"From Fleming to Fetrons"

 2000 - TCA's Second Year
You can purchase this full year of Tube Collector
$18 for North America, $23 elsewhere. Each year's set includes all six issues of Tube Collector as well as the Special Publication. You may order through the Club's Ashland, OR address. If you have questions, please contact TCA's editor, Lud Sibley: tubelore@jeffnet.org.

Volume 2, Number 1 - February, 2000
 
  • The McVitie Weston Valve Collection.
    A full report of the 1954 press release describing an important tube collection that came into the possession of the British electronics subsidiary of ITT.
  • Zenith's Tube Making Subsidiary, Rauland.
    A collection of three articles covering the Rauland story, work activities at the company, and the hard times that led to bankruptcy.
    • The 15-Volt "Arcturus Tube".
      A description of the early- model Arcturus AC tubes and the reasoning behind the filament voltages used.
    • Basing Cement - The "Full" Story.
      More than you'd ever hope to know about tube basing cement composition and application.
     
     On The Cover: An Early Single Wing Audion
    Volume 2, Number 2 - April, 2000
     
    • A tribute to Howard Schrader.
      A bio on one of the early, and most prolific, tube collectors.
  • European Standard Receiving-Tube Nomenclature.
    A comprehensive survey of the system of nomenclature and its evolution.
    • A Bit More on Rogers.
      Insights on this important Canadian independent tube maker and their unique tube types.
    • The Trigatron.
      The mystery of these unusual tubes, with the web-like sock covering, is revealed.
    • Early AC Mains Receiver Tubes.
      How British/European tube manufacturers approached the problem of AC tubes.
     
     On The Cover: A S-Bulb type 76!
    Volume 2, Number 3 - June, 2000
     
    • Still More on Rogers.
      Didn't get enough in the April issue? Here's even more.
  • EIMAC Views Japanese Radar Tubes.
    A construction appraisal by EIMAC of three wartime VHF triodes.
    • Dating Philips Tubes After 1948.
      How to decypher the coded information found on Philips tubes concerning tube type, place and date of manufacture.
    • Software Review: VTDATA vs. TUBEDATA.
      The editor's in-depth impressions of these two software packages and how they relate basic tube characteristics.
     
     On The Cover: The U233
    Volume 2, Number 4 - August, 2000
     
    • Some Raytheon History.
      An official Raytheon account on their early receiving tubes (pre-subminiature).
  • Telefunken Date Codes.
    Description and charts covering Telefunken production between 1930 and 1968.
    • Survey of Work in the Electronics Apparatus Development Department (of Western Electric) October 30, 1945.
      A comprehensive contemporary account of WE tubes and their applications at that date.
    • The Lost D'Agostino Collection.
      An account and photos of the remarkable collection of Joseph D'Agostino who was the executive assistant to David Sarnoff at RCA.
     
     On The Cover: The EIMAC X-159
    Volume 2, Number 5 - October, 2000
     
    • Tube Coverage at Rochester.
      Our annual report on TCA's activities at the annual AWA meet. Includes auction results.
  • "Econo" and Tube Rebuilding.
    The market and technology for remanufacturing of larger size transmitting tubes by Econo Broadcast Service.
    • Army-Navy "Preferred" Lists.
      The US Army and Navy's effort to limit the burgeoning number of tube types by way of their own "preferred" lists.
    • The Signal Corps Writes a Tube Spec.
      The Signal Corps' complete specification for VT-4-B tubes as of 1924, presented in full unsophisticated yet legalistic style.
     
     On The Cover: A DeForest Spherical Audion
    Volume 2, Number 6 - December, 2000
     
    • The Sparton VG-1 "Viso-Glo" Tuning-Indicator Tube.
      A full description of this unusual, and short-lived, predecessor to RCA's 6E5.
  • Heartbreak on the Test Floor.
    From the EIMAC archives, an account of the hardships of refining tube design and the learning that comes of failures.
    • Construction Trends in Radio Tubes.
      From a 1938 RCA internal textbook, a comprehensive lecture covering the physical design of tubes over 30 years (covers 14 pages of our publication!).
     
    On The Cover: The EIMAC 15d
    Special Publication No. 2 - December, 2000
    Triodes in Radar: The Early VHF Era
  • This 81-page booklet prepared by our editor, Lud Sibley, commemorates very early U.S. Radars. Focusing on the radar developed by the Signal Corps for the Army, this thorough work presents the principal transmitting triodes used in Army and Navy systems. Three primary resources are used: an official history of Army development up to the end of 1941, an EIMAC situation report dated August, 1942, and a group of photos taken at EIMAC in May 1942. This publication alone is worth the price of TCA membership!
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     On The Cover: The Zahl No. 1 Tube