MODULATOR SEEKER 8417 TUBE

[n9nrm]

That looks like a Black Cat modulator.
If I remember right those were made by a company called Wawasee Electronics in Syracuse, In.
If it is not then maybe it is a real good copy of a Black Cat Modulator.

It is a Black Cat JB-150 modulator They bought a lot of surplus meters for their products with the seeker name on them. That is how some of their JB-12's & JB-150's come to have a "SEEKER" meter on them.

 

[n9nrm]

The better question is why were so many of them sold without triple pole relays? That forced the tube to stay biased on continuously and killed many before their time. I've also found out Svetlana is making a new 6550 tube sold in the states for about $25. It has the same pinout as the 8417 and a plate dissipation of 42 watts. Seems like a good economical replacement.

When times were getting tuff and parts harder to find at a good price Wawasee electronics bought what they could get and adapted their designs to work with that to keep making products to sell.

 

[AudioShockwav]

It is actually a seeker and they are exact clones of Black cats

No they are not, that is the brand of the meter, not the Amp.
I had a couple of them back in the day.
Black cat would buy lots of parts, and when they ran low would buy more, based on price.
The " seeker meters" were simply the lowest cost meter during that run.
Still the same amp.

73
Jeff

 

[The20poundhammer]

I have a JB 150 I bought new back in 1978. They have great audio output for what they are. We used to use them to get our dead key down to drive a lot of old style tube amps.