Every once in a while, I encounter one of those odd hams who likes to homebrew his own electronics, but who views using integrated circuits as “cheating”. He’ll assure you that you can’t possibly understand how radios work if you use integrated circuits: that real homebrew radios are constructed from simple transistors. Or maybe even more perversely, he’ll assure you that all “real” radios are constructed from parts that glow, and that they will be the only technology that survives the EMP burst of the the nuclear bombs that that Soviets Russians North Koreans Iraqis the Axis of Evil are set to send against the United States.
I think this is hilarious. I mean, with the exception of one person I know (and she’s insane 🙂 ) nobody is capable of making a transistor anymore than they are capable of making an integrated circuit. Objecting to their use on a basis of some kind of “electronic purity code” is just silly.
But anyway, enough of that. Here’s a website about a French guy who makes his own tubes. From wire, glass tubing and pieces of metal. And apparently builds radios out of them. The number of steps he needs to go through to assemble a tube is just amazing. He’s got all these crazy jigs and torches and tools and vacuum pumps. Just freaking amazing. Check out the 17 minute video (very expertly done, and with no voice, just some soothing music). It’s just crazy.