That's one option I'm considering. I don't consider it cheating any more than modifying the power circuits in AC/DC radios for safety is cheating; it doesn't change the character of the radio, and makes it more practical.
Shelf life depends on the tube. Small receiving tubes generally keep basically forever, even if they aren't stored carefully. Large transmitting tubes will sometimes go "gassy" due to the glass/metal seals failing if they're stored in a damp location and not periodically cycled into service.
The long shelf life means a lot of replacement tubes are actually pretty easy to get -- the vacuum tube era ended rather suddenly, and spares continued to be made for a while, so there's huge stocks of many types sitting around, new in box. Often these sell surplus for only $5-$10 each.
That said, I rarely run into bad tubes, even in radios that saw a lot of use. They have quite a long service life. The only radio I've run into a dead tube in was a 1936 Philco; as I recall it had a single bad tube, and one that had been replaced at some point in the past. The other four were original and worked fine, which is more than I could say for the electrolytic and paper capacitors in the set.
Shelf life depends on the tube. Small receiving tubes generally keep basically forever, even if they aren't stored carefully. Large transmitting tubes will sometimes go "gassy" due to the glass/metal seals failing if they're stored in a damp location and not periodically cycled into service.
The long shelf life means a lot of replacement tubes are actually pretty easy to get -- the vacuum tube era ended rather suddenly, and spares continued to be made for a while, so there's huge stocks of many types sitting around, new in box. Often these sell surplus for only $5-$10 each.
That said, I rarely run into bad tubes, even in radios that saw a lot of use. They have quite a long service life. The only radio I've run into a dead tube in was a 1936 Philco; as I recall it had a single bad tube, and one that had been replaced at some point in the past. The other four were original and worked fine, which is more than I could say for the electrolytic and paper capacitors in the set.
Reply
Leave a comment