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Fall 2003 Issue |
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Photo 1. In today’s amateur radio market Russian power tubes abound. Here is a sample of the many tubes covered in this two-part article. |
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Russian Power Tubes in Amateur Radio,
Part I |
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A while back I had to replace the 8874 (3CX400A7) required for an ancient Alpha 76 HF linear. After a short time of checking prices, I quickly discovered the gap between the price tag and my budget. Still reeling from “sticker shock,” I attended a Roadrunners Microwave Group (http://www.k5rmg. org/) meeting. At that meeting one of the guys did a “show and tell” on the Russian GI-7B “microwave triode” he had recently purchased for possible use in a PA on 23 cm. The performance claims were pretty impressive, and the cost in comparison to anything Eimac® was minimal. The trap was sprung, and I was irrevocably drawn into the world of Russian power tubes. Performance claims and reasonable cost notwithstanding, it became painfully obvious rather quickly that pitfalls and used-car salesmanship exist in the world of Russian tubes, the same as in all other aspects of life. Having experienced some success, sort of, in falling (kicking and screaming) into the computer age, it seemed to me that searching the internet for information about Russian tubes—their application to amateur radio, and their availability—might be fruitful. The process was tortuous. Although a lot of information was available, it was scattered all over the internet, and figuring out what search criteria to use to find it was often a challenge. In addition, websites, especially those originating from some of the former Soviet Union “bloc” countries, were prone to disappear. To prevent losing data, I began copying applicable web pages off the web onto the my PC hard drive. In talking with others, it occurred to me that it would be neat if there could be a reliable site on which this information could be stored and available for posterity. It should be a site to which one could go to see as much information or internet links as available on the subject. The site would also act as a library of information which might otherwise be volatile and disappear. Thus, the idea of a “clearing house and repository” for information regarding Russian tubes as they apply to amateur radio was born.
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_________________ © Copyright 2003, CQ Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced or republished, including posting to a website, in part or in whole, by any means, without the express written permission of the publisher, CQ Communications, Inc. Hyperlinks to this page are permitted. |
