3CX1000A7 SOCKETS?

[KD1SH]

Seen the tubes going for surprising prices, NOS, but the sockets; not so much. Anyone ever get close enough to even smell one, or are they akin to unicorns? I've got a milling machine, a lathe, and some ingenuity, but by the look of the tubes it would be quite the feat of rocket surgery to home-brew one.

[KD6VXI]

Seen the tubes going for surprising prices, NOS, but the sockets; not so much. Anyone ever get close enough to even smell one, or are they akin to unicorns? I've got a milling machine, a lathe, and some ingenuity, but by the look of the tubes it would be quite the feat of rocket surgery to home-brew one.

I bought a 3cx1000 tube eons ago.  It's a better tube than the 8877 and can be rebuilt by Econco.  Planned a great amplifier around it.

Then I saw the price of a socket.

Sat on that tube for 20 years.

Then pulled a socket out for a 4cx1000.  Look at that, the triode fits, but, the anode bottoms out before you can insert the tube all the way.  You can't let it hang as it will kill the fingerstock.

SOOOOOOoooooo.

I pulled the 4CX socket apart, removed one layer of fingerstock / whatever you want to call the contact wipers, and put it back together...

VOILA!!!!

I have a hens tooth crossed with a unicorn socket.

Worked Fine Business.


With the price of ChiCom sockets, this is an economical method of using a great tube.

Where did you see them with a good price?



--Shane
KD6VXI

[KD1SH]

Last summer down at Sussex; a guy in the building had several, supposedly brandy new in the box, for $400 a piece. I was really tempted, but then, knowing that sockets were  either unobtanium or unaffordium, I figured I'd be buying expensive paperweights.

Where did you see them with a good price?


--Shane
KD6VXI

[KD1SH]

That is a clever idea; now I'm wishing I'd bought a tube. There were a few web outlets that had the tubes for a while, for under $300 as I remember, but that well's all dried up now.