[TMC] Wanted (Sources for PL-172's)

[roy.morgan at nist.gov]

Quoting telegrapher at att.net:...
> The next is i am looking for a good, new if possible 8295/PL-172 
> (ceramic) tube for the final. 

Larry,

There are a number of ways to get a good or new PL-172:

1) Call RF Parts.  Their price is apt to be on the order of one thousand
dollars.  The last price I seem to remember was $800, but now no one I find
lists the price ... it's always "CALL".  You know what that means.

2) Buy a Hallicrafters HT-4x transmitter with a known good tube in it. Junk the
rest of the transmitter or sell it for parts.

Clearly these methods both have drawbacks.

3) Get EXTREMELY lucky and locate one from a fellow who offers it for a modest
price.

This last method is the most likely to bring results:

4) Plan and execute the conversion to the 4CX1500B, or the now-available big
Russian ceramic tube that will produce some 5 KW of RF. As soon as you have the
new tube installed, debugged, and operating, you'll be at a hamfest and find
some long-retired fellow who has two of PL-172's new in a scruffy box under his
table and who will sell them for $50 each cause that's what he paid for them in
1955.

> It's going to be a nice operating transmitter when i get all the pieces 
> together and working.  Should sound nice also.

Oh yes.  When I get the GPT-750 running we can have a QSO on RTTY. 
("Hmmm...let's see now. 1200 watts carrier should be enough...")

73,
Roy

Roy Morgan
7130 Panorama Dr.
Derwood MD 20855