[Boatanchors] Mercury Rectifiers

[Nick England]

I sent John a copy of the relevant pages in the RCA Transmitting Tubes
manual TT-4 which has a very good discussion of the topic. RCA says
Preheat and Condition.
Summary -
Preheat with normal filament voltage at least 30 minutes with no anode voltage.
Let cool and condense.
Then Condition at normal filament voltage and apply 1/6 normal anode
voltage (after the usual mandatory recommended warm-up period) for 5
minutes. Gradually increase the anode voltage over 30 minutes. If a
flashover occurs during this process, reduce anode voltage until
flashover ceases, maintain this reduced voltage for a few minutes,
then resume the treatment.

http://www.we0h.us/Amateur_Radio_stuff/Books/RCA-TT-4-Transmitting-Tube-Manual.pdf

cheers,
Nick K4NYW

On Mon, Apr 23, 2012 at 11:31 AM, J. Forster <jfor at quikus.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Is there an issue with Mercury pooling in rectifiers, like the 866, in
> long term storage that would cause them to blow over more easily?
>
> If so, is there a fix?
>
> Best,
>
> -John
>