[Milsurplus] A Good Start for 2017

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On Sun, Jan 1, 2017 at 3:03 AM, David Stinson <arc5 at ix.netcom.com> wrote:

> When you're working on a radio that's 99 years old
> and all three of the tubes test "good,"
> that's a great start to a new year!
> https://goo.gl/photos/xUUZ21svyRy2zLxE7
> https://goo.gl/photos/3hSPARTHdSkGMSN87
>

Makes me smile to see these early, crude sets come back to life, Dave.
Congrats.

A few things on the tubes - early tubes like these sometimes light up fine
but have zero emission due to their design and construction. Once the
electrons are depleted, they become lamps.

However, if you have a tube that appears exhausted, it never hurts to
re-work the tube pins. Combinations of solder/technique/surface cleanliness
and overall QC back in the day resulted in tubes that appear dead but
really just suffer from bad connections. The trick is to clear out the old
solder well, clean up the pins as best you can and re-solder using good
60/40 lead solder or similar. WD-11s are one tube prone to this problem.
Save any duds that light up but don't work for a cold, winter night. You
may pull a few back from the dead.

As to the 01As, the good news is - there is a decent supply out there. They
appear to have been made at least into the 50s using the early ST envelope
design. I keep a set of later ones around as known-good tubes for getting
an old piece of equipment working again, then use older balloon tubes as
desired once the work is done. Even the balloon versions are not too pricey
($5-$10 used) unless you start looking for the early brass based, tipped
top types. They can cost a bit more.

Not sure if the photo will make it through, but hopefully. From a 1923-4
Federal 61 commercial set. Been playing with the early sets a lot the last
few years with what little free time I've had, usually after everyone else
is in bed sleeping. Good ol' fashioned FUN.

Best wishes for a safe & happy 2017 to you and the gang here -

~ Todd,  KA1KAQ/4
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