[BC] How would you build it?

[robertm]

Three months, makes my point. I could get up to nine months out of them but 833s could run for years and without massive forced air. Triodes make for a simple and more stable design. 4-400s were a symbol of the 60s mentality when we started making things cheaper and not better like the flimsy soulless skyscrapers of that era that blight Manhattan. 

I was taught when I started in this business that Gates was junk and only stations that couldn't really afford to be on the air bought their stuff. These were small markets but were either Collins or RCA.  One town of 1500 had two stations and one was RCA, the other Collins.  All that said, despite my trained prejudice, I always though Gates was smart to stick with the 833 design. 

I also agree with those who have positive comments about the RA1000. 


> On Jul 31, 2014, at 3:26 PM, James Potter <jpotter at jpotter.com> wrote:
> 
> How so? What mistake?  The RCA BTA-1X series used them as P-P Class B modulators and Class C finals.  They were cheap and plentiful, and took a good beating with heavy modulation -- until holes burned into the bright orange plates using heavy Rock-n-Roll audio.  That tube was a rock in my estimation.  At that time (late 1960s) 833s were becoming scarce and expensive, but the Eimac 4-400 was a bargain. One of my stations used to buy them by the gross just to have them on-hand at a discount.  They'd last about three months