Tube sockets nomenclature

[fabiodl]

Hello, I am looking for tube sockets (9 pins, radius seems to be 6mm, and they look 36 degrees apart).
Searching for sockets I found many variants
GZC9-B
GZC9-C1
GZC9-F
GZC9-A
GZC9-Y-3
and many more. What do the trailing letters stay for?

See for example http://www.mableaudio.com/uploadfile/Download/201309221521001040.pdf

[fourtytwo42]

If you look at the pictures below the listing you can see the differences, there is no standard for this it is vendor dependant, it would also identify the base material e.g. ceramic vs plastic, not so clear in the pics but then they have provided you with an Email address!

[Richard Crowley]

7-pin and 9-pin miniature tube sockets are standardized.  As you have discovered dozens of manufacturers make made probably hundreds of different sockets that will connect to a standard miniature tube.  The entire part numbers you refer to appear to be manufacturer's (or vendor's) arbitrary part numbers.  Perhaps they have some meaning internal to the manufacturer.  But this late in the evolution (lingering death) of firebottles, you are probably lucky to even find tube sockets at all, regardless of what they are called.

[DBecker]

It's amusing how many things still use tube sockets.

I was recently dealing with gas sensors.  They have internal heaters and sometimes use a flow-through air passage.  They are designed around an open-center tube socket.

Just glancing at my desk I see two cheap (free with coupon from Harbor Freight) multimeters that appear to a use tube socket for the transistor test.

[drussell]

...
dozens of manufacturers make made probably hundreds of different sockets that will connect to a standard miniature tube.

They're still being manufactured, though perhaps not by too many dozens of manufacturers. 

[Cyberdragon]

You can get tube sockets from instrument amplifier shops (provided they sell parts).

[fabiodl]

Thank you everybody!