Ed. note: The original version of this story included the Econco logo overlayed on the Richardson Electronics logo. We’ve since updated the story to just include the Econco logo.
Microwave Power Products has announced it will close operations at the former Econco facility in California, ending its program for rebuilding power tubes used in vacuum tube-type broadcast transmitters.
MPP made the announcement late Wednesday. The company said in a release that operations at its Woodland, Calif., manufacturing site will cease on Sept. 1 as the company consolidates operations at its Palo Alto facility.
As part of the transition, MPP will discontinue repair services for Econco Power Grid tubes, though the company will continue to manufacture new tubes.
An MPP spokesperson declined to comment on the reasoning behind discontinuing the program.
The news is significant for stations using transmitters that require tubes such as the EIMAC 4CX20000E. Several readers have expressed concern regarding the dwindling number of companies offering rebuilt power tubes, which provide a cost-effective alternative to purchasing new tubes, or a solid-state transmitter.
The move includes the termination of Econco’s “bank” program. The program allowed customers to store non-working power grid tubes at the Woodland facility to be rebuilt and made available for future purchase.
MPP said that manufacturing of magnetrons and magnetron repair services will continue at the Palo Alto site.
Alternatives
Massachusetts-based Kennetron also advertises vacuum tube rebuilds.
Some readers have inquired about options on Alibaba, including those from Chinese manufacturer Jingguang. However, sourcing from China raises additional concerns regarding reliability and import tariffs.
The deadline to purchase repaired Econco Power Grid tubes is May 12 at the close of business. According to the release, failure to confirm a purchase or request the return of non-working tubes by that date will be treated as consent for MPP to dispose of any property remaining in the Bank program.
According to a timeline on MPP’s website, Econco was founded in 1968 and held the first contracts ever awarded by the U.S. government and the U.S. Navy to remanufacture microwave devices, twice receiving the Navy’s Award for Excellence.
Communications & Power Industries acquired Econco in 2004. In June 2024, Microwave Power Products Inc. and the CPI Electron Device Business spun off from CPI to become an independent entity.
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