"From Fleming to Fetrons"

2005 - TCA's Seventh Year

When you join the TCA you automatically get the current year's back issues! If you have questions, please contact TCA's editor, Lud Sibley: tubelore@jeffnet.org.

	Volume 7, Number 1 - February, 2005 DeForest's Numeric Code An explanation of those numbers stamped on mid and late 1920s deForest tubes. Undocumented Aliens - A New Look An update of a June 2002 article describing foreign tubes often sold by US companies, but not found in US tube manuals. Electron Tubes in Western Union Service A reprint of a 1948 articel describing the tubes in current use by Western Union and some design concerns of tubes for wire communication use. 6F6EG? 41E? 7J7E? Say What? A description of unusual"E"-suffixed receiving tubes designed for Philco export sets. The "Most Popular" Final Amp Tubes A tabulation of the most popular ham final tubes. More on "DOD" Tubes A complete listing of the "DOD" types with their applicable MIL spec. Cumulative Index On The Cover: Original deForest tube art of types 500 (L) and 504A (R)
	Volume 7, Number 2 - April, 2005 An RCA Gammatron? Pictures of an RCA developmental type used probably to test the use of "gamma" plates for control . Digital Glassware, Part 1: Cold Cathode Gas-Filled Counter Tubes A look at their development in Europe, characteristics, and circuits. Test Limits For Glass Power Triodes Internal RCA limits for some of their most popular communications tubes A New Way To Read Faded Tube IDs Use of short wave UV light to read faded tube numbers. AWV Radiotrons, ca. 1946 A tabulation of Australian Amalgamated Wireless Valve available receiving and transmitting types "813 is to 803 as 814 is to 804" A comparison of these RCA types reflecting their design relationships A Self Converging CRT A shadow-masked CRT from a Tektronix scope Completing the JIS Code Deciphering the meaning of post war Japanese receiving tube numbers On The Cover: Eimac X-4 developmental triode which lead to the type 527
	Volume 7, Number 3 - June, 2005 The 1AP5/P11, Offspring of the 913 ("sort of") Background on this unusual CRT from noted CRT historian Peter Keller. Philco and the PenDD61 A look at this unusual tube peculiar to late 1930s British Philco sets. Standard Electric Argentina A history of this Argentinian arm of Western Electric. Results - Boyer Estate Auction Results of the tube and ephemera auction from the estate of a former RCA engineer. Type Codes - Varian Tubes An explanation of Varian's alphabetic nomenclature. Date Codes for Bell Labs Tubes Bell Labs electron tube developmental department coding from 1936 to 1970. Marathon Tubes and Their Telegraphic Codes A Look at Hitachi Receiving Tubes A discussion of Hitachi's early 1960s line with a focus on types not usually encountered in US tube manuals 2005 Membership Directory On The Cover: Two parts of a four panel deForest promotional photo probably showing an early CF185 and a VT-21
	Volume 7, Number 4 - August, 2005 The AV Tubes: The List (So Far) An in-depth look with descriptions and data for these uniquely Australian types. Gas Tubes: What's in 'Em? A listing of RCA's fill gas mixtures for many common voltage regulators, trigger tubes, and thyratrons. Results - Aseltine Auction Results of the tube portion of the auction from the estate of long-time radio enthusiast Arthur Aseltine. RCA's Tubes, Plant-By-Plant A look through RCA standardizing notices at which plant made which military types. W.E. Radar Tubes - An Accounting Review A look at W.E. radar tube production through a 1944 Western Electric report to the War Contracts Price Adjustment Board. W.E. Water-Cooled Tubes A history of the development of water-cooled types at Western Electric. More on W.E. Water-Cooled Tubes Notes on the tube's characteristics and the equipment these tubes were used in. Later BTL Developmental Tubes A cross-reference of Bell Telephone Labs developmental numbers to commercial numbers spanning the 1940 to 1961 timeframe. On The Cover: William Housekeeper holding a developmental Western Electric water-cooled tube.
	Volume 7, Number 5 - October, 2005 OMEGA S.C.A. AND TUBELEC S.A A look at this Argentinian importer and manufacturer. Rochester Tube Auction Results Results of the tube auction at the 2005 AWA meet in Rochester, NY. Book Reviews The Valve Box by Fin Stewart; The Jackson 648 Complete Tube Tester Manual by Jim Cross. "Between The Halves" A reprint of an interesting 1930s letter/sales brochure from RCA to its dealers. TCA Board Meeting and Member Meeting Report Uncle Sam's Tube Manuals A listing of various tube manuals published by the US government. More Private-Numbered Tubes Additional listings of private part numbers and their commercial equivalents of Bendiz Friez, Bendix Eclipse Pioneer, Delco, Electronic Associates, and Honeywell/Minneapolis Honeywell. US Navy Tube Types, 1928 A snapshot in time of the Navy's tube usage. Another RCA Contact Report Report of the visit of an RCA salesman to Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth, NJ. The 6P6 A description of this odd power pentode registered in the US by the Amalgamated Wireless Co of Australia. Nomenclature for Glass Bulbs Proper short-hand letter designations for the different tube bulb shapes from an RCA standardizing notice. Tube Making in New Jersey - 1940 A listing of companies active in tube manufacture and related activities. On The Cover: A cutaway demonstration version of the RCA type 839
	Volume 7, Number 6 - December, 2005 Development of Planar Triodes at Eimac/Varian, Salt Lake City, 1966-87 The Dowd-RCA and Perham-Eimac Archives A description of the contents of these amazing manufacturing archives that are currently on loan to the TCA. Dating Raytheon Receiving Tubes A Raytheon tube date codes from the 1930s through the 1950s. Valves in the Argentine Market of the 1920s A compiled list of tubes available in Argentina in the 1920s and their origins based on period magazine advertizements. Digital Glassware II - Vacuum-Type Counter Tubes An in-depth discussion of these types, including the trochotron/Beram-X tube and Holloway counter tube. On The Cover: A pre-prototype leading to the Eimac 304T
	Special Publication No. 9 - February 2005 Origins of the Vacuum Tube - An October 1964 Talk by G.F.J. Tyne *Includes an audio CD In October 1964, noted collector-author Gerald Tyne [Saga of the Vacuum Tube] gave a talk on the history of the vacuum tube to a meeting of the Antique Wireless Association held at the New England Museum of Wireless and Steam. To illustrate the evolution of early tube technology, he brought a tableful of rare examples. His talk was tape recorded, and has now been carefully digitally restored on an audio CD. This booklet accompanies the audio CD, providing photos and background information to supplement the talk, with subjects arranged in the order of their appearance in the talk.
	Special Publication No. 10 - December 2005 Early Tube Development at GE In March 1929, two tube developers at the General Electric Company - Henry Schroeder at the lamp-and-tube plant at Harrison, NJ, and William C, White at the research laboratory in Schenectady, NY - wrote a history of tube development by their company up to that time. Under the tite "The Development by the General Electric Company of Radio Receiving Tubes," they also covered small transmitting types of WWI vintage. White, having been in charge of tube engineering, had ample opportunity to observe progress in the field. study was considered "confidential - not for publication purposes" at the time, but White much later reused tyext from it verbatim in his much larger 1955 internal book The Story of Electronics Development at the General Electric Company. The original manuscript was furnished by Bro. Patrick Dowd, long-time tube collector and historian. It lacked photos. We have added photos of most of the tubes discussed. The text mentions the Kenopliotron tube without elaborating on it, so an appendix was added to discuss this little-known device.