[Amps] Stock up on tubes?

[Catherine James]

What's everyone doing to plan for the day when most tubes are unobtainium?

I am wondering if I should be stocking up on Ryazan G811A tubes. They seem to shelf-age in a more friendly way than the 3-500Z, and they're still pretty cheap.

I'd really like to have at least one spare set of 3-500Z tubes, but I'm concerned about the need to rotate them once or twice a year to keep them gettered. That seems like a lot of opportunity to damage pins or caps.

I am nowhere near retirement and have many decades ahead of me, so my current tubes in the amps are certainly not a lifetime supply. And I have no spares on the shelf. The last Chinese manufacturer could stop any time with little warning. Prices have been increasing rapidly. Time to make a plan.

73,
Cathy
N5WVR