Zenith Chromacolor Hybrid 23DC14

[Jeffhs]

That lady was wise, IMHO, to have gotten rid of her old tube set and buying an SS set from you, as tube-type televisions, radios and such are passe for anyone other than collectors; moreover, her remark regarding "fire" in her TV's tubes (which we VK members know, of course, is the normal glow of the filament in any vacuum tube) is priceless. Just the kind of remark I would expect from a person outside our hobby.

However, vacuum tubes aren't the only things going for premium prices. About eight years ago, I bought a can of tuner cleaner (before I had even heard of Deoxit) at the local Radio Shack store--cost me $8 with tax. I hate to think what this sells for nowadays, if one can even find it anymore. As for tubes, about 25 years ago I bought a replacement 6146 output tube for an old Heathkit DX-40 ham radio transmitter. At that time (1985 or so) the tube cost me $17. Today, I hate to think of what the same tube (if it can be found anymore) would go for -- probably $30, $40 or even more. If a 6LF6 sells for over $80, I wouldn't be surprised if a new 6146 (again, if these tubes are even made anymore) is at least $70.

I'm glad all my ham gear and entertainment gear is solid state (I donated an old Kenwood ham transceiver, my second HF ham rig, to a ham radio club in New York City shortly after I moved here, and got rid of the rest of my tube powered equipment before I moved), as I don't know if I could afford new tubes today for the stuff I used to have -- once again if the tubes are still available. I've been getting replacements for the tubes in my vintage radios from John Kendall's Vintage Electronics in suburban Baltimore (www.vintage-electronics.com) and, while the tubes themselves are bargains (I never pay more than $5 for any tube I get from him; most are far less), the shipping charges from his warehouse to my home near Cleveland cancel whatever savings I would otherwise have realized, had I purchased the tube locally. I once purchased a 12AU6 from him; the tube itself was only $2.25, but the shipping charges were in the neighborhood of $8. The total was something over $10.