The older military tubes are wonderful - you can usually spot them because they're labelled "JAN," or Joint Army/Navy. These were used in aircraft, ships and submarines. They're meant for heavy duty applications, not simply sitting on a shelf in a living room.
If you want a terrific testimonial for the durability of tubes, read one of my favorite books: "Kon-Tiki," by Thor Heyerdahl. Heyerdahl is one of my heroes. He supposed that the Pacific Islands were inhabited by people sailing rafts from South America. So in 1947 he actually built a stone-age raft and freakin' sailed it from South America over to the Pacific Islands with a group of fellow explorers. Talk about a pair of juevos.
The account of the Kon-Tiki journey is as good of an adventure book as anything I've read. A little slow as they build the Kon-Tiki, but once they hit the seas, you won't be able to put the book down. Well-written, exciting, and it actually happened. Not to ruin the fun, but it has a happy ending, too. One of my all-time favorite books - pick up a cheap paperback version for $5 and enjoy it.
Heyerdahl did make some modern concessions on the raft. One of those is a National NC-173 communications receiver. That thing was completely abused on the voyage. And it held up. When you read about how they drained the seawater and dried it out, you'll turn into a Tube Believer. Not to mention becoming an advocate of point-to-point wiring. I'm mostly done with collecting radios, but intend to pick up a NC-173 one of these days since I'm such a Kon-Tiki fan.
Anyhow, considering that JAN tubes survived air and sea combat and all sorts of tough situations, you can't help but become a fan of tubes. Same reason I like the 6C33C tubes in the Zana Deux. Those were originally for MiG-25 radar systems. You better believe they hold up when run in a stereo system at 10% of what they're rated for. Craig says they're good for five years of use. I have a solid three and they're running strong. I haven't seen a 6C33C failure in the Zana Deux threads so far. I figure five years is the low end of the lifespan for them.
At the risk of derailing this thread, go find a copy of "Kon-Tiki." One of the truly great adventure books and a lesson in how tough tubes really are.
If you want a terrific testimonial for the durability of tubes, read one of my favorite books: "Kon-Tiki," by Thor Heyerdahl. Heyerdahl is one of my heroes. He supposed that the Pacific Islands were inhabited by people sailing rafts from South America. So in 1947 he actually built a stone-age raft and freakin' sailed it from South America over to the Pacific Islands with a group of fellow explorers. Talk about a pair of juevos.
The account of the Kon-Tiki journey is as good of an adventure book as anything I've read. A little slow as they build the Kon-Tiki, but once they hit the seas, you won't be able to put the book down. Well-written, exciting, and it actually happened. Not to ruin the fun, but it has a happy ending, too. One of my all-time favorite books - pick up a cheap paperback version for $5 and enjoy it.
Heyerdahl did make some modern concessions on the raft. One of those is a National NC-173 communications receiver. That thing was completely abused on the voyage. And it held up. When you read about how they drained the seawater and dried it out, you'll turn into a Tube Believer. Not to mention becoming an advocate of point-to-point wiring. I'm mostly done with collecting radios, but intend to pick up a NC-173 one of these days since I'm such a Kon-Tiki fan.
Anyhow, considering that JAN tubes survived air and sea combat and all sorts of tough situations, you can't help but become a fan of tubes. Same reason I like the 6C33C tubes in the Zana Deux. Those were originally for MiG-25 radar systems. You better believe they hold up when run in a stereo system at 10% of what they're rated for. Craig says they're good for five years of use. I have a solid three and they're running strong. I haven't seen a 6C33C failure in the Zana Deux threads so far. I figure five years is the low end of the lifespan for them.
At the risk of derailing this thread, go find a copy of "Kon-Tiki." One of the truly great adventure books and a lesson in how tough tubes really are.
