SOS Electronics Scout 20

[beebuzzbee]

I found one sitting in a pawn shop.
Not much information can be had by google, I know it's made by SOS electronics, it has 8 tubes the finals are 4 x 6KG6. Any one knows any thing about this linear? Output rating?

Thanks,

[Foxhunter]

I found one sitting in a pawn shop.
Not much information can be had by google, I know it's made by SOS electronics, it has 8 tubes the finals are 4 x 6KG6. Any one knows any thing about this linear? Output rating?
Thanks,

Hey it is one of the models pictured here at: [Please login or register to view this link]
Sorry there is only pictures there and a little info about the company. Also click on their picture tour there on lower left after you click on Scout 20. Also here is a Q & A I was reading about an owner of said type amp that may give you some indication of what it can do.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: "Just got a SOS SCOUT 20 made by S O S in Memphis awhile back. I think it has 4 driving 4. Right now I am running it using a Grant XL at 2 watts swinging 12. and it will do 500 to 650 depending on how high of a channel I am on. Told if I drove it harder I could get more watts out but I'm worried this would smoke the tubes faster. What do you guys think about this amp and how hard should I drive it? Thanks"

A: "Anything more than 4 or 5 watts is pushing any low drive linear, Just my opinion, Just ask my palomar 500. It lasted me 2 years,(more than any linear has), But,one evening I left the variable power up on my 2950dx & it blew the power supply in the palomar 500 in about 10 key downs."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*I am unsure about which SOS this is it may be the Scout KW ??
Q: "I have a scout tube amp. on the high side it will blow the fuse after i key up and talk for a while, i am not long winded maybe keying up 30 seconds or less. on the high side it swings 1200 watts with a 300 watt dead key. on the low side it swings 400 watts with a 175 watt dead key, but on the low side i can talk for a long while and it never blows the fuse. all the tubes test 85% or better. i do have it on a plug strip with a couple of other items, when on the high side the lights flicker in the room and my astatic 600 meter. could this be because it maybe voltage starved from the plug strip. The tubes are 8x 6lf6's. i have been using 8 amp fuses. also this amp had not been used in a while the old house i use to live in i did have more outlets closer in my radio room. maybe i will have to run a dedicated out let. i have another tube amp that swings 600 watts on the high side with no problems maybe starving for power and causing the extra heat. i know one thing when the fuse blows it's hot as heck and smokes the glass hard. i only really put 2 watts into them from the radio and my swrs with amps running never top 1.2."

A: "Be certain that your using the correct fuse rating for that particular amp of course. Has it been blowing the fuse ever since you have owned the amp or has it just started recently? I do know that it is a really old amp so most likely your going to have to drive it with TLC. The fuse blowing is saving it from destruction. I would turn down the mic gain a little and reduce the dead key as well as the input PEP. Low side dead key of 80 to 100 watts with 400 swing would probably run much cooler. Then see what happens on the high side. As far as the lights flickering that's "normal" when you have multiple loads pulling on one circuit and you operate a kilowatt amp on the same circuit.
You should be running that amp on its own dedicated circuit"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's a link to the 6KG6 tube specs: [Please login or register to view this link]
*6KG6--TV sweep tube--still made in Russia by SED (C logo). (see also EL509 tube)
*EL509--TV sweep tube. Also called 6KG6. One of only two large sweep tubes still being made, 509 is made in Russia by SED (C logo). Serbian Ei version is called EL519, very similar.

I know one or two things, and that there is nothing like owning/running (if it does) a tube amp (:D) , and there is nothing like trying to find parts for or trying to get them repaired ($$$ ). It's a gamble and will pay off if it works good, If not those tube amps have a well-known nickname---"boat anchors".

Sorry I couldn't help further-----but it's a start...........Foxhunter

[beebuzzbee]

FH,
Thanks for the information.
Well, for the price, I figure I have nothing to lose so I went back bought it last night before they close up the shop, while I was waiting for the invoice, another keeper brought out a bag of cable said that all goes with it, I took a quick peek in the bag I was shocked to see about 60~70' of LMR with a dummy load on the end, the deal just turned in to a steal.

I spend most of the evening cleaning it up then left it plugged to warm up, I was glad to see all the tubes lid up and a working fan before I went to bed. I still like to find a owners manual of some sort before I key her up. I'll be making phone calls to the shops around Memphis areas today, I figure since that's where it was build, some one around that region must know something about it.

Buzz

[Foxhunter]

FH,
Thanks for the information.
Well, for the price, I figure I have nothing to lose so I went back bought it last night before they close up the shop, while I was waiting for the invoice, another keeper brought out a bag of cable said that all goes with it, I took a quick peek in the bag I was shocked to see about 60~70' of LMR with a dummy load on the end, the deal just turned in to a steal.

I spend most of the evening cleaning it up then left it plugged to warm up, I was glad to see all the tubes lid up and a working fan before I went to bed. I still like to find a owners manual of some sort before I key her up. I'll be making phone calls to the shops around Memphis areas today, I figure since that's where it was build, some one around that region must know something about it.
Buzz

May I ask what you paid in total for it?

[beebuzzbee]

Foxhunter,

I just send a PM

[beebuzzbee]

I put a little TLC in this Scout 20 last 2 weeks, I fired it up for the first time last night, talked to the locals for about an hour or so, got nothing but flowers. I don't have the right slug for the Bird to get a good read but it pegs the needle on a TFC3001 set it on high, that's not too bad consider an old boy like this one.

[Please login or register to view this link]

[Please login or register to view this link]


In the mean time I came across another bad boy, it's a Black Cat JB 2000. I believe this one packs a little more heat than the Scout-20, it;s one 6AU7 driving 2X 3-500Z, these are the most exotic tubes I've seen. Since I don't have a 220V ext that will reach my shack, I don't have a way to hook her up yet but all the tubes did glow when I plug it in my laundry room, I can't wait to see what she will do, I won't be surprised it melt the skin right off the coax.


[Please login or register to view this link]

[Please login or register to view this link]

[Please login or register to view this link]

[Foxhunter]

Boy that tube you're showing looks like a monster. Exotic = $$. Still I love the amps you have. They just don't have stuff like that in the shops here in NJ

[Night Crawler]

In the mean time I came across another bad boy, it's a Black Cat JB 2000. I believe this one packs a little more heat than the Scout-20, it;s one 6AU7 driving 2X 3-500Z, these are the most exotic tubes I've seen. Since I don't have a 220V ext that will reach my shack, I don't have a way to hook her up yet but all the tubes did glow when I plug it in my laundry room, I can't wait to see what she will do, I won't be surprised it melt the skin right off the coax.

I have a Heathkit SB-220 runinng a pair of 3-500Z's you'll get about 1500 out.

[beebuzzbee]

Night Crawler,

Is that 1500 on AM?
What radio do you have and how do you have it set up to drive a monster like this?
I got a ext cord from work that will reach my shack but I never messed with something pack that much heat, I want to make sure I get it close enough before I key up.

Any Idea?

Buzz

[beebuzzbee]

2x post deleted

[beebuzzbee]

3x post deleted

[Night Crawler]

Night Crawler,

Is that 1500 on AM?
What radio do you have and how do you have it set up to drive a monster like this?
I got a ext cord from work that will reach my shack but I never messed with something pack that much heat, I want to make sure I get it close enough before I key up.

Any Idea?

Buzz

That is on AM. I'm driving it a little hard but a pair of 3-500Z's have over 2000 watts input with about 60% efficiency output is between 1000-1500 watts depending on the drive. Since the 3-500Z tubes are in grounded grid the amount of output from your driver is part of your total output from the amp. The amount of rf out will depend on the driver tube in your amp also the plate voltage and current.
I'm driving the SB220 with an old Heathkit Apache Transmitter.
[Please login or register to view this link]
This is the amplifier I'm using it doesn't have a driver so I drive it with about 125 watts.
[Please login or register to view this link]
I looked at the schematic for the amplifier you have and it looks like it has a grid driven driver. What I would do is start out with about a couple watts of drive and increase it until you get to the saturation point or if you increase the drive you can't get anymore output then back off the drive a hair. That's your maximum drive level. What I would do with the amplifier you have is bypass the driver and drive the 3-500Z's directly with about 100-125 watts.
There is some information on the amplifier page for runnig a 220V line.

[Popcorn501]

Make sure you don't drive that jb-2000 to hard it wont take much drive,it is the one with the built in driver tube and it won't do as much as a heathkit 2x3-500z.But still a sweet deal.