Semiconductors

Regarding valve (tube) based vs semiconductor based equipment.

1. Tubes, like light bulbs are fragile and burn out in a very short time under normal use relative to semiconductor devices.
2. Modern semiconductors used in transceiver service are much more tolerant of overload than just a few years ago.
3. Tubes are much more easily damaged by vibration and shock than are solid state devices.
4. If we are going to have computers or any of the other modern electronic devices, we will have to provide EMP protection for them anyway. Why not include modern solid state radio equipment in these protected enclosures?
5. There are solid state devices used in the sensitive front end stages of transceivers that can easily withstand nuclear EMP. They've been in military radios for 20 years.
6. If you really want a good transceiver that can withstand EMP and shock, buy a military transceiver; they aren't hard to find new from the manufacture or at surplus outlets.

No tubes for me, except for very high power amplifier transmitter applications; and I'll scrounge radio and TV stations to find um.

Offered by Ron.