I just found several 829B tubes - believe it or not in my garage - I

snip

So can someone tell me what they would have been used for?
Something tells me they're a VHF power tube.

Any application as a one-tube QRP rig of any sort? Any stories
about using them in the past? I've built a lot of little rigs over the
years, but never knew about the 829


The datasheet is he

http://www.mif.pg.gda.pl/homepages/f...049/8/829B.pdf

A lot of The Radio Amateur's Handbooks of the '50s and '60s had 892B
projects in them. The 1953 edition, immediately to my left as I write this,
has "A 100-Watt RF Amplifier for 50 and 144 Mc." on page 405. It runs
push-pull class-C, up to 120 Watts CW or FM, and 100 Watts AM.

And the following fellow has gone to an awful lot of trouble to use two
829Bs in parallel single-ended triode mode in a stereo amplifier:

http://www.pmillett.addr.com/829b_amplifier.htm

Lots of discussion about using the 829 for VHF power amplifiers, and
even audio amplifiers and conversation pieces. But I haven't seen
mention here of their use in pulse generators. I have a TS592A/UPM15
pulse generator that uses one in its output stage (not all my test
equipment is very new ;-), and one of the early uses of them was as a
driver in "hard tube" radar pulse modulators, developed fairly early
in WWII. They were used in "Model 3 hard tube pulsers" for example,
where the two sections were run in parallel, outputting well over a
kilowatt during the microsecond long pulse, 0.1% duty cycle. The very
similar 3E29 also get lots of mention in early radar pulser history.
Perhaps someone knows: was the 3E29 an 829 re-designed and/or
specifically tested for use in pulsers? What was the 829 originally
intended for, and when was it first introduced? Who made the first
ones, RCA or someone else?

Cheers,
Tom


"Dave" wrote in message tnews.com...
Hi all,

I just found several 829B tubes - believe it or not in my garage - I
must have got them in a box of stuff at a ham fest at one time.
A check on Ebay shows they're pretty much worthless for the sake
of dollars, but they're so COOL! With the two plate caps that are
actually just stiff pins, they look like little Martians.

I put a pair on my office credenza just to look geeky cool. Fresh
out of the box as NOS they look amazing - just like they were made
yesterday. It's a pity they have no value - maybe as a homebrew
project??

So can someone tell me what they would have been used for?
Something tells me they're a VHF power tube.

Any application as a one-tube QRP rig of any sort? Any stories
about using them in the past? I've built a lot of little rigs over the
years, but never knew about the 829

Thanks,

Dave

Tom Bruhns wrote:

Lots of discussion about using the 829 for VHF power amplifiers, and
even audio amplifiers and conversation pieces. But I haven't seen
mention here of their use in pulse generators. I have a TS592A/UPM15
pulse generator that uses one in its output stage (not all my test
equipment is very new ;-), and one of the early uses of them was as a
driver in "hard tube" radar pulse modulators, developed fairly early
in WWII. They were used in "Model 3 hard tube pulsers" for example,
where the two sections were run in parallel, outputting well over a
kilowatt during the microsecond long pulse, 0.1% duty cycle. The very
similar 3E29 also get lots of mention in early radar pulser history.
Perhaps someone knows: was the 3E29 an 829 re-designed and/or
specifically tested for use in pulsers? What was the 829 originally
intended for, and when was it first introduced? Who made the first
ones, RCA or someone else?

Cheers,
Tom


"Dave" wrote in message tnews.com...


Hi all,

I just found several 829B tubes - believe it or not in my garage - I
must have got them in a box of stuff at a ham fest at one time.
A check on Ebay shows they're pretty much worthless for the sake
of dollars, but they're so COOL! With the two plate caps that are
actually just stiff pins, they look like little Martians.

I put a pair on my office credenza just to look geeky cool. Fresh
out of the box as NOS they look amazing - just like they were made
yesterday. It's a pity they have no value - maybe as a homebrew
project??

So can someone tell me what they would have been used for?
Something tells me they're a VHF power tube.

Any application as a one-tube QRP rig of any sort? Any stories
about using them in the past? I've built a lot of little rigs over the
years, but never knew about the 829

Thanks,

Dave


Don't have answeres to all those questions but the 3E29 had a "better"
cathode to handle
the peak current requirements..

Bill K7NOM

Tom Bruhns wrote:

Lots of discussion about using the 829 for VHF power amplifiers, and
even audio amplifiers and conversation pieces. But I haven't seen
mention here of their use in pulse generators. I have a TS592A/UPM15
pulse generator that uses one in its output stage (not all my test
equipment is very new ;-), and one of the early uses of them was as a
driver in "hard tube" radar pulse modulators, developed fairly early
in WWII. They were used in "Model 3 hard tube pulsers" for example,
where the two sections were run in parallel, outputting well over a
kilowatt during the microsecond long pulse, 0.1% duty cycle. The very
similar 3E29 also get lots of mention in early radar pulser history.
Perhaps someone knows: was the 3E29 an 829 re-designed and/or
specifically tested for use in pulsers? What was the 829 originally
intended for, and when was it first introduced? Who made the first
ones, RCA or someone else?

Cheers,
Tom


"Dave" wrote in message tnews.com...


Hi all,

I just found several 829B tubes - believe it or not in my garage - I
must have got them in a box of stuff at a ham fest at one time.
A check on Ebay shows they're pretty much worthless for the sake
of dollars, but they're so COOL! With the two plate caps that are
actually just stiff pins, they look like little Martians.

I put a pair on my office credenza just to look geeky cool. Fresh
out of the box as NOS they look amazing - just like they were made
yesterday. It's a pity they have no value - maybe as a homebrew
project??

So can someone tell me what they would have been used for?
Something tells me they're a VHF power tube.

Any application as a one-tube QRP rig of any sort? Any stories
about using them in the past? I've built a lot of little rigs over the
years, but never knew about the 829

Thanks,

Dave


Don't have answeres to all those questions but the 3E29 had a "better"
cathode to handle
the peak current requirements..

Bill K7NOM

(Tom Bruhns) wrote in message om...

Lots of discussion about using the 829 for VHF power amplifiers, and
even audio amplifiers and conversation pieces. But I haven't seen
mention here of their use in pulse generators.

Or CRT drivers (in the AN/APS-44 aircraft radar, and I think some of
the Navy PPI repeaters).

Perhaps someone knows: was the 3E29 an 829 re-designed and/or
specifically tested for use in pulsers?

Probably. 3E29 was used in the Mk III IFF interogators, circa 1943. I
don't know of any other major uses for the 3E29 (AKA 829A). Real 3E29s
are getting quite scarce, but 829Bs still can be found in biblical
quantities.

What was the 829 originally
intended for, and when was it first introduced? Who made the first
ones, RCA or someone else?

1943, probably RCA, although National Union was apparently an early
second source. 832 was the model for the 829.

William Donzelli

William Donzelli wrote in message
om...
(Tom Bruhns) wrote in message
om...

Lots of discussion about using the 829 for VHF power amplifiers, and
even audio amplifiers and conversation pieces. But I haven't seen
mention here of their use in pulse generators.

Or CRT drivers (in the AN/APS-44 aircraft radar, and I think some of
the Navy PPI repeaters).

Perhaps someone knows: was the 3E29 an 829 re-designed and/or
specifically tested for use in pulsers?

Probably. 3E29 was used in the Mk III IFF interogators, circa 1943. I
don't know of any other major uses for the 3E29 (AKA 829A). Real 3E29s
are getting quite scarce, but 829Bs still can be found in biblical
quantities.

What was the 829 originally
intended for, and when was it first introduced? Who made the first
ones, RCA or someone else?

1943, probably RCA, although National Union was apparently an early
second source. 832 was the model for the 829.

William Donzelli

I've seen references to the fact that the 829B was used in MIT's Whirlwind
computer as core memory drivers, definitely a pulse application. I don't
have any documentation on that, but I do remember some dual plate 829B-like
tubes in the Whirlwind fragments that used to be on display at the
now-defunct Boston Computer Museum. They could have been 3E29s, though, or
even 832s.

The Univac I used 829Bs, as documented here (5/8ths of the way down the
page):
http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/BRL61-u3.html

With that complement of tubes you could make one heck of an all-modes
transceiver!

William Donzelli wrote in message
om...
(Tom Bruhns) wrote in message
om...

Lots of discussion about using the 829 for VHF power amplifiers, and
even audio amplifiers and conversation pieces. But I haven't seen
mention here of their use in pulse generators.

Or CRT drivers (in the AN/APS-44 aircraft radar, and I think some of
the Navy PPI repeaters).

Perhaps someone knows: was the 3E29 an 829 re-designed and/or
specifically tested for use in pulsers?

Probably. 3E29 was used in the Mk III IFF interogators, circa 1943. I
don't know of any other major uses for the 3E29 (AKA 829A). Real 3E29s
are getting quite scarce, but 829Bs still can be found in biblical
quantities.

What was the 829 originally
intended for, and when was it first introduced? Who made the first
ones, RCA or someone else?

1943, probably RCA, although National Union was apparently an early
second source. 832 was the model for the 829.

William Donzelli

I've seen references to the fact that the 829B was used in MIT's Whirlwind
computer as core memory drivers, definitely a pulse application. I don't
have any documentation on that, but I do remember some dual plate 829B-like
tubes in the Whirlwind fragments that used to be on display at the
now-defunct Boston Computer Museum. They could have been 3E29s, though, or
even 832s.

The Univac I used 829Bs, as documented here (5/8ths of the way down the
page):
http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/BRL61-u3.html

With that complement of tubes you could make one heck of an all-modes
transceiver!

Hi,

The 3E29 may share a similar appearance, and the same pin out as the
829, but it certainly is not interchangable. To quote the RCA TT5
manual:

3E29: Heater-cathode type containing two high-perveance units used
as retangular-wave pulse modulator. Modulator Service maximum
CCS plate dissipation (per tube) 15watts.

Further down, it shows the plate supply voltage as 5000V, and the
instantaneous plate voltage as 5750V.

829: Heater-cathode type having midtapped heater used as af power
amplifier and modulator and as rf power amplifier and oscillator.

CCS dissipation is shown as 30W with natural cooling, and 40W with
forced air cooling.

It is pretty clear to me that the 3E29 was rearranged for high plate
voltage, and was used as a radar modulator tube. It is designed to
put out high voltage square waves.

-Chuck Harris

William Donzelli wrote:
(Tom Bruhns) wrote in message om...


Lots of discussion about using the 829 for VHF power amplifiers, and
even audio amplifiers and conversation pieces. But I haven't seen
mention here of their use in pulse generators.


Or CRT drivers (in the AN/APS-44 aircraft radar, and I think some of
the Navy PPI repeaters).


Perhaps someone knows: was the 3E29 an 829 re-designed and/or
specifically tested for use in pulsers?


Probably. 3E29 was used in the Mk III IFF interogators, circa 1943. I
don't know of any other major uses for the 3E29 (AKA 829A). Real 3E29s
are getting quite scarce, but 829Bs still can be found in biblical
quantities.


What was the 829 originally
intended for, and when was it first introduced? Who made the first
ones, RCA or someone else?

Hi,

The 3E29 may share a similar appearance, and the same pin out as the
829, but it certainly is not interchangable. To quote the RCA TT5
manual:

3E29: Heater-cathode type containing two high-perveance units used
as retangular-wave pulse modulator. Modulator Service maximum
CCS plate dissipation (per tube) 15watts.

Further down, it shows the plate supply voltage as 5000V, and the
instantaneous plate voltage as 5750V.

829: Heater-cathode type having midtapped heater used as af power
amplifier and modulator and as rf power amplifier and oscillator.

CCS dissipation is shown as 30W with natural cooling, and 40W with
forced air cooling.

It is pretty clear to me that the 3E29 was rearranged for high plate
voltage, and was used as a radar modulator tube. It is designed to
put out high voltage square waves.

-Chuck Harris

William Donzelli wrote:
(Tom Bruhns) wrote in message om...


Lots of discussion about using the 829 for VHF power amplifiers, and
even audio amplifiers and conversation pieces. But I haven't seen
mention here of their use in pulse generators.


Or CRT drivers (in the AN/APS-44 aircraft radar, and I think some of
the Navy PPI repeaters).


Perhaps someone knows: was the 3E29 an 829 re-designed and/or
specifically tested for use in pulsers?


Probably. 3E29 was used in the Mk III IFF interogators, circa 1943. I
don't know of any other major uses for the 3E29 (AKA 829A). Real 3E29s
are getting quite scarce, but 829Bs still can be found in biblical
quantities.


What was the 829 originally
intended for, and when was it first introduced? Who made the first
ones, RCA or someone else?

(Tom Bruhns) wrote in message om...

Lots of discussion about using the 829 for VHF power amplifiers, and
even audio amplifiers and conversation pieces. But I haven't seen
mention here of their use in pulse generators.

Or CRT drivers (in the AN/APS-44 aircraft radar, and I think some of
the Navy PPI repeaters).

Perhaps someone knows: was the 3E29 an 829 re-designed and/or
specifically tested for use in pulsers?

Probably. 3E29 was used in the Mk III IFF interogators, circa 1943. I
don't know of any other major uses for the 3E29 (AKA 829A). Real 3E29s
are getting quite scarce, but 829Bs still can be found in biblical
quantities.

What was the 829 originally
intended for, and when was it first introduced? Who made the first
ones, RCA or someone else?

1943, probably RCA, although National Union was apparently an early
second source. 832 was the model for the 829.

William Donzelli