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Anybody run steel here in the base?

Master Chief said:
QRN said:
Tell me, how did they ever get to be called steel tubes anyway??

Oh that's easy......

Crazy_D said:
Or in non-11 meter terms......

I think you know where I'm going with this.

Now before anyone freaks out too much with some "elitist" crap, I feel the "steel tube" nomenclature has always made CB operators sound like fools. The CB radio community's acceptance of poor engineering practices and terms have made the hobby I love a laughing stock in the radio community. So please excuse me if I don't sit by without comment.

Have you ever noticed that the most respected people on this forum are the ones who speak intelligently? Justin, DTB, Nomad Radio, bob85, Kale, Paws, freecell, Moleculo, and to some degree, even myself are an example. Everyone of us a CB radio operator (and some of them even HAMS).

To be fair, there were a few tubes made of steel. I don't know anyone who is actually running one however. Crazy_D had it right when he said:

Crazy_D said:
......ceramic/metal power triodes or tetrodes

There, my RANT for the week! ;)


I prefer the term "tetrode with handles", thank you.

And yes, I run "steel" on the base. A steel enclosure surrounds my grid driven 4CX5000A.

--Toll_Free
 
I run an Ameritron AL800H - dual 3cx800A7's. Also sometimes run an old Pride DX 300 when I want less power than what the Ameritron puts out.
 
grid driven can i see a pic of the bottom of the tube socket.I think you may be fibbing.Dont you know 44 in the desert.

I have a grid driven tetrode and know whatthey are all about.I have yet to see another setup on 11 meters.
 
How about a simple yes to the metal ceramic triode. When did this site become not fun , seems like every one just want to butt heads. The original question was pushed aside by all the details of the technical world , You all know what he meant so lighten up a bit.
 
How about a simple yes to the metal ceramic triode. When did this site become not fun , seems like every one just want to butt heads. The original question was pushed aside by all the details of the technical world , You all know what he meant so lighten up a bit.

I agree, even the 3cx1000 video thread here has 12+ pages of a pissing contest arguing over semantics, peak, peak to peak blah blah blah.

folks need to give it a rest sometimes.
just sometimes.

On the other hand, The forum owners could set the whole mess of cb amp questions aside if they just offered an export amps section instead of letting it get the ham amplifiers section clogged with obviously NON-AMATEUR related questions. I dont think there are a dozen threads in this section that are for legitimate ham use.
 
How about a simple yes to the metal ceramic triode. When did this site become not fun , seems like every one just want to butt heads. The original question was pushed aside by all the details of the technical world , You all know what he meant so lighten up a bit.

The problem is many hams think the ticket came with some superiority complex that automatically puts a division between them and CBers. This is not all inclusive because there are hams that are "CB friendly" and this site has several. While some view what takes place for example on the "bowl" as below them, the reality is they have never experienced the thrill of the fight before.

The typical car driver doesn't take his Honda to the track to race it either. "Radio races" can be incredibly addictive but have no place on ham bands. When your big block is a "steel tube" and your track is the bowl, the CB bug has bit. Then there is the difference in atmosphere between the bands. To some flipping the band switch from 80 to 11 feels like coming home from the office and kicking off the shoes, jacket and tie.

When it comes to the thought that all hams automatically have higher technical skills then all CBers, reconsider that idea. I've met lots of hams that will sit behind a rig with a blown out meter bulb for years because they won't bust out the soldering iron. I've met plenty of CBers that maintained every aspect of a multi kilowatt station single-handedly. Of course the skill levels would vary widely from dangerous to not half bad. Too make a long story short, if we know more then someone else and are urged to post about it, we should make sure our intention is to educate rather then belittle.

Now an answer to the questions. YES! Lots of people run large external anode (steel) tubes in the base. They have been on 27.025 since at least the 1980's. More so now with lots of surplus and Russian tubes available today. The layout is simpler with one tube versus a bunch of glass bowling pins lined up. Those 3-500ZG's are nice if you only need the power of one or the durability of two. Beyond that and you should be using a bigger tube.
 
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The problem is many hams think the ticket came with some superiority complex that automatically puts a division between them and CBers.
I couldn't agree more. A good CB'er can be better and know more than a cheap HAM. But in a lot of cases, the HAM looks down their nose at a CBer, offending anybody who actually wants to learn and progress, turning them off in essence.

I mean, lets get real ............ why does a HAM need a 3cx3000? ............ for "headroom"?, to "loaf along"? LOL, give me a break, the same shit that happens on CB, happens on the HAM bands. The "jargon" is the only difference.
 
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But in a lot of cases, the HAM looks down their nose at a CBer, offending anybody who actually wants to learn and progress, turning them off in essence.
Both have grown, or evolved I guess would be a good term.
Amateur Radio has moved from a service that, at one time, the Majority of user`s were known for building there own Equipment from scratch to learning how to interconnect complex communication methods that include wireless, land based, satellite communications, digital and internet technology`s, All the while not understanding how some basic radio principles work... commonly know as "appliance operators" by some.
CB Hobbyist`s seem to have moved the opposite direction where the first thing a lot of guys want to do is grab a book and tear the radio apart to see what makes it tick, and how can it be improved.
And in-between these are every one else that have an interest in one hobby or another or both.
Moleculo, The Admins, and Moderators here try to allow open exchange, and have worked hard over the years to bridge the gap between The Amateur Radio Community and CB Radio Hobbyist and allow the free flow of information both ways.

73
Jeff
 
Moleculo, The Admins, and Moderators here try to allow open exchange, and have worked hard over the years to bridge the gap between The Amateur Radio Community and CB Radio Hobbyist and allow the free flow of information both ways.

73
Jeff
Based on my message board experience, I'd say that it has worked.
 
I couldn't agree more. A good CB'er

I mean, lets get real ............ why does a HAM need a 3cx3000? ............ for "headroom"?, to "loaf along"? LOL, give me a break, the same shit that happens on CB, happens on the HAM bands. The "jargon" is the only difference.

A Ham needs a 3cx3000 (like a henry 8k ultra) to "loaf along and have great headroom" for sure, and can be used as a hand or room warmer. example: back when i first posted this thread, I had a 3cx3000 "spare" amp that i got a killer deal on that I never really used on the air. In the winter time, I ran the 3000 into a large oil-filled heatsinked Bird coaxial resistor and between the exhaust of the amp and the heat coming from the dummy load I was able to raise the temps up around 15-20 degrees in a room, so I ran it in my basement as a periodic room warmer in my shop and it worked great.
 

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