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Re: [Amps] Replacing 3-500Z tubes with 4-400A tubes

To: "John King" <k5pgw@yahoo.com>, <amps@contesting.com>, "Bill Fuqua" <wlfuqu00@uky.edu>
Subject: Re: [Amps] Replacing 3-500Z tubes with 4-400A tubes
From: "Carl" <km1h@jeremy.mv.com>
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2011 21:09:09 -0500
List-post: <amps@contesting.com">mailto:amps@contesting.com>
Pin cooling worked just fine on the Johnson KW using a little fan similar to 
the SB-200. No chimneys either, just a big fan blowing air on the glass..

They did it again in the Invader 2000 and again in the T-Bolt.

I have a Communications Concepts 46MHz amp with 4-400's that I converted to 
6M 25 years ago, same setup. Sold it to a local and its still running the 
same used tubes.

Obviously Eimac gave the procedure their blessing.

Im familiar with the 1000T, a surplus amp used a pair of them to modulate a 
pair of 1500T's at the NAS Olathe club station, K0NAB, in the 60's. It was 
interesting to watch the automatic start up procedure with relays and timers 
clacking away;  the HV PS was from a huge MG set. It was driven by a 
modified BC-610 when the QRM got rough (-;

Carl
KM1H





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Fuqua" <wlfuqu00@uky.edu>
To: "Carl" <km1h@jeremy.mv.com>; "John King" <k5pgw@yahoo.com>; 
<amps@contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2011 4:52 PM
Subject: Re: [Amps] Replacing 3-500Z tubes with 4-400A tubes


> Well, it does blow some air on the socket but not up thru the socket to 
> the seals.
> In some 4-400A tubes the pins are connected by smaller conductors from the 
> socket and
> do not themselves conduct a lot of heat.  That is why the sockets and 
> tubes have holes
> in them and the shields as well. The air is supposed to blow up thru the 
> holes and hit the
> seals and then out the sides holes in the metal shield.
>   The 3-500z tube do not have the metal shield and the side flow does hit 
> the seals and
> along with the pin cooling they stay cool enough.
>   You may get by anyway with the 4-400As because  they will be running at 
> lower power and
> they are running in either CW or SSB modes. But if you were running full 
> bore RTTY you
> may have a problem.
>   The tubes were designed to run with the plates red 24/7 and which is 
> unlikely in
> a SB220. This is why I was wondering if someone had some real experience.
>    A very interesting seal cooling mechanism is the one that was used in 
> the EIMAC
> 1000T.  The tube was the same size as a 450TH but lots more power. They 
> provided small
> metal tubes that carried low pressure air straight to the seals on the 
> base and the grid.
> I guess they were intended to be used as a upgrade for 450T transmitters 
> using same sockets
> and physical size.
>
> 73
> Bill wa4lav
> At 04:32 PM 12/6/2011 -0500, Carl wrote:
>>The SB-220 cools the filament pins.
>>
>>Carl
>>KM1H
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Bill Fuqua" <wlfuqu00@uky.edu>
>>To: "John King" <k5pgw@yahoo.com>; <amps@contesting.com>
>>Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2011 9:15 AM
>>Subject: Re: [Amps] Replacing 3-500Z tubes with 4-400A tubes
>>
>>
>> >  One possible issue with the 4-400A is that it has a metal shield 
>> > around
>> > the glass seals on the base.
>> > The cross flow cooling used in some amplifiers does not work well and 
>> > an
>> > additional fan
>> > may be need to cool the seals.
>> >   Maybe someone can comment on this that have had personal experience
>> > making the conversion.
>> > 73
>> > Bill wa4lav
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > At 04:20 PM 12/4/2011 -0500, John King wrote:
>> >>I have several very good 4-400 A tubes and have replaced a pair of bad
>> >>3-500Z tubes with a pair of 4-400A tubes in a Heath SB 220 amp.
>> >>
>> >>I have noticed much lower resting current being drawn when keyed up. I
>> >>have noticed about 200 watts less power output with 100 watts drive. 
>> >>The
>> >>4-400A tubes are as new.
>> >>
>> >>I made no changes to bias or other parameter adjustment. I would
>> >>appreciate the benefit of your knowledge and experience regarding the 
>> >>tube
>> >>substitution. Thanks and 73, John, K5PGW
>> >>_______________________________________________
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>> >
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>> >
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