Sources for 866A & 575A rectifiers

[wx3k]

I am looking for 575A and 866A rectifiers......I want to hear what these are worth in usable shape. Are they difficult to obtain ?

I need 2 of each

[KE6DF]

I just checked on epay and there were five 866a's sold in the last few weeks for under $10 each.

They are pretty cheap. If you look for auctions of several tubes, you can save on shipping.

575a's come up on ebay less frequently. And sometimes, sellers want a lot for them.

But if you watch for a while and make low bids you will find them at a low price also.

I got a couple 673's (one looks used, one NOS in box) on ebay for under $10 each.

(The 673 is the super jumbo base version of the 575a. A 673 is to an 8008 what a 575a is to an 872a).

[W3SLK]

I wouldn't even mess with the 866's especially with their propensity to arc over. 3B28s are fine substitutes along with the solid state drop-ins.

[KC4VWU]

But those glowing MV's look so schweeeeet!

[N0WEK]

I wouldn't even mess with the 866's especially with their propensity to arc over. 3B28s are fine substitutes along with the solid state drop-ins.

But not as pretty! 

[Opcom]

A 575A or 673 should cost no more than $15-25 each in like new, little-used condition.
A 575 may go for more due to the more classic bulb shape.
I have a case of 3B28's and they are superior in many ways to the 866A, except the appearance when operating.
I prefer 866's in general for gear that is seldom moved around.

[N3DRB The Derb]

go with 3B28's. I used them in HB rig #1 and will use them again in any new rig. they work nd cause no trouble. 866's can be nasty if you dont baby them

3B28's are drop in replacements for any 866.

[KE6DF]

Another one to consider is the 4B32.

It's a Xenon version of an 872A with the same specs.

It has all the advantages of 3B28 plus the higher current capability of the 872A.

Plus they usually go for a low price on epay.

[K9ACT]

866's last forever if you can find good ones.

I bought about 15 of them from various places and only one had a dead filament but the real problem is flakes from the anode.  Many had loose plate caps but that is easy to fix.

I built a tester from a microwave oven transformer that put 2kv and 100 ma load on them and found only two that were worth keeping.

Bottom line is, make sure you get a money back promise.  The odds of getting good ones is pretty slim but the joy of using them is very large.

js

[w1vtp]

I love the glow of 866a tubes but hate the flashovers.  That's why I went with SS replacements back in the 70s.  My Courier currently uses 3B28s with no flashover problems.  Bought a bunch of 3B28s last year at a good price but there's no good deals out there right now -- that's NIB 3B28s.  Glad I got em while they were cheap

[w8khk]

Another one to consider is the 4B32.

It's a Xenon version of an 872A with the same specs.

It has all the advantages of 3B28 plus the higher current capability of the 872A.

Plus they usually go for a low price on epay.

Pair NOS JAN-4B32 Tubes Cetron Made Rectifier Tubes  BIN $19.95 Shipping: $1.73

7 day money back, buyer pays return shipping

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pair-NOS-JAN-4B32-Tubes-Cetron-Made-Rectifier-Tubes_W0QQitemZ120459850914QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c0bf774a2

[N0WEK]

Another one to consider is the 4B32.

It's a Xenon version of an 872A with the same specs.

It has all the advantages of 3B28 plus the higher current capability of the 872A.

Plus they usually go for a low price on epay.

Pair NOS JAN-4B32 Tubes Cetron Made Rectifier Tubes  BIN $19.95 Shipping: $1.73

7 day money back, buyer pays return shipping

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pair-NOS-JAN-4B32-Tubes-Cetron-Made-Rectifier-Tubes_W0QQitemZ120459850914QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c0bf774a2

Looks like a great deal on the tubes but his detailed feedback in the last couple of months is pretty bad. Be careful!

[KE6DF]

I may be stating something everyone knows, but on ebay you can get the price paid at actually completed auctions in the recent past.

It's always better to look at the price someone actually paid in a completed transaction than to look at asking prices.

You can ask $1M for a 6L6 but that doesn't mean much as it won't sell.

Anyway, you click "Advanced Search", when the expanded search screen comes up, click ?Completed listings" and put in your search term.

The only catch is that you need to be logged in to use the completed listings search feature.


If you do that you will see that there were two completed auctions for 4B32s.


Someone paid $8 for a single tube, and $19.99 for three.

IMHO you can do better than those guys did if you watch and wait to make a low ball bid on an auction with a low starting amount.

[N3DRB The Derb]

ebay is very nice for common miniature recieving tubes. you can often get big lots of the same type tube for next to nothing. I recently got 12 or 13 6cb6 tested for 10 bucks plus shipping.

[KE6DF]

Derb you are right. The best deals are usually multiple auctions. For one thing you can amortized the shipping over several tubes. For another, people who need a replacement tube are less likely to bid on an offer of 20 tubes of the same type.

Another way to pick up cheap tubes is to bid on auctions of large tube lots where the seller is selling a whole box of tubes and doesn't bother to list the contents in the ad.

If you can see the picture clearly enough to see what you are bidding on, you can get some bargains.

I recently got a box of 30 tubes for 9.99. It included a 6LQ6 and a 6LB6 plus another half dozen of various other sweep tubes -- any of which you probably go for more than $20 each. All NOS.

I also got some of those 2ma 30KV recitifiers and other weird tubes I'll probably never find a use for.

[ke7trp]

tubesandmore.com  They have brand new ones. Make sure to mention you want MATCHING brands and types. Otherwise, you will get what the guy grabs.  They have thousands instock all new and cheap.

C

[W2PFY]

tubesandmore.com  They have brand new ones. Make sure to mention you want MATCHING brands and types. Otherwise, you will get what the guy grabs.  They have thousands in stock all new and cheap.

C

Did you look up any of the tubes? I couldn't find any in stock at the address you supplied?  Can you supply a lind directly to the tubes with prices?

Thanks

[W2PFY]

I did find the 866A tubes and they were over $25.00 each and do not mention the manufacture. No listing for 575A's however. I think anyone would be lucky to find a pair of NOS 575A's at a cheap price from a .com company. But what do I know? I could be wrong again.

[ke7trp]

Just call them up and ask.  I just got some for my Champ a few weeks back

C

[Opcom]

For those who love the MV tubes and hate flashovers, it is possible to do a little trick no one will see. Make up a string of 1KV 1A silicon rectifiers covered by heat shring tubing then covered furthermore by spaghetti, and substitute this for the plate lead. You will lose 15V, but what's 15V in a KV+ power supply? The rectifiers will glow as usual and the diodes will protect them. The usual warm up for using MV rectifiers still applies.

some NOS prices, they vary widely. 575 seem to be a little rarer than some:

http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/61589/items/6690342
673 $75

http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/msherman/items/RARE_Vintage_RCA_866_A_Electron_Radio_Vacuum_Tube_NOS
866 $19.95

http://www.tubedepot.com/nos-673.html
673 $54.95
575A $79.95

http://www.powertubes.com/3Rect.htm
575A $195.00
673 $145.00
872A $80.00
3B28_JAN $39.00
872A_S/S $92.00
872AX $91.00
4B32 $76.00
866 $33.00
8008 $75.00
8008AX $85.00

http://www.thetubecenter.com/vacuumtubes_tubelist_tubes_100TH-991.html
http://www.abcvacuumtubes.com/vacuumtubes_tubelist_tubes_100TH-991.html
673 $75.00
866A $18.00
866AX $18.00
866JR $15.00
872 $48.00
8008 $35.00

[KM1H]

I never understood the fascination with 866A's or any other MV tube   It certainly didnt take long for the industrial and BCB users to switch to SS plug in replacements.

If you need a glow then install a mood light

Carl
KM1H