L63

Dear Collectors

I see that we have two entries for the L63.   L63 designated as a Common tube USA and a L63_MOV.

All the pictures on the "USA" L63 are actually of MOV valves.

Was the L63 manufactured by anyone other than M.O. Valve/GEC?   I have no evidence!

Kind regards to all,

Roy

Dear Roy

Thank you very much for your remarks regarding the two entries.
I have now changed the maker on the L63 and intended to delete the L63_MOV.

In his early time our collector friend Peter has done what one asked because his knowledge was not yet established. That is no problem if we can correct.

I could not yet delete the L63_MOV because somebody has a "private collecor card" on that one. I now asked him to delete the card and put it on the L63 (where he has one too) and then I will be able to delete that one - except somebody comes up with really a "different type of L63" which then could be a variant of the L63 or even an "underline-tube" like in fact L63_MOV is - but surely on the wrong type - since MOV is THE maker.

Dear Ernst,

Thank you very much for your advice.

I did not want to take any action by deleting and moving without seeking confirmation, even when one is fairly sure!

As with the LV90, there is so much still waiting to be discovered.

Kind regards,

Roy

Dear Roy, dear Ernst,

I have one "Osram (BVA)" of the ST envelope type and one M.W.T. with the T9 tubular envelope in my posession.

While I concord to count Osram to MOV, I'd like to point out that we have MWT as a seperate maker (look here). Maybe the MOV-only theory should be re-thought?

Regards,
Mark

Dear Ernst, Mark,

The majority of the manufacturers that we list as having made a valve are probably wrong! As Ernst remarks it is not only MOV or UK - it is business.

Approximately:-

<1918  Marconi Wireless Telegraph valves were made by Edison Swan. These were badged Marconi. 

1918  Marconi Wireless Telegraph combined with General Electric (The UK one not the USA) to form Marconi-Osram Valves.  GE had made valves but MWT had not.

1920 Marconi-Osram renamed M.O Valve Co.

I am fairly sure that MWT never manufactured valves only early radios and later electronics.

Post 1960 or so we have GEC Electronic Tube Company as the Management Co for English Electric Valve Company and the M-O Valve Company.

SO  What we list as manufacturer depends largely on date and this is very difficult.  I tend to list as manufacturer the earliest that I know from the literature. ( I have changed some from Mazda to Ediswan on that basis). 

BUT - when the same type/named valve was made for a large number of years it could be listed under several manufacturers - GE, EE, M-OV with the SAME badge.  I do not think that would help!  (We should add English Electric, however - I shall ask as I have "parked" a few valves under GEC)

All we can do is to try our best and gradually fill in the details.  The dates are the most difficult to obtain as one never knows if one has the FIRST data book.

I shall try and research more but those are my immediate quick thoughts.

Kind regards,

Roy

Dear Roy
Yes, that sounds very familiar about this group.
We have in fact two fields:
The maker(s)
The "introducer". We can deal later with the deisgner - or now where we are sure.

Maker
I see that in any case we list too many makers for GB:
Example: Gecovalve = we list 10 valves and for General Electric UK we list 9. The difference: Gecovalve is just the or a brand of GE UK ... We should only have the choice for one of them and give the other Code-9-status. 

I'm not quite sure if Code-9-status prevents administrators for selecting the company/brand automatically (?).

Unfortunately it is also very easy for "Company-Administrators" to just tic a field to get this name into the valve manufacturers instead only model manufacturers. Valve companies/brands derive of the same list but have this field ticked.

The rule should be that we get only ONE company/brand fort a group. Tubes after WW2 (e.g. GEC Electronic Tube Company) can go into a different scheme.

If several groups have produced the same valve then we should use "Common tube production Great Britain" and if possible use the field for the designer too. In some cases it is even wise to choose "Common tube type worldwide" - but it might even be better for early valves including WW2 and a few years after to introduce "Common tube production Commonwealth". If Roy tells me to do  so I will introduce this. 

I have not the detailled knowledge to put up those rules for GB and we are all glad that Roy can lead us. so my outlines are only a suggestion. Rome was not built in one day - so we have no hurry. I'm very glad that we will gradually get a good picture for early tubes from GB. The aim is to have really a very distinctive and correct database with as much local knowledge as possible.

Dear Ernst,

Thank you for that.  I shall need to think through the implications in detail and come up with a plan. Rome is not yet even planned!

MWT is not listed (correctly) as a valve manufacturer. 

I have applied to add 3 more names.  English Electric Valve, Marconi Applied Technology and e2v which is a current manufacturer.  These are the successors to EEV.   Only "Valve" box ticked.   I believe that we should acknowledge the existence of such manufacturers - how we allocate brands and details to the valves needs to be thought in detail.  MOV and EEV were two separate orgnisations on different sites - GEC were managers, so calling all such valves GEC is perhaps not fair!

Perhaps we just call England and Germany (and Switzerland?) EUROPE!

I shall try and find a little time to come up with a plan. It must be simple enough to operate and provide sufficient detail for both archival and practical use. 

Kind regards,

Roy