'Dead' valves resurrected amid HDTV craze

IF YOU'D have said the words 'vacuum tube' or 'valve', to me before yesterday, I would have thought immediately about my father's audio systems in the late '70s when I was a kid. But at a TV/Radio equipment show, I found that valves are very much still alive and in use today.

CAPER is a yearly show down here, dedicated to the broadcast industry and its equipment suppliers. Attendance includes technicians working on radio and TV, station owners, and the small business who provider services them. For this reason, and perhaps because the organizers are a bit uptight and a little paranoid, or both, the general public is barred from the exhibition, you must prove that you work on broadcasters, companies associated with them, or the media. Luckily I was carrying my press card so I managed to sneak in.

Stack of vacuum tubes, of the kind commonly used on RF transmitters

In this year edition, the theme could well have been "HDTV craze" due to the impending switch to a new HDTV standard -which standard is still up in the air-. Since it was a TV/CATV/Radio oriented show, you could find from simple booths showcasing every conceivable microphone from renewed firm Shure, to HDTV cameras from giants Panasonic and Sony each trying to peddle its goods to air TV and cable TV conglomerates.

A HDTV, DVB-T transmission rack. Want to build your own HDTV station?
I bet there are no vacuum tubes in this one...

But there were some surprises, like a company showcasing, right next to a DVB-T transmission rack equipment made in Italy... vacuum tubes -also known as valves outside the U.S.-, both new and refurbished. The latter done by the local firm, although they call it a "reconstruction" service, that turns dead valves into new ones, leaving the shell and "rebuilding" everything inside.

Another view of DVB-T transmission rack sold by the same firm doing vacuum tubes reconstruction.
So Italy is not just about Pizza anymore? ;)

The firm dubbed "Full Service 24" has a web site over here. I spoke with Esteban Camihort at the company's booth at CAPER and he said that while it's not the main source of income, the "vacuum tube resurrection" is a very successful venture, which allows plenty of radio transmitters to continue operating even in this day and age. He said that while some valves are now hard to find or expensive to purchase, a "reconstructed" valve has roughly the same life span than a new one, and the rebuilding process costs 50 per cent less than buying a new part.

Close-up of a "rebuilt valve" -or vacuum tube-

So, now you know... if you thought the age of the vacuum tube was long gone, think again. It seems that in the world of RF transmission, ancient valves are still around and kicking. And when the tubes don't kick any more, one can successfully bring those back to life. Shocker.µ

Related L'INQS
Lee de Forest, father of the radio vacuum tube
Vacuum Tubes - Wikipedia
913 Emerson Street in Palo Alto, California "birthplace of electronics"
Basic introduction to Vacuum Tubes
The Rejuvenation of Vacuum Tubes