[Elecraft] Tube radios and longevity

[Michael Melland]

>In a post about tube radios, someone >mentioned that the K2 is far more
>reliable than an old tube radio.

I'm not so sure.... I have a Rick Mish rebuilt 1956 Motorola R-390A that
knocks the sox off my fancy $21,000 Racal receiver (that's what the Gov't
paid for it in 1994).  Anyone who ever used these high end receivers in the
military can tell you that the Racal's were down for repair WAY more then
the tube R-390A's were.  When I was using the Racal's the "older" guys were
constantly complaining that they were "no 390".  The WJ's weren't much
better.....

In fact.... a frantic search to find and then overhaul R-390A's during the
Gulf War was undertaken.  National Guard and Reserve units gave up the few
radios they still had and some were taken out of mothballs.  It was
discovered that the front ends on the solid state rigs were taken out by
static from the blowing sand and the heat.  The old R-390A's were immune
from these problems and never missed a beat.

Don't sell tubes short.....

Mike, W9WIS