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[AMPS] Misc. Oscillations

To: <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: [AMPS] Misc. Oscillations
From: 2@vc.net (measures)
Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2000 14:20:12 -0700
>
>
>
>> measures writes ...
>>
>> ?  A rheostat to adj. fil/heater potential costs under five dollars
>> wholesale.  Do any MFJ-Ameritron amps have one?  Would people pay a bit
>> extra for such a feature?
>>
>
>To be effective the filament rheostat would require built-in metering
>with proper RF decoupling at considerably more cost or would encourage
>semi-trained appliance operators to operate their amplifiers in a very
>unsafe manner (covers off, power on) in order to set the filament
>voltage properly.

Mouser sells submini RF chokes that have 470uH which have no resonances 
in the ham bands.  The 100-unit price is $0.29 ea.  Test points could be 
provided on the rear panel to connect a DMM to see what's what.  .  For 
heater-type cathodes, metering is essential.  However, for filament type 
tubes, no filament V-meter is needed.  While sending 50wpm dits, observe 
the relative output meter.  Back off the fil V adjust until you see a 
slight decrease in P.  Raise the filament voltage a tad.  That is the 
optimal point for maximal emissive life from a thoriated tungsten 
cathode.  .  
>
>If you were a commercial amplifier manufacturer, with considerably more
>to lose than a bit of wire an a few resistors, what would you do ...
>build an amplifier that might require the user to replace tubes a
>couple times in 20 years of amateur operation or potentially cost the
>user his life and subject the company to a multi-million dollar
>wrongful death/product liability lawsuit?

Any idiot can get fried changing the mains fuses.  
>
>A user with sufficient technical knowledge and concern over filament
>voltage issues should be able to easily add the proper rheostat or
>filament dropping resistor.  

So who wants to buy a semi-kit?.  

> Such a user can probably do it safely
>as well, unlike the legion of snake oil buyers.
>
Anyone who buys a grounded-grid amplifier with ''neutralization'' is 
purchasing it.  

cheers, Joe.  

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