What is the 6DQ6-B vacuum tube?

The 6DQ6-B is a tetrode vacuum tube designed for power applications. TV sweep power..

What are the key specifications of the 6DQ6-B?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 4, transconductance gm ≈ 7.3 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 18.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 770 V, max plate dissipation 18 W, heater 6.3 V / 1.2 A.

Is the 6DQ6-B still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the 6DQ6-B as Common availability. NOS (new-old-stock) examples from RCA, Mullard, Tung-Sol, GE, Sylvania and Telefunken trade among collectors; modern production where it exists comes mostly from JJ Electronic, Electro-Harmonix, Tung-Sol (New Sensor), Genalex, and a handful of small-batch makers.

What does the 6DQ6-B sound like?

TV sweep power.. Sonic character also depends heavily on the circuit operating point, the surrounding tubes in the stage, and the output transformer when present — use the interactive loadline calculator on this page to explore the trade-offs.

6DQ6-B Tetrode Vacuum Tube

Beam power tetrode rated at 18W for high-power output stages

TetrodeHeater 6.3 V · 1.2 AOctalRCA 1955

Plate dissipation: 18W
Max plate voltage: 770V
Transconductance: 7.3mA/V

6DQ6-B

Characteristics

Datasheet values, once each. Every value cites its sheet.

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of 6DQ6-B — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	1.2 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of 6DQ6-B — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	770 V
Plate dissipationPa max	18 W

Mechanical

Specifications of 6DQ6-B — Mechanical
Base	Octal
Rarity	Common
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of 6DQ6-B — Small signal
Transconductance	7.3 mA/V
Plate resistance	18 kΩ
Amplification factor	4

Capacitances

Specifications of 6DQ6-B — Capacitances
Input	15 pF
Grid–plate	0.5 pF
Output	7 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of 6DQ6-B — Character
Gain	4%
Power	45%
Drive	82%
Linearity	95%

datasheet cited · model or editorial reading · catalogue value, no citation attached yet · nothing invented

Using this tube

Applications

High-power output

Generic tetrode power stage

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : GE 6DQ6-B datasheet (tekwiki)Active model : Koren pentode

Manufacturer datasheets

2 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for 6DQ6-B2 verified

6DQ6-B DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: GE 6DQ6-B datasheet (tekwiki)
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: Koren pentode

Context

The 6DQ6-B is a indirectly-heated beam tetrode from RCA, introduced around 1955. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 4 with 18.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in power applications. TV sweep power.

History

Introduced: 1955
Manufacturer: RCA
Era: Golden Age

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