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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!whuxl!whuxlm!akgua!akguc!mtunh!ky2d-2!k2sk
From: k2sk@ky2d-2.UUCP (Bob)
Newsgroups: net.ham-radio
Subject: Re: Transmitting tube cost
Message-ID: <82@ky2d-2.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 22-Dec-85 15:26:06 EST
Article-I.D.: ky2d-2.82
Posted: Sun Dec 22 15:26:06 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Dec-85 01:04:30 EST
References: <683@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Organization: KY2D-2 Packet Radio Gateway, Little Silver, NJ
Lines: 22

I believe that the answer to the question is simply the other
side of the success of the solid state device industry. Tubes
which at the end of the second world war were at their zenith are not relatively rare and not commonly made in the U.S. Most 
of the tubes we get now are from Taiwan and such. Special 
purpose tubes such as UHF transmitting tubes are made virtually
by hand on small labor intensive assembly lines. Their cost
reflects their nature: small volume, high cost of materials
hand manufacture. Although the insides are not platinum, there
are many costly materials, precision must be high, and the 
product subjected to temperature, voltage, current, etc. extremes which we are not used to in our solid state world.
If you take to trouble to look up W2SUE an OT who was a 
vacuum tube engineer during the war (and developed the 
all metal vacuum tube ) he can tell you the details.
All in all, having become a ham at the end of the golden
age of tubes and having experienced three and 1/2 
generations of logic I count myself lucky to have been around
for the experience. I cannot believe that tubes will continue
much longer for even the highest power amateur 
applications (I remember when a 2n35 put out a few mw and cost
$35 "real" dollars!) Even the $10,000 Eimac monsters may
one day become HPCMOS or some such! Another way to put it:
All rare antiques are expensive! - Bob K2SK  >>