What is the PCF86-P vacuum tube?

The PCF86-P (PCF86 (Pentode)) is a pentode vacuum tube designed for preamp applications. Series-heater pentode..

What is a PCF86-P substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the PCF86-P include None. These share the same pinout and operating envelope, so they can usually be swapped without circuit changes — though batch-to-batch variations between manufacturers (NOS vs current production) may shift the sonic character noticeably.

What are the key specifications of the PCF86-P?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 70, transconductance gm ≈ 12 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 350.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 250 V, max plate dissipation 2 W, heater 8 V / 0.3 A.

Is the PCF86-P still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the PCF86-P 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 PCF86-P sound like?

Series-heater pentode.. 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.

By Jean-Michel Falligan Devergne · Reviewed May 29, 2026

←PCF86-P

← PCC88 PCF86-T →Compare…

PCF86-P PCF86 (Pentode) Pentode Vacuum Tube

Pentode8V / 0.3A9-pin NovalSPICE

SourcePCF86 datasheet (vintelec · r-type.org)Reviewed2026-05-29StatusDataModelCalcModelKoren pentodePDF

Small-signal pentode for low-noise voltage amplification

Datasheet ↗SPICE

PCF86 (Pentode) — Philips — pentode vacuum tube — (1958)

350.0kΩ

12.0mA/V

5.9pF

0.0pF

3.50pF

GAIN70%

POWER5%

DRIVE0%

LINEARITY65%

SPECIFICATIONS

Heater8 V · 0.3 A

Max Plate Voltage250 V

Pa max2 W

Gain Factor70

gm12 mA/V

rp350.0 kΩ

Inter-electrode capacitances

Cgk5.9 pF

Cgp0.012 pF

Cpk3.5 pF

Pinout9-pin Noval

Era1958

RarityCommon

HEATER8V / 0.3A

MAX PLATE250V / 2W

BASEnoval

Source datasheets

3 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for PCF86 (Pentode)

3 verified

Triode-connectedPhilipsDecember 1969 (sheets dated 1969.12 / 1969.01; FP cover 1999.07.31)

Specs when the screen grid (g2) is tied to the anode — the tube acts as a triode.

100 V

Vg1

-3 V

14 mA

5.7 mA/V

According to Philips (Data handbook, Electronic components and materials) (December 1969 (sheets dated 1969.12 / 1969.01; FP cover 1999.07.31)): « en triode »

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The PCF86-P is a indirectly-heated pentode from Philips, introduced around 1958. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 70 with 350.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Series-heater pentode.

APPLICATIONS

Voltage amplifier

Generic pentode preamp stage

HISTORY

Introduced1958ManufacturerPhilips

Golden Age

PCF86-P Datasheet

Local mirror · PDF

↗

METRIX TESTER

Test this tube on a Metrix

SIMILAR PENTODES

View all →

12SJ7Preamp 307APower/Output 310APreamp 35LR6Sweep / Power 47Power/Output 4P1LPower (SET output) — DHT pentode 5639Video / wideband (power)5654RF / Preamp