Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
RadioGuy wrote:
The thought came to me the other day whle thinking about the cost of 6JB6's nearly $100 for a set; I paid $18.00 for a matched set of three at AES back in the 1970's and I got plenty of spares. Why did Drake use those cheap ass sweep tubes in their final instead of the old standard 6146 to begin with? Because they were just so phenomenally cheap. Sweep tubes were plentiful and inexpensive and compared with similar power output transmitting tubes it was hard to justify the cost in a non-ruggedized installation. Sure, back then it seemed in vogue to use sweep tubes in amateur gear (yea, sure, Swan gear...) but as I recall, we thought that Drake was kinda cheesy to use those tubes anyway. I gonna stick my neck out and say Drake engineering wasn't the end all that the youngsters think nowadays. It was built to a pricepoint like everything else ever has been. A somewhat higher pricepoint than the Swan gear, mind you, but it was not built without design constraints. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Actually, I think Drake was pretty clever. The tubes cost roughly half as
much as a 6146 and had about the same capabilities. Drake was smart enough to run them within their ratings, unlike most other manufacturers that used horizontal output tubes and tried to sqeeze every last watt out of them. Add to that the fact that (according to tests results in the Bill Orr Handbook) they actually had less distortion than the 6146 in linear service, and it looks like a darn good decision. I still remember a friend of mine running his TR4 full bore on 20 meters RTTY back in the 1970's. He never had a problem. 73, Darrell, WA5VGO |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Darrell wrote in message 01... Actually, I think Drake was pretty clever. The tubes cost roughly half as much as a 6146 and had about the same capabilities. Drake was smart enough to run them within their ratings, unlike most other manufacturers that used horizontal output tubes and tried to sqeeze every last watt out of them. Add to that the fact that (according to tests results in the Bill Orr Handbook) they actually had less distortion than the 6146 in linear service, and it looks like a darn good decision. I still remember a friend of mine running his TR4 full bore on 20 meters RTTY back in the 1970's. He never had a problem. 73, Darrell, WA5VGO According to my Radio Handbook (Orr) 18th. edition (1970) on page 383: "To date, the use of inexpensive TV-type sweep tubes as linear amplifers in amateur SSB gear has been acceptable, regardless of the rather high level of distortion inherent in these tube types." I checked the spare parts price list for my TR-4 (January 1, 1977) on the price of the 6JB6---$4.83. This seems to be in the same price class as the 6146 not to mention that the 6146 tubes were commonly available as surplus from military or commercial services. I also operated RTTY with my TR-3 but I had a blower on my tubes. RG |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
You miss the point. Drake didn't buy their tubes from the surplus market.
They bought them bulk packaged from the manufacturer. It did make sence from their standpoint and it didn't compromise the product. From a boatanchor standpoint I wish they had used 6146's. But when put in their shoes in 1963, it was a good business decision. Most horizontal output tubes have distortion products comparable to the 6146 if you keep the voltage and power down to reasonable levels. Third order products are typically in the -25 Db range which is right in there with the 6146. 73, Darrell, WA5VGO "RadioGuy" wrote in : Darrell wrote in message According to my Radio Handbook (Orr) 18th. edition (1970) on page 383: "To date, the use of inexpensive TV-type sweep tubes as linear amplifers in amateur SSB gear has been acceptable, regardless of the rather high level of distortion inherent in these tube types." I checked the spare parts price list for my TR-4 (January 1, 1977) on the price of the 6JB6---$4.83. This seems to be in the same price class as the 6146 not to mention that the 6146 tubes were commonly available as surplus from military or commercial services. I also operated RTTY with my TR-3 but I had a blower on my tubes. RG |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Darrell wrote:
You miss the point. Drake didn't buy their tubes from the surplus market. They bought them bulk packaged from the manufacturer. It did make sence from their standpoint and it didn't compromise the product. From a boatanchor standpoint I wish they had used 6146's. But when put in their shoes in 1963, it was a good business decision. Most horizontal output tubes have distortion products comparable to the 6146 if you keep the voltage and power down to reasonable levels. Third order products are typically in the -25 Db range which is right in there with the 6146. 73, Darrell, WA5VGO Another point of view: If a ham needed new final tubes he could buy them at any TV shop or parts house, but the 6146 wasn't always available over the counter without a wait. -- ? Michael A. Terrell Central Florida |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Michael A. Terrell wrote in message ... Darrell wrote: You miss the point. Drake didn't buy their tubes from the surplus market. They bought them bulk packaged from the manufacturer. It did make sence from their standpoint and it didn't compromise the product. From a boatanchor standpoint I wish they had used 6146's. But when put in their shoes in 1963, it was a good business decision. Most horizontal output tubes have distortion products comparable to the 6146 if you keep the voltage and power down to reasonable levels. Third order products are typically in the -25 Db range which is right in there with the 6146. 73, Darrell, WA5VGO Another point of view: If a ham needed new final tubes he could buy them at any TV shop or parts house, but the 6146 wasn't always available over the counter without a wait. -- ? Michael A. Terrell Central Florida Well... maybe if you were using a single tube that would be the case. The Drake gear (besides gear from other manufacturers) used more than one tube requiring them to be matched. I recall Drake sold matched sets of tubes after checking their cathode currents in a test fixture. The tubes were them marked and collected into sets for sale. I recall seeing the number '18' on the envelope of a matched set of 6JB6's. What '18' meant I just don't know. I also recall some folks back then claim the the tubes were also matched on the basis of plate capacitance. I'd look at the matched sets that I have but they have been in sealed packages for nearly 30 years so I hate to open them. The 6146's weren't a problem... we always seemed to get them if we needed them---they seemed to be everywhere. They were sort of like antenna insulators---if you needed them someone had them and would give them to you. I never bought a 6146... One fellow gave me a couple of boxes of 6146W's (yea... they were in the white boxe with the black print on the side ;-). A lot of manufacturers were using the 6146's in their designs and the tubes had been around a long time---for decades. RG |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Okay, you've convinced me. Drake had no idea what they were doing.
73, Darrell, WA5VGO "RadioGuy" wrote in : Michael A. Terrell wrote in message ... Darrell wrote: You miss the point. Drake didn't buy their tubes from the surplus market. They bought them bulk packaged from the manufacturer. It did make sence from their standpoint and it didn't compromise the product. From a boatanchor standpoint I wish they had used 6146's. But when put in their shoes in 1963, it was a good business decision. Most horizontal output tubes have distortion products comparable to the 6146 if you keep the voltage and power down to reasonable levels. Third order products are typically in the -25 Db range which is right in there with the 6146. 73, Darrell, WA5VGO Another point of view: If a ham needed new final tubes he could buy them at any TV shop or parts house, but the 6146 wasn't always available over the counter without a wait. -- ? Michael A. Terrell Central Florida Well... maybe if you were using a single tube that would be the case. The Drake gear (besides gear from other manufacturers) used more than one tube requiring them to be matched. I recall Drake sold matched sets of tubes after checking their cathode currents in a test fixture. The tubes were them marked and collected into sets for sale. I recall seeing the number '18' on the envelope of a matched set of 6JB6's. What '18' meant I just don't know. I also recall some folks back then claim the the tubes were also matched on the basis of plate capacitance. I'd look at the matched sets that I have but they have been in sealed packages for nearly 30 years so I hate to open them. The 6146's weren't a problem... we always seemed to get them if we needed them---they seemed to be everywhere. They were sort of like antenna insulators---if you needed them someone had them and would give them to you. I never bought a 6146... One fellow gave me a couple of boxes of 6146W's (yea... they were in the white boxe with the black print on the side ;-). A lot of manufacturers were using the 6146's in their designs and the tubes had been around a long time---for decades. RG |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
FA - R. L. Drake SW8 'portable' World Band Shortwave Communications Receiver | Shortwave | |||
FS: Drake ML-2 Marker Luxury 2 Meter Transceiver (Tube Final) | Equipment | |||
FS: Drake ML-2 Marker Luxury 2 Meter Transceiver (Tube Final) | Swap | |||
FS: Drake ML-2 Marker Luxury 2 Meter Transceiver (Tube Final) | Boatanchors | |||
FS: Drake ML-2 Marker Luxury 2 Meter Transceiver (Tube Final) | Equipment |