Hi Rob,
Absolutely, they are getting few and fewer. And no doubt the SS rigs are the
best way to go. I keep waiting for the SS amateur amps to get in line price
wise. I really feel we are at the point where a good SS HF amp could be
built as cheap or cheaper than a tube rig...Power tubes have gotten so very
expensive.The manufactors of amateur HF amps act like it costs a small
fortune to build a 2000 watt SS box.
73'
Chuck
W6RD
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rob Atkinson" <ranchorobbo@gmail.com>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 9:57 AM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] SB220-Tubes and QSK
> Hi Chuck,
>
> Yes, you are right--you are of course referring to Ampfet 50 no. 2;
> no. 1 went to CBA in New Brunswick. Also, when I wrote that no 50 Kw
> AM in the u.s. runs a tube primary I had in mind the 1-A stations but
> later I recalled that 670 in Chicago is still running a Continental
> 317 primary as far as I know, however I maintain that the number of
> tube rigs is rapidly decreasing as the economics make solid state a
> no-brainer.
>
> 73,
>
> Rob / K5UJ
>
>
> <<<I would respectfully disagree. There are lots of Tube final backups out
> there and still some primaries...Smaller markets just don't get the
> Capital
> budgets that larger ones do..Many of the large groups buy the good stuff
> for
> the larger markets and send the junk on down the line to the tail
> draggers.
> I spent a lot of my broadcast career installing the new and moving the
> junk
> down the line for a couple of them... I would be afraid to make the
> statement that NO US 50 KW station runs a tube PA ... you may be right,
> but
> I would be a little leary to say it because there are a lot 50KW stations
> out there..By the way I
> installed the 1st 50 KW AM Broadcast transmitter in the US..1985
> ...KBMR --1130 Bismarck, ND..A Nautel. S/N 2
> number 1 was in Canada.....We went through our share of VMOS FET's keeping
> that baby putting out 50KW, but when all the transistors were good, she
> would do about 65KW!!! 22 years later it still pops some FETs now and
> then, but it's still running except at only 10KW now.....Several years ago
> they brought up another 50KW on 710 and due to a license foul ups they had
> to drop 1130 back to 10 KW or loose it.
>
> 73's
> Chuck
> W6RD>>>
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