On Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 2:57:41 PM UTC-5, Jon Elson wrote:
I was repairing a piece of old equipment, and needed a replacement RF
transistor. Checking at Digi-Key, I found very thin pickings, so i checked
a few other distributors, and found the same situation. They seemed to have
a modest choice of SMT transistors, but REALLY thin variety in T0-92 and
similar plastic packages. N

I have found that but-for a very few specialized transistors, most of the general purpose types are now lumped into a much smaller universe of replacement types. I have never had any problems, ultimately, with finding replacements - and I keep a variety of testers and checkers to make sure they will do - but they are not necessarily to OEM spec. Usually much better.

Then, I am a hobbyist dealing in onesie-twosies. So I can afford to go up a couple of notches if necessary.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA