Have You Bought Your Last Tube?

Should you continue buying tubes or would you be better off with a new transmitter?

If you’re running an older tube transmitter, you might have had the thought: Should you continue buying tubes or would you be better off with a new transmitter? It’s a question that still faces many broadcast managers. Radio World’s September ebook explores the topic.

What factors should be weighed when making this important ROI decision? Are tube transmitters more rugged and forgiving? How much more efficient are solid-state designs? How do tube and solid-state compare in terms of failure modes, frequency agility and ongoing maintenance costs? What is the expected life of a tube today? And what else should engineers know about the costs of ongoing tube operation?

In two articles, longtime Radio World contributor Michael LeClair and Nautel’s Jeff Welton, winner of multiple engineering awards, took on this topic.

(Sponsored by Nautel)

“Have You Bought Your Last Tube?” from Radio World