Could also be Ra-226 on the 6140

gregebert schrieb am Mittwoch, 4. November 2020 um 16:32:02 UTC+1:

> Maybe it's Thorium, used in the filaments.
>
> On Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at 4:13:16 AM UTC-8 Paolo Cravero wrote:
>
>> Hi.
>> Let me add two pictures and a story.
>>
>> Lately I picked up locally a bunch of small CRTs (2BP1, that also fit in 
>> the vintage tuner currently on eBay, plus a Marantz) and the guy had a few 
>> NIB tubes too. I was looking for gas-filled ones and that resulted in a 
>> W.E. 6167 dekatron, some 0B2WA and some W.E. 6140/423A. Of particular 
>> interest was the 6140 shown in the picture whose box mentions Kr85, but no 
>> symbol on the glass.
>> When I came home I checked with a Geiger counter and SBM-20 probe (hard 
>> beta and gamma particles) these tubes and the 6140 from 11/61 shows no 
>> action. Same goes for other 6140 except for one, much older from 12/52 
>> marked 423A. Neither the box nor the glass carry any warning sign, but this 
>> tube hits >600 CPM vs 40 CPM background when put close to the SBM-20 probe 
>> (it's not the right way to measure radiation, but it's cool :) ). There is 
>> definitely something else than Kr-85 in there! I have blurred pics of it 
>> and it has been stored away from home.
>>
>> As already mentioned, Nixies did contain Kr-85 and I knew I had one 
>> clearly marked. It's a Burroughs Self-Scan display that probably needed 
>> some "doping" to handle the almost 1 MHz scan rate. BTW, it contains gas 
>> and I might never use it, so if someone wants to experiment with self-scan 
>> contact me off the list.
>>
>> One question for the knowledgeable people in here. I have some Mullard 
>> Nixies marked "Kr-0A": has it got something to do with Kr-85? I can't check 
>> with the Geiger since my probe does not detect Kr-85 leftovers.
>>
>> So, if you are on the hunt for active tubes, better look for unmarked 
>> pre-1960 editions and carry a Geiger counter with you ;)
>>
>> Paolo
>>
>

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