Output tube radiation exposure - thoughts?


Anyone out there give much thought to vacuum tube radiation exposure, especially the larger transmitting styles? I'm not sure what distances constitute a potential hazard and taking into account the effectiveness of standard tube cages if present. I recall it was considered a serious topic by some but not all of the ship's radio operators I sailed with in the past. Your impressions / experiences pls.
vonhakemarine

Showing 3 responses by honest1

I thnk it has more to od with the voltage the tubes operate at, rather than the frequencies they are amplifying. I don't think there is a problem unitl you start getting into much higher voltages than any audio amplifier uses, But at those voltages, tubes can emit Xrays. May be an issue with CRTs, not sure.
My comment was based on military radar transmitter tubes that operate in the 45KV or higher range. As I said, much higher than any audio equipment uses. I meant it as a possible explanation of the source of concern of the original poster, and to help him not be concerned.
Truly ridiculous is the assertion that we get any significant radiation from the satellites orbiting the earth. They are very low power, since most of them rely on only the power they can collect with their solar panels. Some of this gets wasted as heat, then whatever is broadcast back to earth spreads over a very wide area.
OK, good enough, case settled.
Going from a Rotel to a hand built 6C33C tube amp on a stainless chassis - that's awesome. Why screw around with all the baby steps to climb the audiophile ladder when you can just get it all done right at once the first time? I hope it comes out great.