Re: Largest VTTC?

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Jim Lux" <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net> 

  > -------------------------------------------------
 >  > Mike Poulton
 >
 > OK and that approach makes sense.  If you can get or make a suitable
 > filament transformer then, to a large extent, in the LF service
 > considered here tubes are interchangeable, perhaps with a change in
 > feedback or bias.  I wonder if there are used "spares" kicking around
 > some of the local BC stations which might be liberated reasonably?
 >
 > Ed
 >

I would think that most of the AM stations running a couple or few kilowatt
kinds of power have probably gone to solid state, although, you never know.
I've got some friends at work who used to be station engineers and would
probably know.

If one could find a way to locate people who have induction furnaces, or
older model plastic sealers that use RF being replaced, that might be a
better way.  At my previous place of employment, the owner bought a pile of
junk at an auction, one thing was this terrifying looking device that had a
giant triode in it (with cloth insulation on the wiring, mind you) that was
used to seal plastic tarps for making trampolines.  The "RF ON indicator"
was a neon sign tube (no electrodes) about 2 feet long right above the
handles of the clamp.   Other industries using high power RF might be
thawing frozen food (although they tend to go higher in frequency) and
drying wood or curing glue in plywood.  As RF safety rules cause them to
replace their old archaic gear (at least that which isn't sold on ebay or
shipped to third world countries with no OSHA), they might be more than
willing to give it away or sell it to someone very, very cheap (especially
things like spare parts... a manufacturing facility can't afford down time,
so they tend to stock at least one spare of critical things, like power grid
tubes.. yes a few kilobucks is expensive, but not in the context of a $100K
machine, or a million dollar production line.)