[Amps] 3rd ed. Eimac's "Care and Feeding of Power Grid

[Carl]

Subject: [Amps] 3rd ed. Eimac's "Care and Feeding of Power Grid


> Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2017 14:06:50 -0800
> From: Colin Lamb <k7fm at teleport.com>
> To: amps at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [Amps] 3rd ed. Eimac's "Care and Feeding of Power Grid
> Tubes"
>
> Just got my 1974 buyers guide off the shelf.  It has some transformers
> numbers that I will probably save.  The 3-500Z tube sells brand new from
> Eimac for $37.
>
>
> Colin K7FM
>
> ###  LOL.  I was 18 yrs old back in 1974.  I would listen to these 
> contester folks
> on 75m at night, who were always buying  replacement  SB-220 plate 
> xfmrs....
> which back in 1974, were $35.00   each.   I forget what a new Eimac  8877 
> was,
> but it was semi affordable.  I bought brand spanky new Eimac  4-1000s  for
> $40.00  each, back in 1976.   Back then, they were  everywhere, and 
> readily
> available.   A Ham-2  rotor, new was $199.00    A used  Hygain 204BA
> was aprx  $150.00
>
> ##  A new pair of 572B tubes for a SB-200  was aprx  $60.00
> My brand new 48 ft self support tower was $225.00  back in
> 1976.  4x4x4  concrete block was another $115.00
> Aluminum 3 inch OD irrigation pipe was  74 cents a foot. It came
> in  20-30-40 ft lengths.  I bought 36 ft of it..and they delivered it for 
> free.
> They took a 40 ft length, lopped 4 ft off one end, and  only charged  me
> for 36 ft.  Instant  36 ft boom, no splices.  Al tubing for eles was dirt 
> cheap,
> like the 6061-T6 variety.
>
> ##  Bought small prop pitchs  for $75.00  each.   A 10 kva hypersil
> pole pig was  $75.00  .   The big ticket items
> were my new drake C line + mating L4B amp..back in 1977.  $3400.00
> for the drake gear.  My new 1977 Honda civic  was $3750.00
> Bought my first home for $40 K , back in 1979.
>
> Those were good times.
>
> Jim  VE7RF

I used two 20' lengths of 3" for my 4 el 20M yagi around 1984. Used about 
18" of Schedule 40 AL pipe as a strong splice and for the boom to mast 
plate. Took it down in 89 and put back up here in 91 where it remained as 
part of the 4/4/4/4 on 20M on a rotating side arm.

That boom and elements survived everything this hilltop could throw at it 
when I dismantled the contest aluminum farm of up to 19 HF yagis on 4 towers 
about 10 years ago.  It is all resting on several sawhorses out in the back 
woods.

Carl