One of the workers I worked with In Wash DC plant was heavy into "Firebottles" as he called them.He collected radios-had to build another building to put them in.A man that retired from the transmitter site several years ago had an extensive radio collection and shop in a neighboring town.Was fun to go to.In the meantime I work at this transmitter plant which is a "museam" on its own.The equipment here is 65,50,and 30 yrs old.We keep it going.Tubes for the oldest rigs are still available--but for how long?And these large tubes are water cooled.Their plumbing entails a lot of work.And if the water goes to the wrong place-----LOT OF WORK!!!We salvaged parts from the neighboring plant that was closed in 2006.The state may buy it and turn the old site into a park.I used to operate those former transmitters.It a sad ,moldy scene there.You have to wear a mask to go there.
I STILL have boxes of tubes from TV sets that I put into the attic after my move to here.Thought I gave them away.Same with VHS tapes.I keep the audio type tubes-they are more useful in these times.So remember those 2A3 tubes-most of the time saw them being used as "glass pass transistors"regulator pass tubes in power supplies.I also have a lot of tubes pulled from transmitters.EL34,6550,KT88 tubes would DRIVE these larger transmitter tubes-AM modulators.And the same tube type used as modulators in these transmitters was used in the RF power amplifiers.Saved the station on stocking of spares and you could get more life out of the tubes by rotating their positions.Did this with TV transmitters,too-a tube too tired for the visual stages would go to the aural stage.Then you could get a few more years out of it before going to a collector or the rebuild pile.Large tubes can be sent to the maker or another companies for rebuilding.They take the tube apart,and replace elements-esp fillament cathode and other parts if they are burnt up up.Sometimes the rebuid tubes work as good as new ones other times not.They are half the cost.
