"History - Preservation - Application"

 2009 - TCA's Eleventh 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 11, Number 1 - February, 2009
  • More on the Tune-a-lite
    More information on the early tuning indicator.
  • Electronic Tubes In Wire Telegraphy
    A reprint from Electronics, March 1943.
  • A Stereophonic Sound Transmission System
    A reprint from the Radio Service-Dealer, Dec 1940.
  • Weird Tube(s) of the Month - The HI-PO 567; the Brach Vacuum Arrester
    Sheldon's premium TV tube and a vacuum lightning protector.
    • The New Philips Rectaugular Picture Tubes (A 1954 View)
      The development of rectangular all-glass picture tubes.
    • Four Related California Tube Makers
      A discussion of the National Radio Tube Company, Lewis Electronics, Lewis & Kaufman and Marshall Electronics.
    • National Radio Tube Co. Catalogue
      A reproduction of the National Catalog. Transmitting Tubes and Reconditioning SERVICE for HAMS & BROADCAST STATIONS.
    • 1999 to 2008 Cumulative Index
    On The Cover: An illustration from an RCA dealer-promotion brochure of ca. 1926, "rolling out" a new symbol for RCA tubes, the "Radiotron Man".

    Volume 11, Number 2 - April, 2009
    • Glassblowing for Long-Distance Telephony
      The High-Vacuum Tubes of Siemens & Halske, 1921-1926
    • Importadora Electronica
      An Argentine company with more than fifty years of buying and selling electron tubes.
    • A Survey of Tube Popularity in Oldie Radios
      The results of a search of two data bases used for the identification of different chassis and their tubes.
  • More on NRTC Tubes
    A continuation of the article on the National Radio Tube Co. from the last issue.
    • New DVD: CV Tubes
      Electronic Valve Specifications for CV Valves
    • Commemorating Floyd Lyons
      A discussion of the collecting career of Floyd Lyons
    • Can Radio Tubes Be Sold Abroad?
      S. E. Laszlo, Electronics March, 1932
    • The End of the 18
      A tube designed for use on DC mains is discontinued in 1953
    On The Cover: Tube-and-bulb collector Floyd Lyons pays a visit to John Stockes, his New Zealand counterpart, in 1967.

    Volume 11, Number 3 - June, 2009
    • Review - Making Silicon Valley
      Book Review covering the innovation and the growth of high tech, 1930-1970
    • Obscure Tube Companies - ICE
      A history of the Industrial & Commercial Electronics Company of Belmont, CA.
    • The Thermionic Age in Brazil - 1920 - 70
      A history of tube development and manufacture in Brazil.
  • A "Watts Per Dollar" Survey
    A booklet showing a comparison of the best buys in tubes for power output.
    • An Incomplete Look at Russian/Soviet Tube History
      A history of tube development from the days of the Czar to modern times.
    • Russian Subminiature Tubes
      A discussion of the construction details of subminiature Russian tubes.
    • Wierd Tube(s) of the month: Two High-Voltage Regulators
      A discussion of the Multi-tron Laboratory and Linsdale L4001C regulator tubes.
    • Boonton: "Selection - Crazy"
      Selected tubes for use in test equipment
    On The Cover: The RCA "Selling Fool" doll ca. 1926.

    Volume 11, Number 4 - August, 2009
    • Review - Where Discovery Sparks Imagination
      A pictorial history of radio and electricity
    • Review - British Radio Valves - The Classic Years: 1926 - 1946
      This is a follow-on to the author's 1999 British Radio Valves: The vintage years: 1904 - 1925.
    • Philips Argentina
      A history of tube manufacture by Philips in Argentina.
  • The "National" Six-Pin Base
    The National Company developed a 6 pin base of odd dimensions for use in plug-in coils.
    • The "First" Transistor amateur Gear
      The Bell Labs internal memorandum on early amateur-radio developments.
    • Transmitting Tube Checker
      A 1949 idea for testing medium-sized power tubes.
    • Another Eimac Wannabe
      An add for Sheldon transmitting tubes from 1940.
    • De Forest in History
      A biography review of the life of Lee De Forest.
    • Harry Roome, Junior Salesman
      A high school sutdent who tried to market a private-branding of the Audiotron.
    On The Cover: The mount drawing for the "single-plate" 2A3 audio triode with its 20 filaments.

    Volume 11, Number 5 - October, 2009
    • Review - Radio Valve Data, 1926-1946
      Supplement to British Radio Valves - The Classic Years
    • Review - A Radio Patent Chronology
      A year by year chronology of radio related patents.
    • Announcing: vintageTEK.org
      A new virtual and real Tektronics museum.
  • The Demise of AWA
    The recent turmoil within the AWA.
    • Reader Report - The Fence Charger
      The use of a CR300 gas diode as a fence charger trigger.
    • Sperry Klystrons - Sales Report
      Sales data for the period January 1940 through December 1944.
    • Contemporary Tube Manufacture: KR Audio Electronics
      A history of the KR Audio Electronics from the Czech Republic.
    • Sylvania "House-Numbered" CRTs, Part 1
      A collation of custom CRT's during the 1950s and 1960s.
    • "Perfect Radio Tubes"
      A Radio and Short Wave Treatise from 1934 dealing with "tube seconds".
    • Weird Tube of the Month
      The Wamoscope. A new microwave display device.
    • Rebuilding Picture Tubes
      The Michigan Antique Radio Club Chronicle, Summer 2009.
    • Tube Troubles in TV Receivers
      Photofact Index, Nov. - Dec. 1952
    • A Four-Electrode Tube and Circuit
      A 1927 review of the uses of tetrode tubes.
    On The Cover: Hisashi Ohtsuka enjoying his 2009 Schrader Award plaque with Dr. Yukawa, museum director of the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo.
    Volume 11, Number 6 - December, 2009
    • Tubes for Early Proximity Fuzes
      A discussion of the use of some of the first sub-miniture tubes for use in proximity fuses for explosive projectiles.
    • The SN-856-F
      A discussion of the research to find the characteristics of the sub-miniture thyratron.
    • RCA's "HB"s
      A discussion of the development and uses of the RCA Electron Tube Handbook, HB-3.
  • REVIEW - HB-3 Handbook on CD-ROM
    A new version of HB-3 is now available that covers many more tube types that previous versions.
    • Home-Made Vacuum Tubes
      The work of Dr. Rudiger Walz in Germany.
    • STC "Western Electric" Tubes
      Numbering system for STC produced tubes of WE origin.
    • The International Standard Electric Corporation
      A history of the corporation.
    On The Cover: Some thermionic jollity for the season courtesy of Bengt Svensson.
    Special Publication No. 16 - February 2009
    RCA TT-2
    This is a reproduction of the RCA TT-2 from 1934. Water-cooled TRANSMITTING TUBES and CERTAIN AIR-COOLED TUBES used in TRANSMITTING EQUIPMENT.
     
    Special Publication No. 17 - June 2009
    Mid-Year Review Meeting
    July 16, 1959
    EITEL-McCullough, INC.
    This is a reproduction of the report of the 1959 all-management meeting of EIMAC.