[Peter Wieck]

On Aug 20, 9:08 am, Terry wrote:


Peter,
I hear a lot of words coming from someone who surely has years of
experience.
But for those of us who don't have this background, I need names and
model #s.
What models do you recommend?
Break them down into different catagories if you like.
Choice 1,2,3,etc. and for what application.

Terry:

In emissions-type testers, you are looking for something that is well-
supported in the market (has all the updates for the post-manufacture
tubes), is relatively simple to maintain and has good basic design.
Then, there are well-made testers that are less well supported, and
extremely well supported testers of sometimes questionable
construction.

Of the former, Simpson comes to mind. Extremely rugged and well-made.
Updates are available if somewhat hard to chase down. As are
schematics. But there are fewer of them. Other names along this line
are some of the lower-end Jackson & B&K. Again, $25 - $50 should be
your range.

Of the latter the kits come to mind: Heith, Eico and National come to
mind, with Heath leading the list in support and data. The difficulty
is that a kit can be anything from something put together with pluming
solder and acid flux to a labor of love from a skilled tech. Until you
get hold of it and look inside, you will not know, nor is any eBay
seller going to be able to tell you with any degree of certainty. Same
range.

Then, there is NRI and their ilk. Very simple testers that do the job
if in good condition, updates are available but a PITA to find, cheap,
cheap, cheap. Condition, condition, condition.

In MC testers, AVO and Hickok are the Bee's Knees, Cult Favorites,
whatever your choice of words. EVERYTHING else is second to them.

Avoid Hickok emissions-only testers like the plague. And the most
basic advice I can give is to NOT buy a tester until you can kick the
tires. Or, that the price is so low that you are willing to invest
whatever it takes to make it go (and you may need to do nothing at
all), or toss it if it cannot be made to go.

I have a Hickok 539B. I would pay $100 + that tester to go to a 539C
in equally good condition. I have no real use for a Cardmatic Hickok,
but for those who have volume issues, it is the way to go.

The Military testers (I77, TV-7 and clones) are very nice but also
limited. Pretty much all the second-tier MC Testers are limited. That
is the problem in a nutshell.

Assume I had no MC-type tester, and really wanted one for the same
reasons I have one now... the occasional matching of tubes, and actual
quality tests between similar tubes. I *might* pay $400 for one with
that capacity, but in the real world, that is pretty much limited to
either the 539 Hickok series, or modifications to other testers which
I am not prepared to do. Or to some testers in the AVO line, quite
scarce in the US.

Not sure if this answers you question, but it is all according to what
you want to do with it. My *OPINION* is that there is little to choose
between a very nice emissions-only tester and a TOL Tester capable of
true quality tests and matching. It is pretty much the case as it
applies to the hobbyist that everything is a Hyundai (gets you from
here to there) until it is a Mercedes or a Ferrari... at least as
prices have gotten these days. And do you really need either a
Mercedes or a Ferrari to just get you from here to there?

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA