B'cast magazine features AM on HF

[WA3VJB]

Gerry, KC8ZUL and his Collins 20V3 are a featured part of a nice article in the latest issue of Radio World, a bi-weekly whose audience includes broadcast engineers and technical types.

http://rwonline.com/article/another-slightly-different-radio-show/24037

[KA2DZT]

Only Gerry could rig-up the largest mobile ham set.

Definitely not all of his tubes are lit.

[Opcom]

According to the article he also makes push pull 833 audio amps. They are $175,000 each monoblock and make 200W, a wee bit low for 833's yet the photo shows the plates running red. Must be class A. I would like to see the schematic.

[The Slab Bacon]

At $175K each, I bet he doesn't sell many of them...................

[W2PFY]

At $175K each, I bet he doesn't sell many of them...................

If you sold four sets a year, it would be worth doing but I won't settle for $175,000.00 for an amplifier. When you look at the cost of doing business, the price should be somewhere around 225K each.

I think someone on this BB is familiar with that company and they have a special arraignment with the tube makers to supply them a large amount tested for a certain specification.

[The Slab Bacon]

Running graphite plate tubes with the plates glowing like that is a no-no   

[W2PFY]

I've had two graphite 833's plate break in half in my Westinghouse transmitter and drop to the bottom of the jug. They cannot take atomic YELLOOWWWSSS very well. You should have heard all the overload relays kicking in and lights dimming too. It was spectacular   

[k4kyv]

I have seen the amplifier.  Gerry stopped by here with his truck on his way back from a trade show in Atlanta.  The machine work and aesthetics look excellent, and he claims his engineers have worked out all the technical kinks. Unlike most audiophool products, he runs his 833s class-A push-pull rather than single ended. He buys the 833s from the Chinese manufacturer in quantity, and they are tested to certain specs.  He says about 75% of the tubes qualify, and didn't say what  he does with the rest. I have never seen his amplifier lit up, and I can't say anything about life expectancy of the tubes in that service since I have never used carbon plate 833s.

He described his target audience for potential customers as people of the class that includes NFL and NBA stars - IOW, people who tend to have more money than they know what to do with, and like to impress their friends and (particularly female) admirers.

[WD8BIL]

It is a nice looking box.

[KB2WIG]

" At $175K each, I bet he doesn't sell many of them................... "

AT $$175K, he dont' need to.


klc

[W2PFY]

He says about 75% of the tubes qualify,

I have used Chinese 833's with the metal plate. All the tubes I had problems with the grid structures. An 833A when running near max will have a red bulls eye in the center of the tube. Mine were focused everywhere but the center! Maybe that is one of the things he is looking for because they look like crap when they are not centered? I would not use them for rapid on off service where the carbon plate has not had time to heat up uniformly.

[W2VW]

Who is Max?

He says about 75% of the tubes qualify,

I have used Chinese 833's with the metal plate. All the tubes I had problems with the grid structures. An 833A when running near max will have a red bulls eye in the center of the tube. Mine were focused everywhere but the center! Maybe that is one of the things he is looking for because they look like crap when they are not centered? I would not use them for rapid on off service where the carbon plate has not had time to heat up uniformly.

[W2PFY]

Who is Max?

Headroom

 

[W8IXY]

I saw (for a very very brief time), the plate of a graphite 833 glow almost white.   It was the driver in an old RCA 10kw broadcast rig.  The stage lost its bias and drive and for just a moment the plate glowed white hot.  About a second later, the glass opposite the plate structure melted and sucked in.  PHOOF POW!  Spectacular!   Especially since I didn't have to pay for it.

73

Ted  W8IXY

[W7TFO]

I always thought the 833 looked a lot like a skinned rabbit....

A 450TH is a LOT prettier, IMHO

Back to the article, notice they tactfully sidestepped the "poop geyser" during the show.

73DG

[KM1H]

Running graphite plate tubes with the plates glowing like that is a no-no   

At that color they should be fine.

There is a balance between keeping the tube gettered and causing the anode to outgas when its run too hot. The gettering material is coated on the graphite.

[k4kyv]

I saw (for a very very brief time), the plate of a graphite 833 glow almost white.   It was the driver in an old RCA 10kw broadcast rig.  The stage lost its bias and drive and for just a moment the plate glowed white hot.  About a second later, the glass opposite the plate structure melted and sucked in.  PHOOF POW!  Spectacular!   Especially since I didn't have to pay for it.

One of my very best 833A pulls (US made, metal plate) has a shiny spot on the plate about the size of a half-dollar, and the glass opposite the spot is sucked in, but not far enough to rupture the envelope. The glass envelope has a lot of silvery metallic deposit all over the inner surface.  I kicked the thing round the shack for years, thinking it was no good and it's a wonder it didn't get broken, but decided one day just for the hell of it to put it in the rig to try it out to see if it still worked at all. Turned out to be just as good as a brand new one! Evidently whoever was working with it thought it was trashed as well, since it was given to me in a box full of random worthless junk, most of which I promptly tossed out (and if I toss something out, you can rest assured it is pure rubbish). I'm glad I didn't throw that tube away before testing it. It now resides in the modulator stage of my BC1-T.

[Opcom]

I have seen the amplifier.  Gerry stopped by here with his truck on his way back from a trade show in Atlanta.  The machine work and aesthetics look excellent, and he claims his engineers have worked out all the technical kinks. Unlike most audiophool products, he runs his 833s class-A push-pull rather than single ended. He buys the 833s from the Chinese manufacturer in quantity, and they are tested to certain specs.  He says about 75% of the tubes qualify, and didn't say what  he does with the rest. I have never seen his amplifier lit up, and I can't say anything about life expectancy of the tubes in that service since I have never used carbon plate 833s.

He described his target audience for potential customers as people of the class that includes NFL and NBA stars - IOW, people who tend to have more money than they know what to do with, and like to impress their friends and (particularly female) admirers.

I have tried to impress women with everything from mainframes to transmitters and stereos to big lasers to military trucks. A few women are impressed by those thing but most of those are playing on the other team. It does not work.

[W1ATR]

I have tried to impress women with everything from mainframes to transmitters and stereos to big lasers to military trucks. A few women are impressed by those thing but most of those are playing on the other team. It does not work.

No no, don't let 'em see none of that stuff. Brick up the door to the ham shack, sheetrock it, paint it, and hang a picture on it. Ham radio is straight up 100 proof, weapons grade chic repellent.

[W2VW]

Who is Max?

Headroom

 

Where's Alf?

[W2VW]

I have seen the amplifier.  Gerry stopped by here with his truck on his way back from a trade show in Atlanta.  The machine work and aesthetics look excellent, and he claims his engineers have worked out all the technical kinks. Unlike most audiophool products, he runs his 833s class-A push-pull rather than single ended. He buys the 833s from the Chinese manufacturer in quantity, and they are tested to certain specs.  He says about 75% of the tubes qualify, and didn't say what  he does with the rest. I have never seen his amplifier lit up, and I can't say anything about life expectancy of the tubes in that service since I have never used carbon plate 833s.

He described his target audience for potential customers as people of the class that includes NFL and NBA stars - IOW, people who tend to have more money than they know what to do with, and like to impress their friends and (particularly female) admirers.

I have tried to impress women with everything from mainframes to transmitters and stereos to big lasers to military trucks. A few women are impressed by those thing but most of those are playing on the other team. It does not work.

Might be a way to gain some useful insight.

[The Slab Bacon]

No no, don't let 'em see none of that stuff. Brick up the door to the ham shack, sheetrock it, paint it, and hang a picture on it. Ham radio is straight up 100 proof, weapons grade chic repellent.

Dont tell my wife (the war dept.) that. She loves going to gas engine shows with me and also has a general call!! 

[W2PFY]

and also has a general call!!

Lt General, Major General??

What rank is she?

Inquiring minds need to know

[The Slab Bacon]

and also has a general call!!

Lt General, Major General??

What rank is she?

Inquiring minds need to know

Her call is KB3OMT. And when she is pissed off, she can be very rank............  

She really wants to go to Berryville this weekend, go figger, I gotta do the driving 

[Steve - K4HX]

Yea, more like Corporal Punishment.