Love your videos,BBI. Makes me want to cry we here in the USA do not make tubes like this anymore! We hardly make anything any more . We import to much stuff, president#45 trued to change that unsuccessfully! Chow JohnBoyUtah KJ7TBR 🇺🇸😎🎙📡
very GREAT VIDEO. I have had good luck with RF parts warranty however, Penta Labs has really improved and over taken RF parts. Glad you took the time to explain this. Very important to the ham community. Nice to be able to get new tubes like the old Eimacs
Hello Mr. Luke: ALWAYS a pleasure to see you & your videos. Please enjoy your weekend & as always my best to you and your family, TMP, Unit 22 from N.J.
Lots of food for thought. So much that I have to get a new hat....my head is getting fat. Great Video. Been a Penta fan for almost ever. Excellent customer support and excellent products. I even bought three 3cx800A7's for my Amp Supply LK800 NT. Yeah...big bucks for just the tubes but look at the price of a new Ameritron AL1500......almost $7K. The price of solid state amps also are getting stratospheric. I run most of the time my Heathkit SB220 with the Peter Dahl transformer and all the Harbach mods with correctly grounded grids. 1500 watts on all bands....but I run 1200 using CW setting 90% of the time. The LK800 is for 160 meters and for when I get lazy and don't want to hook up the Heathkit. Tube amps are still a useful device which works for the most part. Mr. BBI is a great guy. Talked to him on the phone and he is a fountain of knowledge.
I haven't been much into amps, bit I'm glad I watched this video. I've worked at a parts warehouse for almost nine years and have seen how some packages both large and small have arrived. It seems that carriers and or their drivers don't really seem to care about how some things arrive. Not all, but an increased amount. Therefore, the sellers need to package better. If I need tubes, I will likely be using penta.
What does penta say about running the 3cx 1500A7/8877 in an Ameritron Al - 1500 amplifier at its rated voltage? Does that void the tube warranty? Grid is always low, and always on a resonant antenna at its resonant frequency. Never over 100 watts drive, usually 60 watts drive. Amp built in 1998... K4WJM BILL ps. I also 'getter" all tubes.
😶WOW😗🎶🎵🎶Nice! Absolutely that should be capitalized on! And I’m not Just Sayin 😏 The only thing I see are a few bubbles in the glass. That really shouldn’t affect too much of anything. Got to say Penta from the sounds? Best thing since sliced bread! Thank you Mr. BBI👍🏻
keep it rolling bro ,your amp repair guy has also had a lot of good thing to say about this company,bravo my sb220 has a new set of tubes in the near future
Nice. I sourced the 3x and 4cx tubes on the ground in China, 10 years ago. The factories had deals with RF PARTS pretty much that would not sell the tubes to us. Glad to see another entity now able to get the Mfrs in China to do business.
Nice ! I do not see tubes going away. many NEW amps have tubes in them. In my word I also use the 811A /572/B as the 6146B and the audio tubes as well like KT88 6BQ5 12AX7B ETC. and the 5AR4 Penta still has a bunch of them . My personal stuff has RUSSIA tubes . I had a lot of amps come threw with 811A /572/B Penta has great ones. was wondering what more tubes will be made in future ? both RF and AUDIO tubes. 73's
Penta sells most of the Hospitals Xray etc machines with the tubes they need to function. This is how they stay in business. I have spoken with them and the 811H tubes that my amp has are made in China but are over watched by Penta people and inspected and when they get to the US are inspected and fired up to test before sold. I love them.
Nicely done video as always. Still think tubes have gone ridiculously high priced. I can buy a good lawn tractor for what 2 3cx800a7's cost. Hell I remember when GI7's were 10 bucks a piece with the heat sink. Oh well. Guess I have to have a rainy day fund for my AL-800H. Best to ya!
I can't wait to see see these in action then I will most likely order a pair and depending on how these test out I may even run these instead of my Eimac 3 500Z,s🙂
Yeah Jt you are correct! BBI is late on this news, Amp Repair Guy been shouting praise to this company for years! Just as another commenter mentioned they have been around a long time.
I see they have 2 different listing for the 800’s one is $1799.00 and the other is $899.00 not sure if I missed something there or what, also they show all the old favorites “coming soon” 3000’s 6000’s 10000’s 15000’s plus a few I had not seen before being 2500’s and 4500’s (meaning rarely used in our hobby)…..good stuff hopefully we can get people buying from them so we can keep the game alive for as long as possible!
Musicians use tubes in our guitar amps and other gear. Still no substitute. The price of the 3 500 Z at Penta Labs seems quite reasonable considering how long they should last in a common amp like an SB 220. Audio tubes have a pretty short life in comparison.
BB I thank you for diving back into the old school and keep them tubes alive for some of us Old-Timers I appreciate what you're doing I know there's a lot of us out there that also do so thanks for thinking about the old-timers and I look forward to more your videos
Just a couple of observations, The packaging is very very good on the penta I personally have never had a bad tube from RF, but people should check for dead shorts before popping them in anyway. If not, shouldn't be messing with tubes in the 1st place. The solder could have been over run during production and reworked with a final grind? A factory tour would tell more. Penta and RF BOTH say made in China right on the tube Same price 3-500's Penta warranty pro rated Rf warranty pro rated
Glad I found this video! This is what I call RF Power Porn. I came very close to buying the 500 watt amp from SGC years ago to go with my SGC2020, glad I did not! It came to light that they could no longer source the pills used in this fine amp. Net result, top dollar amp with zilch value if parts are NLA. GLAD that Hollow State is still there, some day……..
With PL (so far) looking like they have around the same or better quality, cost and such than CPI/Eimac. I wonder if this will be the downfall of sales for smaller Eimac tubes like the 250B and such.
The tubes in the video say made in China at the very bottom of them. That's doesn't necessarily mean anything. If Penta has a robust QC program that rejects the ones not up to their spec (this adds cost to any manufacturer) these tubes can be as good as or better than anything else you can get. I think this is the new reality and the days of Made in USA are further away than closer. But, if you want to keep your gear running, it could be a good option. Only thing missing on this video was a head to head comparison of the tubes running and compared against other ones. I'm sure it'll be coming.
$2700 + tax and shipping for 3-3cx800a7's. Still well worth the cost from Penta. Running an LK800 that uses 3 3cx800's. The three tubes were the same price that I paid for the amp with original Eimac's. I rotate them with the Penta tubes. Should last for the rest of my life.
But the tube is a dying garanimal, the future is sadly with the LDMOS 50VDC devices. I soon see there will be a viable market for bias drive transmitter output antenuators and digitally servo controlled bias LDMOS devices. The biggest issue is getting your diver radio down to the 2.5 watts that a BIFLR likes to operate at IMO. BIFLR devices can run a dead short welder with enough liquid cooling. Those guys (you know who) have mastered the art of servo bias on the BIFLR MOSFETS and have yet to produce a servo bias viable pallet they can market successfully. All the love and no dis Luke, RJA. The 3cx1500a7 will be rebuilt for at least the next 20 years as they are used in all the major cat scan machines.
stop comparing their packaging. Yes, one comes in a shitty box, the other in nice big box. You are an amp technician. Compare them in the same amp. Test them, brutalize them. That's what counts, not their boxes.
I think it's hilarious is that you feel that you can tell me what to do. Like I said in the video those tests are coming and I appreciate your patience. I appreciate the view have a good day.
I am impressed, I have bought a pair from DX engineering in Ohio and picked them up in person, they were packaged like that but they don't have any writing on the tube, but they have proven that they are well made, even though they are from China, your tube supplier is better,
i BOUGHT 2 OF THOSE TUBES ABOUT A YEAR AGO FOR MY HENRY THEY ARE NICE TUBES, BUT I HATE TO BREAK IT TO YOU BUT THE OLD VERISON TUBE HAS MORE OUTPUT, PENTA MUST BE GIVING YOU SOME TO ADVERTISE THEM.
man I see we have a few douche bags leaving comments on here know wonder the comments are turned off most of the time know it alls are like a hole we all have one awesome video BBI as always!!!!!!
Love your videos,BBI. Makes me want to cry we here in the USA do not make tubes like this anymore! We hardly make anything any more . We import to much stuff, president#45 trued to change that unsuccessfully! Chow JohnBoyUtah KJ7TBR 🇺🇸😎🎙📡
I have one Penta and a Taylor from RFP..love the hobby and glad you put this out for us radio enthusiast..
Amazing Quality
I love PENTA they are great to deal with, customer service is AWSOME! I use them in everything I can when replacing tubes.
I am excited, to see more of this Penta-Labs Tubes.
73 Martin
You got it
very GREAT VIDEO. I have had good luck with RF parts warranty however, Penta Labs has really improved and over taken RF parts. Glad you took the time to explain this. Very important to the ham community. Nice to be able to get new tubes like the old Eimacs
Penta has been around as long as i can remember and i'm old..
they sure have been i'm happy to be working with them...
Hello Mr. Luke: ALWAYS a pleasure to see you & your videos. Please enjoy your weekend & as always my best to you and your family, TMP, Unit 22 from N.J.
Lots of food for thought. So much that I have to get a new hat....my head is getting fat.
Great Video. Been a Penta fan for almost ever. Excellent customer support and excellent products. I even bought three 3cx800A7's for my Amp Supply LK800 NT. Yeah...big bucks for just the tubes but look at the price of a new Ameritron AL1500......almost $7K. The price of solid state amps also are getting stratospheric. I run most of the time my Heathkit SB220 with the Peter Dahl transformer and all the Harbach mods with correctly grounded grids. 1500 watts on all bands....but I run 1200 using CW setting 90% of the time. The LK800 is for 160 meters and for when I get lazy and don't want to hook up the Heathkit. Tube amps are still a useful device which works for the most part.
Mr. BBI is a great guy. Talked to him on the phone and he is a fountain of knowledge.
I love this,,my kind of thinking.
I think I know where I'm buying my new set of tubes from. Thanks for sharing Luke
I haven't been much into amps, bit I'm glad I watched this video.
I've worked at a parts warehouse for almost nine years and have seen how some packages both large and small have arrived. It seems that carriers and or their drivers don't really seem to care about how some things arrive. Not all, but an increased amount. Therefore, the sellers need to package better.
If I need tubes, I will likely be using penta.
Awesome video, looking forward to seeing how all this pans out. 😁 WAVING from my diesel wagon...
Should spare tubes such as 3C1500A7 and 3CX800 be degas before use and what is the procedure. How often should you rotate your spares?
3/16th drill 376rpm no faster use cutting oil and don't let the tip get hot. Let stand for atleast 73hrs.
Well done Mr. BBI, and I look forward when you visit their lab and do some interviews................
Awesome packing!
What does penta say about running the 3cx 1500A7/8877 in an Ameritron Al - 1500 amplifier at its rated voltage? Does that void the tube warranty?
Grid is always low, and always on a resonant antenna at its resonant frequency. Never over 100 watts drive, usually 60 watts drive. Amp built in 1998...
K4WJM BILL
ps. I also 'getter" all tubes.
😶WOW😗🎶🎵🎶Nice! Absolutely that should be capitalized on! And I’m not Just Sayin 😏 The only thing I see are a few bubbles in the glass. That really shouldn’t affect too much of anything. Got to say Penta from the sounds? Best thing since sliced bread! Thank you Mr. BBI👍🏻
Switched to Penta's 4 years ago, great tubes.
Ó melhor dê todos os tempos Babi Bazuka Foz do Iguaçu PR Brasil 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
I have used Penta tubes for years. You will love them!
They so nice long lasting tubes
Will they make match sets?
keep it rolling bro ,your amp repair guy has also had a lot of good thing to say about this company,bravo my sb220 has a new set of tubes in the near future
if you get on the factory floor please ask to see their process for matching tubes.
Nice. I sourced the 3x and 4cx tubes on the ground in China, 10 years ago. The factories had deals with RF PARTS pretty much that would not sell the tubes to us. Glad to see another entity now able to get the Mfrs in China to do business.
Nice ! I do not see tubes going away. many NEW amps have tubes in them. In my word I also use the 811A /572/B as the 6146B and the audio tubes as well like KT88 6BQ5 12AX7B ETC. and the 5AR4 Penta still has a bunch of them . My personal stuff has RUSSIA tubes . I had a lot of amps come threw with 811A /572/B Penta has great ones. was wondering what more tubes will be made in future ? both RF and AUDIO tubes. 73's
Nice, now if they carry tubes for my Galaxie 1000?
Well, guess I'm changing amp types now.
Don't forget about us jukebox guys lol
They Best wauuuuu😊
A queetio, is it a good idea to ground the tube grids even if you only have one 3-500 in the amp? thanks in advance. George, VA3GET 73.
Penta sells most of the Hospitals Xray etc machines with the tubes they need to function. This is how they stay in business. I have spoken with them and the 811H tubes that my amp has are made in China but are over watched by Penta people and inspected and when they get to the US are inspected and fired up to test before sold. I love them.
can you get them to make pills too ?
BBI on the Air 3:30 pm central time now
Luke. Is there such a thing as tuneless tubes ?
Nice to know there's an alternative to the Chinese tubes
Penta’s are made in China.
they are made in Chinna it's stamped on them
Nicely done video as always. Still think tubes have gone ridiculously high priced. I can buy a good lawn tractor for what 2 3cx800a7's cost. Hell I remember when GI7's were 10 bucks a piece with the heat sink. Oh well. Guess I have to have a rainy day fund for my AL-800H. Best to ya!
I like that 3CX1500D3
My matchtlett...tubes came in big box
How much is a set of 3/500z
Single For $250, pair for $500, trio for $750, quad for $1000 (without tax). If you get more than one, they are matched without additional cost.
Man I'm super happy to see some tube love I'd also like to see some 572b Penta stuff also BBI
Sweeeeeet tubs....!
I will be buying tubes from Penta Labs.
I love my pentas
😮✌👍👍👍
I would be even more ecstatic than I am for 4cx1500 and 4cx3000s
I can't wait to see see these in action then I will most likely order a pair and depending on how these test out I may even run these instead of my Eimac 3 500Z,s🙂
👏👏👏👏👏👏+ 👍
What about 6lq6's.
Amp Repair Guy has been endorsing these for a while now and also swears by them. Can't wait to buy me a pair for my SB-221.
Yeah Jt you are correct! BBI is late on this news, Amp Repair Guy been shouting praise to this company for years! Just as another commenter mentioned they have been around a long time.
I forgive Luke though since he does amazing work.
@@scottlee1211 lol u have not even seen the video yet and all ready talking like u know whats going on.. haha thanks for the view bro..
@@BoxBuilderIdaho ok saw the video nothing new other than you will be using them…thanks
I see they have 2 different listing for the 800’s one is $1799.00 and the other is $899.00 not sure if I missed something there or what, also they show all the old favorites “coming soon” 3000’s 6000’s 10000’s 15000’s plus a few I had not seen before being 2500’s and 4500’s (meaning rarely used in our hobby)…..good stuff hopefully we can get people buying from them so we can keep the game alive for as long as possible!
Musicians use tubes in our guitar amps and other gear. Still no substitute. The price of the 3 500 Z at Penta Labs seems quite reasonable considering how long they should last in a common amp like an SB 220. Audio tubes have a pretty short life in comparison.
Yup, that's how you ship a tube that you're gonna warranty for a year lol
BB I thank you for diving back into the old school and keep them tubes alive for some of us Old-Timers I appreciate what you're doing I know there's a lot of us out there that also do so thanks for thinking about the old-timers and I look forward to more your videos
SHIT IS GETTING REAL!
I asked Penta about breaking in a 3000 and they said no need, slap it in and go.
Hit the thumbs up
Always do. Lmao
Just a couple of observations,
The packaging is very very good on the penta
I personally have never had a bad tube from RF, but people should check for dead shorts before popping them in anyway. If not, shouldn't be messing with tubes in the 1st place.
The solder could have been over run during production and reworked with a final grind? A factory tour would tell more.
Penta and RF BOTH say made in China right on the tube
Same price 3-500's
Penta warranty pro rated
Rf warranty pro rated
Glad I found this video! This is what I call RF Power Porn. I came very close to buying the 500 watt amp from SGC years ago to go with my SGC2020, glad I did not! It came to light that they could no longer source the pills used in this fine amp. Net result, top dollar amp with zilch value if parts are NLA. GLAD that Hollow State is still there, some day……..
Is there a bbi discount code. Need a 3cx6000
With PL (so far) looking like they have around the same or better quality, cost and such than CPI/Eimac. I wonder if this will be the downfall of sales for smaller Eimac tubes like the 250B and such.
The tubes in the video say made in China at the very bottom of them. That's doesn't necessarily mean anything. If Penta has a robust QC program that rejects the ones not up to their spec (this adds cost to any manufacturer) these tubes can be as good as or better than anything else you can get. I think this is the new reality and the days of Made in USA are further away than closer. But, if you want to keep your gear running, it could be a good option. Only thing missing on this video was a head to head comparison of the tubes running and compared against other ones. I'm sure it'll be coming.
Honestly 1800 for a pair of 3cx800s isn’t bad
$2700 + tax and shipping for 3-3cx800a7's. Still well worth the cost from Penta. Running an LK800 that uses 3 3cx800's. The three tubes were the same price that I paid for the amp with original Eimac's. I rotate them with the Penta tubes. Should last for the rest of my life.
But the glass is marked made in China, so what is the advantage of being made in China and sold by a USA retailer?
But the tube is a dying garanimal, the future is sadly with the LDMOS 50VDC devices. I soon see there will be a viable market for bias drive transmitter output antenuators and digitally servo controlled bias LDMOS devices. The biggest issue is getting your diver radio down to the 2.5 watts that a BIFLR likes to operate at IMO. BIFLR devices can run a dead short welder with enough liquid cooling. Those guys (you know who) have mastered the art of servo bias on the BIFLR MOSFETS and have yet to produce a servo bias viable pallet they can market successfully. All the love and no dis Luke, RJA. The 3cx1500a7 will be rebuilt for at least the next 20 years as they are used in all the major cat scan machines.
stop comparing their packaging. Yes, one comes in a shitty box, the other in nice big box. You are an amp technician. Compare them in the same amp. Test them, brutalize them. That's what counts, not their boxes.
I think it's hilarious is that you feel that you can tell me what to do. Like I said in the video those tests are coming and I appreciate your patience. I appreciate the view have a good day.
I am impressed, I have bought a pair from DX engineering in Ohio and picked them up in person, they were packaged like that but they don't have any writing on the tube, but they have proven that they are well made, even though they are from China, your tube supplier is better,
What's with the skull and the hip-hop music - only a 12 year old would think is cool.
Agreed. This 70 year old would appreciate the words of wisdom without the background music.
i BOUGHT 2 OF THOSE TUBES ABOUT A YEAR AGO FOR MY HENRY THEY ARE NICE TUBES, BUT I HATE TO BREAK IT TO YOU BUT THE OLD VERISON TUBE HAS MORE OUTPUT, PENTA MUST BE GIVING YOU SOME TO ADVERTISE THEM.
there the best of what we can buy today.. so new old stock is one thing.. but new new.. there the best. just saying
@@BoxBuilderIdaho Got that right BBI
man I see we have a few douche bags leaving comments on here know wonder the comments are turned off most of the time know it alls are like a hole we all have one awesome video BBI as always!!!!!!
comments have been on for years lol :)