RF, power & vintage

7 components in this category. The highest-value item here is RF power transistors ☣ at $60–200 per pound.

RF power transistors ☣ RF, power & vintage · $60–200/lb Au 0.5–2 g/lbBase Kovar A Gold-plated hermetic transistors (TO-3/TO-5/TO-18) RF, power & vintage · $40–120/lb Au 0.5–2 g/lbBase Kovar B Klystrons & Travelling-Wave Tubes RF, power & vintage · $3–40/lb Cu ~250 g/lb (0.35–0.75 lb Cu per lb of tube)Au ~0.5–4 g per tubeAg 2–30 g per tube C Vacuum tubes RF, power & vintage · $5–20/lb Au 0.1–0.5 g/lb (gold-pin types)Ag traceBase nickel plates C Chip antennas (LTCC ceramic) RF, power & vintage · $20–120/lb Ag 6–18 g/lb D CRT flyback transformers & deflection yokes ☠ RF, power & vintage · $0.5–1.5/lb Cu 150–400 g per yokeBase ferrite core D Magnetron ☣☣ RF, power & vintage · $1–4/lb Ag 0.5–2 g per magnetronCu 200–400 g per unitBase ferrite magnets D

How this category is graded

Tier S is top material worth sorting out and keeping separate. Tier A is high value and worth the labour to harvest. Tier B is solid in volume. Tier C only pays at scale or as part of the board it sits on. Tier D is near zero — knowing what not to spend time on is half the skill.

All 128 components →