Tube Conditioning

I have only used this procedure on triple thickness leaded
glass 10mm pressure, 80/20, 25mm x 28" Allred bubble tubes.

If the beam starts burning bluish-white, it is necessary to
condition the tube. It may be necessary soon after the bulb is
new and used in the system. This removes the glass impurities
which leach into the gas. Most are removed during manufacture,
but the high heat produced by the high pressure, long bubble
tube may release more.

To prevent the tube from needing conditioning often, the beam
should extend to one or both internal electrodes. These have
ceramic discs on them which absorb the impurities and
conditioning is rarely necessary if they "touch the beam."
Slight adjustments of the copper sleeves, usually outward, may
allow them to reach, but ensure that the position can be
replicated if the SWR and power levels degrade. When the
electrodes are hot, then cool, they absorb the impurities
best. If the beam does not extend to them in normal use, they
do not get hot. However, Allred does not recommend driving
from the electrodes exclusively during normal operation in a
BRG since the glass over them is not triple thickness and are
more likely to melt with extended high heat use.

The easiest way to condition tubes is with a high voltage
AC transformer. They are available at electrical supply
houses. A 7500V 30mA unit costs about $40US. Used "beer sign"
neon transformers can also be used, and are cheap if found
used. To use, merely connect leads from transformer to the
electrode wires attached to the tips of the tube. They are
inconspicuous and wrapped around the very ends.

Power the transformer and run approx 5 minutes, or until the tube
electrodes gets hot (can touch them briefly duriung the
process to ascertain the temperature. Then allow to cool
completely. Repeat two or more times. If the beam near the
electrodes turns orange or red, turn off immediately and
allow to completely cool.

It is possible to condition the tubes without a transformer.
Unwrap and attach the electrode wire to the nearby sleeve with
a 4" jumper wire, which can be a plain wire tucked under the
sleeve with the other end wrapped with the electrode wires.
Alligator clips attached to the end of the jumper wire may be
necessary to connect them.

If the sleeves and electrode wires cannot be easily connected
(sleeve too tight, e.g.), it may require a second set of tube
leads, which is best. Instead of copper sleeves soldered to
the end, alligator clips are installed on this set, and they
are connected in tandem to the regular tube leads with the
clips on the electrode wires.

Turn on tube and dial to a medium high frequency, like 2128 or
5000. It will likely be hard to tune. If it is not possible to
tune below 3.0, turn off the device, and try the next antenna
tuner inductor setting down, e.g., if typically use "L", dial
to "K" of "J". NEVER change this setting while the device is
operating.

In about 5 minutes or less, the glass on the tube will start to
glow blue and appear very "clear" starting at the ends toward
the center. The beam will narrow. The SWR will rise and the
tuner MUST be continually adjusted to keep the SWR as low as
possible during this procedure. It may rise fast as the beam
falters and starts going out. Try to adjust the tuner to keep
the SWRs down while having the beam extended across the tube as
far as possible. After the tube is very hot or will not light
most of the length, turn off the the BRG and allow tube to cool
to the touch on the electrodes (which will get hottest during
this procedure). Do not let the entire process run more than 7
minutes. 5 or less is best. Continued operation in this
manner can ruin the tube.

After the electrode ends of the tube are completely cooled,
repeat the procedure twice more, each time allowing the tube
to cool completely.

IMPORTANT: ATTENDANCE IS NECESSARY SINCE THE SWR WILL RISE AND
IF THE TUNER IS NOT CONTINUALLY ADJUSTED AND THE POWER REMOVED
WHEN THE SWR RISES RAPIDLY, the equipment may fail. The beam
is very interesting to watch during this procedure, but keep an
eye on the SWR meter.

If it is not possible to get both electrodes "lit up" during
the procedure, the cool side of the tube may not condition
optimally and the electrode not absorb as many impurities as
possible. If this is the case, the tube can be used in a
normal manner until it gets hot. Then, connect the auxilliary
leads to the electrode wires and remove the sleeve lead
wires. (If they are just hanging there, DON'T let them
contact any equipment.) Then, adjust the tuner down a setting
or two if necessary and drive off the electrodes only.

After the procedure is complete and the jumper or extra lead
wires are removed, repower the system and tune as usual. SWR
will be high and the beam will likely not extend to the ends,
will be narrow and bent, and will be full of "pearls" (standing
waves). It is also necessary to attend the tuner during this
portion of the procedure since SWR may rise unless continually
adjusted, but the SWR will tend downward and the beam will
eventually burn pearl-free (about 10-30 minutes). It will
probably take at least two hours or more of normal usage before
the SWR will fully "recover" and the beam look normal. Until
this time, the beam may be MOSTLY INEFFECTIVE and should
not be used for treatment.

I have tried this process on smaller tubes for too long and
gotten the glass so hot that they would no longer perform
correctly and had to be refilled. Smaller tubes get hot faster
and the time should be reduced accordingly.

==================

Here are a couple of responses from people on the Rife
listserver who tried the tube conditioning method:

---------

I tried your method, just for fun <!> on my thin bore tube,
and used about 300 watts. Nothing much happened until the blue
streamers touched in the center of the tube, then it was like
an atomic explosion! The tube was so bright it was blinding to
watch directly.

I wasn't looking at it directly when it flared, and I
thought that I had a failure in my RF amplifier that blew up
the tube. Not so; it was just the Rife tube going into a
strange mode of conduction, similar to an arc discharge. Very
low SWR, good power absorption from the amplifier, and LOTS and
LOTS of light output. Wow!

It took the tube about an hour to return to normal, violet
color, & all that. I really didn't notice any change when the
tube cooled down, but then in normal operation the gas is lit
all the way back to the electrodes in the tube anyway, so that
may keep the tube "clean".

Thanks for the info!

Ralph

---------

I did Brian's tube conditioning...at one point I gotta tell you
it scared the daylights out of me.

I attached alligator clips to the wires sticking out from the
electrodes (inside the tube) Using Roberts bubble tube 7mm
pressure 100% Argon.

At one point the tube went to a blue white light really bright
and I thought, "What have I done now?"..cause I have never seen
this before. It did that thing that looks like a snake
striking, like a kind of zig-zagged pattern jumping back and
forth, also a electrical lighting bolt pattern, scattering all
over the place--weird looking stuff...so I ran it on 5000 for 6
minutes (yeah I know Brian said 5, okay)...

The electrode on one end started to glow orange colored from
the heat it was making...I was up close..well not real close,
but close enough to adjust the swr's and I was scared I might
bump it and break the glass so be careful of that when you do
this....so only one electrode lite up...the gas was all
blue-white...Like I said I had never see that before...Green,
yeah but blue white...Nope! So this was new to me..turned off
the unit, just left the electrode on the other side, turned it
back on..fiddled with the antenna tuner knobs some so it
finally was getting lit up, first it was all purple around the
electrode then it took on a blue-white color...and then it
started to glow orange as it got hot..cool I thought, now if I
ever mess up a tube I can re-condition it.

Now that I know how...so I just kept the unit on removed the
alligator clip on leads (Hey Monroe you're not suppose to do
that with the power on). It was hard to light it up the second
time, so I didn't want that problem, so only about 1 inch of
the tube was its former purple color...the tube stayed the blue
white color for the longest time, while it stayed this color I
could not feel the Rife wave...zip..nothing...

It took about 1 hour and 30 minutes for the tube to return to
its normal color with only about 1 inch of it still remaining
blue-white...I thought because I had a fan on that section of
the tube that the air cooling it was causing it to remain like
that for a longer time and preventing it from all being
purple...so I moved the fan towards the other end of the
tube...I did get the 'pearls', standing waves in about 2 inches
of the tube and that 'twister' effect that was in Don Tunney's
tube when he was on the tv show INCREDIBLE UNIVERSE, when they
did the interview with him...I had never had this twirling
twister effect before in my tube either...some new...the longer
I ran it the shorter it got...at the end of my run time it was
only 1 inch long..so I dont expect to see it the next time I
fire up the unit...one really cool thing is because of this my
swr's dropped a whole 1.5 points...Thanks Brian!

As the tube slowly changed from blue-white to purple again I
started to feel the effects of the tube putting out the rife
wave again...so Don was right on that also..the color has
something to do with it...just confirming here, what he said a
long time ago...

So I did it to my locally build 90/10 tube Argon/Neon 7mm
pressure...and the same things except both electrodes got hot
and the electrical tape that holds the grounding strap cable in
place got hot and was smoking...so I turned on the kitchen
stove over head vent fan to let it remove the smoke..I was not
about to start over an do this again..if the tape burned, then
the tape burned and I was learning new stuff from this
experience...so should you try this on your tube...uh..yeah go
ahead, it worked for me twice...just dont really plan on
running some frequencys after you have done it, cause it wont
put out a rife wave...at least that has been my experience
twice.

I dont think it's a matter of the tube cooling down that makes
it revert back to its normal purple color, its just a matter of
time..Brian, Fred and I were doing some testing along those
lines in private..and he was right..if your tube is not purple
colored, let it set a few days and it reverts back to what it
was...okay Mauve for some of you..but it looks purple to
me..oh, dont get all hung up on this purple/mauve thing okay..

Hey go do the tube conditioning to your tube..heck I did it and
mine didn't even need it, I got a lower swr for my efforts tho
and that means a better match so all the electronics run
cooler...so if even just for that, go ahead and do it...just
don't expect to get any rife wave effects out of it right after
you do it, okay...at least that has been my experience with my
2 units

Monroe in Houston, TEXAS

================================

An exchange from the Rife listserver:

Return-Path: <turf@gelac.mar.lmco.com>
Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 11:49:56 -0500
From: turf@gelac.mar.lmco.com (Brian McInturff)
Subject: add to tube recond
To: turf@mindspring.com
Content-MD5: ZQVrsZ3UiqgQGr+wK//0iw==


My tube was running a light blue wishy washy color, and it wasn't 'kicking
in'; I usually have to turn up the generator past the recommended levels to
get the plasma to respond then I can back down to lower levels. Anyway, I
performed the tube reconditioning as described in the archives. I connected
the internal electrodes to the tube wrap coils with little jumper cables. The
electrodes get red hot...whoa. I also needed to turn the tuner inductor to K.
Well things are not the same since. That baby's blastin'! The forward power is
up from around 125 watts to close to 200. The color is a strong violet and
about 1/2" or less wide. And I cant get the SWR's down lower than 4 using the
standard tube coils. Tried different inductor settings. Now if I add a piece
of copper about 3"x5" with a short jumper cable to the end of one of the
coils...sounds crazy...but the swr's come down to about 1.4. Forward power
still high. I ran it this way for about 1.5 hours thinking the tube might warm
up, but no difference. Before I could achieve SWR's of less than 1.1. So
what's goin' on?

------

When your tube was running brightly and with a lower VSWR, it was because it had
some contaminants in the gas mixture. These contaminants allowed the gas to
conduct better, because the contaminants lowered the tube's internal resistance.

Conditioning the tube caused most of the contaminants to be removed from the gas
mixture, restoring more closely the original conditions in the tube at the time of
its manufacture. This "cleaner" gas mix has a higher internal resistance, and this
higher resistance apparently does not match your tuner/balun system quite as well
as it did when the gas was contaminated.

This is not as bad as it may seem, if the end results are biologically better.
Also, go back and look at your records. What were the VSWR, power readings and
the tube color at the time you first placed your tube in service? You should be
able to see when the color shifted, and correlate it with any equipment changes,
if any, at that time.

------------


I have had a similar experience. My tube turned a pale blue and I
reconditioned it with a 7500v neon sign transformer. Since then I've left the
electrodes connected to the copper sleeves with #20 and have ten turns of#20
wire from one electrode ending about 1/2 inch from the other copper sleeve.
This works well at K setting with SWR of 1.6 to 1.3 depending on frequency.
Power is about 100 watts but after thirty or forty minutes the blue color
starts appearing at one end of the straight tube and gradually takes over the
whole tube. After it cools its okay again. I'm going to try a bigger fan on
the hot end and see if that works. I would like it to run cooler. Are you
using copper sleeves? Please describe the 3x5 copper.

------------


Thanks for your input.

I have been able to achieve very low SWR's from the start. Sometimes with an
indicated reflected power of about .25. With no equipment changes since the
beginning, my inability to tune the reconditioned tube did rather surprise me.
I suppose the tuner may be malfunctioning to a degree, I don't know. I don't
have another tube with which to compare at this time. The tuner does sometimes
emit a rather loud tone, somewhat like a metallic buzz, ...something is
mechanically vibrating at the modulation frequency. I cant locate the exact
source; Its either the tuner or the balun. Nevertheless, and as you state, the
subjective biological results seem superior so however I have to tune the
thing, fine.

One thing I noted is that my copper coils have left rather strong imprints on
the glass which I am unable to clean off. I have noticed that sometimes there
is an orange glow associated with these marks. This seems to be on the inside
of the tube, and is not the pink glow which one sees under the coils. Why does
this stain so tenaciously? Are metal ions penetrating into the surface? Anyone
know how to clean these tattoos off?

----------




<< I have had a similar experience. My tube turned a pale blue and I
reconditioned it with a 7500v neon sign transformer. Since then I've left the
electrodes connected to the copper sleeves with #20 and have ten turns of#20
wire from one electrode ending about 1/2 inch from the other copper sleeve.>>

Why did you leave the internal electrodes connected? see "A Suggestive
Inquiry" http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/4995/index.html

<<This works well at K setting with SWR of 1.6 to 1.3 depending on frequency.
Power is about 100 watts but after thirty or forty minutes the blue color
starts appearing at one end of the straight tube and gradually takes over the
whole tube. After it cools its okay again. I'm going to try a bigger fan on
the hot end and see if that works. I would like it to run cooler. Are you
using copper sleeves? Please describe the 3x5 copper. >>

The addition of a copper sheet to the tube wrap was merely a result of goofing
around. Well I call it "random coil permutation analysis; a personal
application of chaos theory". Anyway, I am using about 7 turns on my coil
wrap. (I have tried 4 turns, large and small coil spacings, copper sleeves,
etc.) To the free end of one of the coils, I added a length of line about 15"
long. To the free end of this line, I attached a copper sheet. This means I
have a total line length of about 49"; 12" from the balun to the tube; 22" for
the coil; then 15" to the copper plate. This extra length and plate are not in
proximity to the tube.

I have experimented capacitively coupling this to the tuner which I imagine
creates some feedback. My tuner sits under a shelf of wood, so by laying the
copper sheet on the shelf, I can move it around to check for effects. This has
as far as I know, nothing to do with anyone's educated and reasonable
research, and I am not recommending it for any reason. It does allow me to
tune my tube which otherwise I am unable to do at the present time. It also
creates an interesting effect of increasing the brightness of the plasma under
the coil. There seems to be almost an encapsulation of the plasma created by
the inductance of the coil. I mentioned this in a previous post.


---------------


> I have been able to achieve very low SWR's from the start. Sometimes with an
> indicated reflected power of about .25. With no equipment changes since the
> beginning, my inability to tune the reconditioned tube did rather surprise me.

It is to be expected that a recondx tube will have slightly different
characteristics than when it was brand new. Even under the best of circumstances,
any gas discharge tube will age and change its operating characteristics as it is
used. I don't think anyone has yet determined an operating lifetime for Rife/Bare
tubes. Each one is used differently, as far as power level, feed method, duty
cycle, etc., etc., are concerned, so that my tubes lifetime probably will not
match yours at all.

> I suppose the tuner may be malfunctioning to a degree, I don't know. I don't
> have another tube with which to compare at this time. The tuner does sometimes
> emit a rather loud tone, somewhat like a metallic buzz, ...something is
> mechanically vibrating at the modulation frequency. I cant locate the exact
> source; Its either the tuner or the balun. Nevertheless, and as you state, the
> subjective biological results seem superior so however I have to tune the
> thing, fine.

That's probably the real true test anyway. As for the buzz, I have found that the
high magnetic field due to the pulsed RF current in the coil and connecting wires
in the tuner can cause the metal components to vibrate and generate sound.
Removing the cover or squeezing the case in one or another spot will usually stop
the noise. High electrostatic fields can also make dielectric components vibrate,
although that is less common.

> One thing I noted is that my copper coils have left rather strong imprints on
> the glass which I am unable to clean off. I have noticed that sometimes there
> is an orange glow associated with these marks. This seems to be on the inside
> of the tube, and is not the pink glow which one sees under the coils. Why does
> this stain so tenaciously? Are metal ions penetrating into the surface? Anyone
> know how to clean these tattoos off?

Nothing short of replacing the tube or heating the tube wall quite hot - almost to
melting - will cure that, as far as I know. (Bill C., any comments on this?) I
think this effect is caused by the closeness of the feed electrode to the tube
wall, resulting in a very high RF voltage to exist at that point. The high voltage
causes the gas in the tube to ionize strongly enough and become hot enough near
the tube wall so that it attacks the tube wall, and entraps some of the gas
between the glass molecules. The gas pressure in the tube is actually reduced
somewhat by this "clean up" effect, but the pressure reduction is quite slow. All
of my tubes have these clean up marks.

The effect is made worse by running high power levels. During one of my early
tests, I ran about 1 Kw continuous to one of my tubes for about 4 minutes, and
that was all it took to "brand" the tube with the "Mark Of The Spiral." <G>

--
Ralph W5JGV

==========================