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Old 04-15-2016, 05:28 PM
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davet753 davet753 is offline
David Thomas
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 443
Don't use anything except the bulb it was designed to use (or something close to it). On sets with series strung tube filaments, the bulb is a vital part of the circuit that, when blown or removed, will reduce the life of the tubes (especially the rectifier).

When you first turn on the radio the bulb glows brightly, quickly dims, and gets back brighter once the tubes are all warmed up. If you remove the bulb, the tube filaments get all that power at turn-on. A 50 cent bulb is a lot cheaper than a rectifier tube.
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