[Amps] Tubes

[Peter Chadwick]

I remember reading that back in the early '80s, an IEEE Microwaves group visited Russia. According to the report, the Russians were amazed that they hadn't got 90GHz gyrotrons in the US, and actually gave them one, with its data sheet. The story runs that the USAF took a lot of convincing that there hadn't been an illegal export of technology to Russia, but that it was the other way round, and as a result, actually started funding some graduate work in the field.
One fundamental fact is that when it comes to charge mobility, there's nothing to beat an electron in a vacuum, and even that is too slow for 'conventional' gridded tubes.
73
Peter G3RZP