clean sockets?

[Glen Zook]

Just curious as to why the 6146B?  Most Heath
equipment is much easier to neutralize with the 6146
or 6146A (or 8298 - not "A" version - and 6293) and,
depending on the exact transmitter (not exact model,
but actually different units even within the model)
some transmitters will not function properly at all.
Towards the last, when the 6146B was easier to obtain,
Heath used selective 6146B (not RCA, for example)
tubes because their normal suppliers were no longer
making the 6146/6146A/8298 tubes.

If you haven't looked at the article on the 6146
family of tubes you might want to take a look on
either of the websites that are at the end of this
message.  The article that was originally in Electric
Radio a couple of years ago and was reprinted several
months back by the Collins Collectors' Association is
posted on either site.

If the transmitter was designed for the much different
6146B then that is a completely different matter!
Those transmitters work fine with the 6146B tubes.

Anyway, was just curious as to why the 6146B.  I
really wish that RCA had not called the 6146B by that
nomenclature.  RCA originally said that the 6146B was
completely interchangable with the 6146 / 6146A and
had 33.33% more power.  Unfortunately, this was not
the case in many applications.  The 6146B tends to
"take off", is much harder to neutralize than the
earlier versions, has different bias requirements,
etc.

Collins had to redesign the neutralization circuitry
in the 32S-3 series transmitters and the KWM-2 series
transceivers to allow the military to use the 6146W
tubes that were made in late 1964 and after.
Otherwise, the neutralization circuitry "burned up" on
many transmitters.  Unfortunately, except for the
"date code", there is no other designation to tell if
a 6146W is the equivalent of the 6146/6146A or the
6146B.

Glen, K9STH


--- Stephen Tetorka <StephenTetorka at CS.COM> wrote:

Also...seeking a few 6GE5 & 6146B

=====
Glen, K9STH

Web sites

http://home.comcast.net/~k9sth
http://home.comcast.net/~zcomco

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