I don't recall the 6146 was that expensive. We could find them at the
hamfest, surplus and they were routinely given away from one ham to
another... heck,

What you say is true for a ham in need of just replacing a pair of =
tubes. But it would not have been true at all for Drake.

A company producing ham gear cannot depend on tubes found at a good =
price here and there. They have to place a contract with a tube =
manufacturer who can guarantee delivery in time and in the required =
quantities. Prices are then market prices, not surplus prices.

73

Antonio I0JX