RCA UV-203 "Radiotron" tube
date: label: date made
content: 1922
name: label: maker
content: RCA Corporation
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: An air-cooled 50-watt transmitting tube with 4-pin metal shell base, ceramic insulator, and rugged plate. GE and old RCA logos stamped on envelope. Base stamped: "Radiotron / Model UV-203 / 50 Watts / [GE logo] Patented [RCA logo] / Licensed for Amateur or / experimental use only." "4226" stamped on press shield. Tipped, T-shaped envelope. Donor card reads: "Triode, made by the Radio Corporation of America and listed in their first catalog of tubes, dated 1 June 1922. A part of their original line of tubes. Known as a Radiotron. One of the most popular tubes for amateur use in its day, used singularly or two or more in parallel. Almost a complete failure at first due to plate leads burning off, the popularity increased as that design defect was corrected. The 8-turn coil in the plate lead, visible near the bottom of the envelope would burn open, disconnecting the plate and making the tube useless. RCA replaced all [affected tubes] with tubes [that had] straight plate leads and the trouble ceased. Filament: 10 volts at 6.5 amperes, plate: 1000 volts at 150 milliamperes. Amplification factor 15. Cost in 1911 was $30.00." See also: Tyne, "Saga of the Vacuum Tube," page 325-327; https://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_uv203.html.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from Paul G. Watson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: EM.324352
label: accession number
content: 252994
label: catalog number
content: 324352
objectType: label: Object Name
content: triode
label: Object Name
content: diode
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 in x 2 in; 20.32 cm x 5.08 cm