[Amps] GS-35B Tubes Glow In The Dark

[Bill Turner]

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

At 09:58 PM 2/23/2006, Tony King - W4ZT wrote:
>We have already had some interesting discussions about how this glow is
>created and the best explanation we have come up with so far is electron
>bombardment of the ceramic causing trace elements to fluoresce.  If any
>of you have a better explanation (NOT that the tubes are gassy...
>they're not) I would love to hear about it.

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Many tubes do this, including small receiving tubes. You will often 
see a blue glow on the inside surface of the glass (not between the 
elements, but on the glass itself). If the glow is between the 
elements the tube is gassy, but that's not the case here.

The explanation I heard years ago was so-called "soft" x-rays are 
produced when electrons bombard the anode and they in turn cause 
various materials in the tube to fluoresce. Soft x-rays have little 
penetrating power and are not considered harmful to humans.

73, Bill W6WRT