Unfortunately, there is no easy way to do a passive test on that tube
Tim.
Short of building up a test jig with air flow, etc. the only other way is
to plug it in and try it. Probably NOT what you wanted to hear.
Many modern (1990 and later for example) 4-1000 Broadcast pulls are
really beat and are barely useable for AM service...much less ham use.
The problem is that the old way of changing tubes once a year is no
longer followed by most stations. Instead of an in-house engineer, they
contract out to a service company and any maintenence is usually on a
demand basis...not preventative.
Another problem is that those 1 and 2.5KW AM stations are upgrading to
SS as maintenence costs keep going up. With Eimac; Triton; Richardson;
etc constantly raising tube prices out of pure greed, there will be no
sources in a few years in this country.
73....Carl KM1H
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