"From Fleming to Fetrons"

 2003 - TCA's Fifth 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 5, Number 1 - February, 2003
 
  • The VAC-M Lightning Arrester
    Some interesting glass lightning arresters for early radio and telephone that look like tubes.
  • Reviewing the Resistance Weld
    An overview of an important aspect of tube production.
    • Undocumented Aliens - The Sequel
      Information on odd British tubes sometimes seen in the U.S.
    • Autopsy of a Klystron
      A reprint of an Eimac customer return report reveals how such reports were analyzed.
    • The RCA "Dark" Heater
      An exploration of an RCA innovation in heater design, how it was marketed, and some tubes it was used in.
     
    On The Cover: Three VAC-M lightning protectors.
    Volume 5, Number 2 - April, 2003
     
    • Moorhead and His Tubes
      An exhaustive article on Moorhead tubes and the Moorhead Company with pictures, technical data, and production estimates. This article alone is worth the whole years subscription!
    • British Valve Nomenclature: Brimar
      A brief history of Brimar with a table of valve nomencature explanations.
    • US Tube Makers Today
      The list of qualified military suppliers.
     
    On The Cover: A Moorhead vertical anode British type R
    Volume 5, Number 3 - June, 2003
     
    • More on the "Dark" Heater
      A perspective on RCA's "dark" heater from Bernie Magers. This is in reponse to the February 2003 article.
  • The Watson Collection
    Information and pictures of an important collection of early tubes now housed at the Smithsonian.
    • "Rocket" and Other Early Planar Tubes
      Decriptions and history of early commercial types.
    • Current Glass Receiving Tube Manufacturers
      A listing of manufacturers worldwide.
    • RCA Salesman's Report
      A 1956 report showing how salesmen operated in the field as well as some industry gossip.
     
    On The Cover: Five Western Electric 320A Triodes Under Test
    Volume 5, Number 4 - August, 2003
     
    • The Silica Valve
      A history and listing with characteristics of these unique British transmitting tubes .
  • A Last Word on the RCA "Dark"" Heater
    Continued discussion of this RCA heater. THis follows articles from February 2003 and June 2003.
    • Vacuum Tubes the Hard Way
      A reprint of a 1965 QST article about Sam Diaz Pumara, who made a wide range of his own tubes at home.
    • Some Magic Eyes
      A discussion of the common 6E5, a rare developmental 6E5 and the odd 6E5M and 6EM5 Japanese tuning eyes.
    • A Bit of Metal Tube History
      The development of metal tubes extracted from the RCA-Dowd archive.
     
    On The Cover: The NT57T Silica Valve
    Volume 5, Number 5 - October, 2003
    • TCA Board Meeting and Member Meeting Recaps
      Recaps of the August meetings at the Rochester AWA Conference.
  • Auction Report - Estes September 20, 2003
    Detailed report of this auction, including the LRS Relay tubes
    • The Western Electric 221A
      A detailed description with data of this rare WE type
    • RCA's TT-5A Transmitter and 8D21 Tube
      A historical and technical discussion of this transmitter and the unusual tube it used.
    • Fifty Years of Tube Repairing in Buenos Aires
      A history of the various companies set up by Jose Schiaffo to repair large tubes.
    • British Valve Nomenclature: Cossor
      A brief history of Cossor with a table of valve nomencature explanations.
    • New "DOD" Discoveries
      An expansion of information on DOD types first given in February 2002
    On The Cover: Two different LRS Relay tubes
    Volume 5, Number 6 - December, 2003
     
    • Computing Tubes - The First Digital Electronic Devices
      A comprehensive review of tubes designed specifically for computers.
  • Japanese Receiving Tubes - The Code
    An expanation of the numbering nomenclature of many receiving tubes made in Japan.
    • Early Radar Developments in Australia
      Early radar tube development in Australia with pictures of several early magnetrons and klystrons.
    • The Latest on Svetlana
      Real Svetlana tubes and pretenders to teh thrown.
    • More on Silica Valves
      Readers submit expanded information in response to the August 2003 article.
    • Western Electric Resistance Lamps
      A comprehensive listing of these collectible devices.
    On The Cover: A Marconi-OsramT.30 transmitting triode(L) next to an unidentified triode of WWI vintage
    Special Publication No. 5 - Summer 2003
    J. B. Johnson and the 224A CRT
    Dr. Johnson was a researcher at Western Electric and Bell Labs, responsible to a large to degree for development of the "modern" cathode-ray tube and for electronic oscillography in general. This 24 page booklet presents early photos of the 224A CRT from Johnson's personal holdings, and reproduces an elaborate Western Electric booklet on using the tube.
     
     
    Special Publication No. 6 - December 2003
    McCandless and the Audion, with Audio CD
    Henry McCandless was the lamp manufacturer in New York who produced the first audion tubes for Lee de Forest. This is a history of McCandless' products written by Gerald Tyne, with photos of tubes and equipment and related contemporary documents. The audio CD presents a digitally remastered interview of McCandless conducted by Tyne restored from the original magnetic paper tape.