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Reviews For: RF Parts 3-500ZG

Category: Electron Tubes

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Review Summary For : RF Parts 3-500ZG
Reviews: 41MSRP: 119.00
Description:
RF Parts graphite plate 3-500Z tube
Product is in production
More Info: https://www.rfparts.com/tubes/tubes-3500.html?p=1
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
25415
ON4SKY Rating: 2004-07-28
Excellent and reliable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hi,

I have a Kenwood TL922 amplifier that uses 2 Eimac 3-500Z tubes. After some years of use one of them failed to work, dead.
I ordered a new one from RFParts, an Eimac model that arrived... damaged. The tube let hear the noise of a small broken part !! Incredible for a product of that price and having probably passed a control quality check successfully ! Never more ! I learnt the lesson.

So I ordred 2 chinese counterpart of this tube although the bad opinion of some of my friends about these tubes made in China.

But they are at half the price of the Eimac. The "RFP" 3-500Z is a winner and you are no more afraid to explode one...
This is my best buy for years as I will "amortize" it if we can say in maybe 10 years of use (used once a week or less during a few hours and never at full power to preserve the lifespan of all my system).

A friend of mine decided to test the china tubes as well is fully satisfied too.

Hope this helps

73
Thierry, ON4SKY
PA3HBT Rating: 2003-06-28
Exellent replacement Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I replaced a matched pair of EIMAC tubes, 3-500Z(unknown burning time) with a TAYLOR mached pair 3-500ZG tubes in my TL-922. All i can say at this time is that these TAYLOR tubes give aprox. 100W more output with lower grid current measured on 20M, resulting on a cooler TL-922.

73's Gerard PA3HBT
K4TOR Rating: 2003-04-10
Great Tubes Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Dropped 2 rfparts 3-500ZG's into my SB-220. Works great. Good quality tubes.
W5GM Rating: 2003-01-13
Rugged fat tube Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just dropped a pair of these into my Henry 2K classic X and am thrilled! I can keep the key down much longer without having the tubes go nuclear like the old eimac 500's.
Shipping was beyond fast and the guy I ordered from was very knowlagable and informed.
I too had the anode (plate) break from the stem at the top of the tube with the old junky Eimac tubes. Thank god for RF parts.
W9PMZ Rating: 2002-12-19
Matched Pair of 3-500ZG Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have a Drake L-4B Amplifier. Had an Eimac and an unknown brand installed. Obviously not matched, one would glow orange on some bands, while the other glowed orange on other bands.

Installed the RF Parts 3-500ZG matched pair, they work great, outputting, 1400 watts 80M, 1300 watts 10M, as measured by the L-4B's wattmeter, into a dummy load. Exciter is a Kenwood TS-2000.
K9FLP Rating: 2002-03-29
Excellent Tubes Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got a matched pair of 3-500ZG from RF Parts. They are precisely what RF Parts said a drop in replacement for my old Eimac 3-500Z Excellent Tubes glad I got them
W5JON Rating: 2002-03-25
Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Prior to ordering I asked many questions and got exact answers. Fast shipment and delivery. I did the phone recommended 10 hr burn-in. I was surprised no papers with the papers suggested the same. Installed in my Henry 2KD5.

Since the first tune up 70 watts drive 1500 watts (with no strain) output on the Bird watt meter and have not lost a watt since. Excellent product.

John W5JON
SM5CBM Rating: 2002-01-18
Exellent tubes Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I needed two new 3-500Z for my TL-922. I deceided to by a matched pair from RF-Parts. The tubes was ordered on the 14 Dec 2001. To my suprice I had the tubes in my hand on the morning of 19 Dec 2001!
Amaicing. Faster to get a parcel from Califonia to Sweden than getting a letter domestic in Sweden!
The two 3-500ZG went into my amp. They are putting out more than 800W on CW with 2000V on the anodes with aprox 75W of drive. Everything is just OK!
PA0FRI Rating: 2002-01-08
Exellent replacement Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
For a friend I modified an old NEC linear amplifier, 1.5 kW output with two RF Parts 3-500ZG's! Rugged tubes and the owner is very satisfied. One EIMAC 3-500Z (nr. JNE 005) had a poor anode spot welding.
Two other PA3-hams sought my advise on their defectieve AEA LA-30 and Heathkit SB-1000 linear amplifiers fitted with EIMAC/VARIAN 3-500Z tubes(serial numbers FYS 106 and FYS 132). The anode of a previous 3-500Z dropped down on the internal base screen. He got a new one, but after some mounths it transpired that the anode spot-welding was poor, with the result that the structures had a "leaning tower of Pisa" appearance. The sloping anode position caused an internal shortcircuit and a burnt-out power transformer and rectifier circuit, all due to inadequate fusing and design.
Four EIMAC 3-500Z tubes have a poor anode spot-welding, is that commnon?
All the replacements with RF-parts works great!
Frits, PAƘFRI.
WB9GKZ Rating: 2001-11-13
Great Value! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Ok, I'll admit...I've been waiting 9-months now for my RF Parts 3-500ZG to blow a gasket in my AL-80B amplifier. Well, all I can say is that it continues to deliver power and holds firm even when abused with a bit too much SSB drive or when
used in AM service when driven by my Johnson Ranger. It replaced my original Amperex which developed a gas-arc after 18-months of service. Very happy with the tube. I can't understand why anyone would fool around with used tubes on eBay which fetch way too much $$$ or with expensive NOS Eimac. This is one great little tube for 120-bucks!