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The "Woo-Woo"-An Endangered Species?

B

Bret Ludwig

Jan 1, 1970
0
Before Hewlett-Packard invented the negative-resistance-stabilized,
Wien Bridge oscillator-and patented it, kicking the ass of overrated
GenRad and others-generating a low distortion sine wave at low (audio)
frequencies that was stable and level was quite a problem. Before
this, the most common method was the heterodyne oscillator, which used
two RF oscillators, one a fixed frequency and one almost fixed which
could be "swung" just enough to produce a beat frequency that was
variable from zero to as high as one wanted, as long as it was a
relatively small multiple of the working oscillator frequencies. Many
companies made them, including Bruel and Kjaer, GR, and even GE and
Motorola. When the HP patents finally pooped out the heterodyne
frequency oscillator became a thing of the past. By that time solid
state was firmly established and the basic building block linear ICs
had started coming out.

The phone company of course had their own source. Western Electric
came up with the early dry cell all-triode 11A heterodyne oscillator
in a beautiful wooden case, and followed with the metal case
rackmountable or portable 19C oscillator. It had some unusual features
such as it was an AC-DC set, like the old AA5 radios. This
construction is extremely rare in test equipment because of the shock
danger that would normally accrue. But the 19C was fully transformer
coupled, using many of the then-readily-available WE coupling "repeat
coils", and was isolated in its case and at its output terminals from
line voltage.

At one time the WE 19C was a hamfest no-wantum, an undesireable rat
that got hauled from hamfest to hamfest until the hamfestgoer went /SK
and it went to the landfill. Bunches were made and were surplused out
or "destroyed via station wagon" when the 4A ESS decided its lack of
stability made it unsuitable for test purposes. It was a heavy beast
and phone crews came to hate them over time. It was referred to, not
affectionately, as "the woo-woo" because it would whine audibly and
its audible whine would change in pitch with any serious variation in
line voltage.

Anyone carefully watching eBay over the last couple of years would
have seen a different story. Whereas classic HP Wien bridge audio
generators often sell for less than the cost of shipping, the 19C and
its relatives-variants built for GTE, Northern Electric, or NTT-are
now bringing anywhere from four to eight hundred dollars on eBay.

Two things which were unusual immediately became obvious. Invariably,
the buyers were located in Asia, usually South Korea, Japan, Taiwan or
mainland China. Also, the price seemed unrelated to the condition of
the set. This was an unusual phenomenon because Oriental buyers of old
tube electronics are usually obsessed with appearance and
originality.

I became convinced that the units were being bought for some reason
besides use, and I suspected they were parting them out for the
numerous audio transformers in them. Recently, I called a couple of
the known sharks, Oriental and American, for old tube gear and after
some hemming and hawing they confirmed my suspicions. They remove the
transformers and throw the rest out in the trash.

Of course, the transformers are not very good for the purpose to
which they are put, but this makes no difference to the buyers. They
are genuine Restrum Erectric, that is to say Western Electric, and to
a people who eat bear gallbladders and rhinosceros horn to make their
notoriously undersized male members stand up, the facts aren't too
relevant.

I believe the time is now to put an export tax on all old electronics
from the United States. This would help environmentally by forcing the
US to recycle its own commodity electronic trash and to make the
little nippers help offset the federal debt they have helped to cause.
Your thoughts on this issue would be welcome.
 
D

Don Lancaster

Jan 1, 1970
0
Bret said:
Before Hewlett-Packard invented the negative-resistance-stabilized,
Wien Bridge oscillator-and patented it, kicking the ass of overrated
GenRad and others-generating a low distortion sine wave at low (audio)
frequencies that was stable and level was quite a problem. Before
this, the most common method was the heterodyne oscillator, which used
two RF oscillators, one a fixed frequency and one almost fixed which
could be "swung" just enough to produce a beat frequency that was
variable from zero to as high as one wanted, as long as it was a
relatively small multiple of the working oscillator frequencies. Many
companies made them, including Bruel and Kjaer, GR, and even GE and
Motorola. When the HP patents finally pooped out the heterodyne
frequency oscillator became a thing of the past. By that time solid
state was firmly established and the basic building block linear ICs
had started coming out.

The phone company of course had their own source. Western Electric
came up with the early dry cell all-triode 11A heterodyne oscillator
in a beautiful wooden case, and followed with the metal case
rackmountable or portable 19C oscillator. It had some unusual features
such as it was an AC-DC set, like the old AA5 radios. This
construction is extremely rare in test equipment because of the shock
danger that would normally accrue. But the 19C was fully transformer
coupled, using many of the then-readily-available WE coupling "repeat
coils", and was isolated in its case and at its output terminals from
line voltage.

At one time the WE 19C was a hamfest no-wantum, an undesireable rat
that got hauled from hamfest to hamfest until the hamfestgoer went /SK
and it went to the landfill. Bunches were made and were surplused out
or "destroyed via station wagon" when the 4A ESS decided its lack of
stability made it unsuitable for test purposes. It was a heavy beast
and phone crews came to hate them over time. It was referred to, not
affectionately, as "the woo-woo" because it would whine audibly and
its audible whine would change in pitch with any serious variation in
line voltage.

Anyone carefully watching eBay over the last couple of years would
have seen a different story. Whereas classic HP Wien bridge audio
generators often sell for less than the cost of shipping, the 19C and
its relatives-variants built for GTE, Northern Electric, or NTT-are
now bringing anywhere from four to eight hundred dollars on eBay.

Two things which were unusual immediately became obvious. Invariably,
the buyers were located in Asia, usually South Korea, Japan, Taiwan or
mainland China. Also, the price seemed unrelated to the condition of
the set. This was an unusual phenomenon because Oriental buyers of old
tube electronics are usually obsessed with appearance and
originality.

I became convinced that the units were being bought for some reason
besides use, and I suspected they were parting them out for the
numerous audio transformers in them. Recently, I called a couple of
the known sharks, Oriental and American, for old tube gear and after
some hemming and hawing they confirmed my suspicions. They remove the
transformers and throw the rest out in the trash.

Of course, the transformers are not very good for the purpose to
which they are put, but this makes no difference to the buyers. They
are genuine Restrum Erectric, that is to say Western Electric, and to
a people who eat bear gallbladders and rhinosceros horn to make their
notoriously undersized male members stand up, the facts aren't too
relevant.

I believe the time is now to put an export tax on all old electronics
from the United States. This would help environmentally by forcing the
US to recycle its own commodity electronic trash and to make the
little nippers help offset the federal debt they have helped to cause.
Your thoughts on this issue would be welcome.

Even Western Electric SOLDER goes for outrageous prices on eBay.

In spite of ROHS making it newly illegal.



--
Many thanks,

Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073
Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552
rss: http://www.tinaja.com/whtnu.xml email: [email protected]

Please visit my GURU's LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com
 
M

Mr.T

Jan 1, 1970
0
Don Lancaster said:
Even Western Electric SOLDER goes for outrageous prices on eBay.

In spite of ROHS making it newly illegal.

And you don't think the two might be connected? :)

MrT.
 
P

PeterD

Jan 1, 1970
0
I believe the time is now to put an export tax on all old electronics
from the United States.

First, I think it is time for *you* to read the constitution...

Second, I think it is time for *you* to read this group's charter
regarding off-topic posts.

Third, I think it is time for *you* to read the Usenet rules about
cross-posting.
 
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