I should have asked details before
> and that he had a more informative description on his website ...
> Needless to say I was not aware of his website.
> Anyhow if I get a pair of transistors capable to handle 40A and if the
> transformer is still ok I could rebuilt the whole thing, repaint it,
> exchange nearly every single screw and might finally enjoy my Swan 500C
> in mobile operation.
>
> I would appreciate any data on the old transistors type MHT 1840 and the
> new ones 2N4279. Has anybody successfully replaced the transistors in a
> Swan 14C and which transistor did you use?
>
>
> 73
> Heinz DH2FA, KM5VT
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