Happy Jack, SASS #20451 551 Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 Back in the 50's I came into possession of a small tube computer while downrange. It was more of a novelty than useful however. I remember it had a row of about 100 tubes across the top. Like most things over the years it eventually ended up in the dumpster about 40 years ago. It would probably be worth something now as an antique. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sedalia Dave 13,861 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 5 hours ago, Alpo said: I thought the earliest (and still the best) computers use synapses and neurons. Too many of them have faulty logic. For proof just examine anyone in government. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rev Willy Dunkum, SASS # 61027 35 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 I remember there were about 2-3 6GH8's in those old tv sets. RCA, Zenith, GE, Magnavox etc USAF trained me back in '76 for television equipment and radio communications. It was tail end of tubes and began the hybrid tube/solid state units. They had their own set of problems. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Subdeacon Joe 27,832 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 2 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said: Too many of them have faulty logic. For proof just examine anyone in government. It happens when they replace the neurons with morons. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
irish ike, SASS #43615 1,268 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 My stock 1955 Chevy has a vacuum tube AM radio in it. And it works. Turn it on and listen to the hummm as it warms up. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Major General Shagnasty 127 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 When my moms man friend John, passed and his son was selling off his treasures, he found boxes of raytheon tubes in the attic. You see John was a radio man in the Army and later a radio man in business. Allot of the tubes were new and some were used, but his son listed them on E-bay and they were all sold to some Japanese fellas. These sold for a staggering 25,000 US dollars. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Yul Lose 6,659 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 There was a lady woodworker that lived over in Oceanside and she had a small industrial building where she built vacuum tubes for some type of radar system used by a lot of middle eastern countries. I guess it is very specialized and when we went into Iraq in 2003 she was very happy because after we destroyed their radar they’d replace it with the same equipment with her tubes in it. Don’t know if she still builds them or not. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sedalia Dave 13,861 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 I have a tube that functions like a very very high voltage switch. it is about the size of a 2.5 gallon bucket, The leads are 8 ga wire. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sedalia Dave 13,861 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 3 hours ago, irish ike, SASS #43615 said: My stock 1955 Chevy has a vacuum tube AM radio in it. And it works. Turn it on and listen to the hummm as it warms up. Do you know why it hums? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Subdeacon Joe 27,832 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 12 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said: Do you know why it hums? It doesn't know the words. 1 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three Foot Johnson 2,619 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 (edited) Too late. Edited February 17 by Three Foot Johnson 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Subdeacon Joe 27,832 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 1 minute ago, Three Foot Johnson said: Too late. You must have been typing when I hit enter. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
irish ike, SASS #43615 1,268 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 1 hour ago, Sedalia Dave said: Do you know why it hums? Nope. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sedalia Dave 13,861 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 Inside there is a special tube that converts 6 or 12 VDC into AC. Then it feeds a transformer that steps up the low voltage up to the 2 to 3 hundred volts that the vacuum tubes required. History of obsolete car audio, part 1: Early radio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_audio#Radio Vibrator (electronic) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Muleshoe Bill SASS #67022 392 Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 An excellent thread ALPO. There is no short answer to the Q but I can tell you that with the huge number of tube type Transceivers and manufactures, it would be a shot in the dark being able to pull a tube from a tube TV and installing on a ham rig. Not impossible as long as the tube type was the same or an interchangeable replacement. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
largo casey #19191 223 Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 Theres a person locally who has a huge collection of things.Look under Tommy Bolack. Largo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Irish-Pat 387 Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 I had a friend that ran a SAM Anti-aircraft missile battery and shoot down US planes regularly. He said it was made up with vacuum tubes portable and easy to repair. His was at at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The markings on it were Russian, Egyptian, Hebrew and English and it had a few bullet holes. His job was to teach pilots to avoid radar! He said he learned to watch planes with binoculars and turn on the missile radar at the last minute. Col. Jack Pitchford, a Wild Weasel pilot and POW , our good friend always kidded he wished he had learned the lesson better before he went to Nam. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.