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I think it is time for me to break down and buy a tube tester.
I would like to buy a vintage model at a reasonable ($200 or less) price.For the most part I plan on using it to match tubes for my own
personal use.Can anyone recommend a model to start looking for?
Follow Ups:
tester with som elimitations
http://www.britishaudio.co.uk/tubeimp.htm
best regards
Balle
very much appreciated.
Are these testers capable of testing power tubes like 845 and 300B?I assume the answer is YES but I'd like to check with the experts.
Thanks,
Mark
Yes and no.You can test for shorts and transconductance on most of them, I believe; however, very few if any, have the voltage necessary to actually test the tube at operating levels.
-Rod
.
I've got two Hickok 539, one is an 'a' model that I bought first. These get pricey and I ought to sell one of them, but the one that I used the most is my TV-7. It's smaller, reliable, easy to use and I can't recall anything that the 539 can test that the TV-7 can't that I needed to test. When I bought it, 539 were $600+ and TV-7s could be had for $100-$150.
-Rod
Contact Bill(Hickock Doc)Waters. His email address is ts6550@yahoo.com Tell him what you need the tester for and how much you would like to spend. I'm sure he can help you out. I got a reconditioned and calibrated Eico 666 from him for a very reasonable price.
Bill calibrated and did some protective upgrades on my tester. One thing to keep in mind when you buy a tester is it's likely to require a calibration. Depending on what other services/repairs could cost an additional $100 - $250.All said and done, my tester cost about $600 once calibrated and updated.
Weston 981, Type 3
It's the easiest of all testers to restore. It's built like a battleship. It is also tightly enclosed with no slot switches and uses standard switches and parts. There were alot of them sold and this tester was the standard at the National Bureau of Standards. It only has three or four electrolytic caps to replace. The maximum transconductance that it will measure is around 12000 umho so if you read a lot of 417As or even 6DJ8s if good will read off the meter scale. Try to find one that has not spent most of it's years with the lid off. If paint has been rubbed off the switch plate then you will know it's seen alot of abuse. The sockets for the most common tubes like the 6au6,12ax7, 12au7, 6sn7, 5U4, 5Y3, 6L6 maybe worn to the point that you have to replace the sockets. Look for one with an intact meter that the needle rests on the left. I like it much better than the Hickocks that are really pricey.
"I take you as you are
And make of you what I will,
Skunk-bear, carcajou, bloodthirsty
Non-survivor.
Lord, let me die but not die out." THE LAST WOLVERINE by James Dickey
There is a Weston 981 on ebay selling for around $400. It looks
to be in very good condition. Is that about the going price?
I only paid $200 for mine but that was 5 years ago. The TV7 Army-JAN tester is also very nice. They all are getting pricey. The Daven company also made a good JAN tester that sometimes appears. The Weston 981 was also made for the government as a 798 I think. Much of this government stuff reeks of fumes of some chemical that they used to impregnate the power transformer and has an umpleasant smell. The B&Ks, EICOs and Sencores all seem to show up worn out. The Hickock 750 series is very nice (green panel with engraved switch numbers). You want a transconductance tester than has a built in oscillator at around 1K and also a variable pot of delivering screen voltages. There are many emission testers on the market that only test the condition of the cathode and whether all of it's coating is still in tact. That's all they test for. A transconductance tester is what you want and delivers a real test of the condition of the tube.
"I take you as you are
And make of you what I will,
Skunk-bear, carcajou, bloodthirsty
Non-survivor.
Lord, let me die but not die out." THE LAST WOLVERINE by James Dickey
...they'll sell you. I picked up two that way for around $20 each. Then you can actually see what you are buying and if it works.
I use a Hickok 800 and am very happy with it. Its a good middle of the road tester and does everything from 4 pin jobs to mini's and can do acorns, nuvistors etc with an option adapter though I've sometimes seen the adapter go for as much as the complete tester. These still come up occasionally for less then $200 and even if it has an older chart the latest charts and manuals are still available online. I'm sure glad I bought mine when they were still $25 at hamfests...
Do some searches for tube testers in the archives. Also read the FAQ section above here for info. Just makes sure you buy a complete model in working condition with the roll chart, or tube manual that came with it. Parts are mostly unobtanium for the older testers. Heatkit tt1, Sencore, and some others can be had in your price range. You can also look in your area to find out when and where the boat anchors have their next tube swap/flea market going on. Craigslist in my area has had a few very basic ones for sale over the last year. So check CL in your area weekly for some or post a wanted ad there for free. Good luck! John
Also make sure the tester you buy can test all the tubes you will be interested in testing. Not all testers have the capability and test data for all tubes. 4 pin triodes from the 30's and the newer 9 pin signal tubes are very different animals, so make sure you can test what you will use. Good luck and good testing.
Stupid me.. I assumed that anyone buying a tube tester would be doing enough research to ensure the t.t. they end up buying can actually test the tubes they are using. That was a good suggestion to buy Alan Douglas's tube tester book. Alan is a good Man. I bought my pair of Dynaco Mk3 amps from him about eleven years ago now. I own around five tt's with two of them working very well. I would like to buy a copy of his book to read. :) John
That is the reason why I asked, lately I have left the 9 pin's
behind and have been concentrating on pre-octals and a few octals.I have serched the archives and the results are mixed.
I just don't want to spend a lot of money on one that doesn't
do what I want it to do.
These are 2 general kinds of tube testers. The more-basic tests the emissions of a tube's elements, while a transconductance type tests the tube's actual performance or gain. Ecamples of the former can be found for well under a $100; I have a Mercury that meets the above requirements that you could have for $50.I also have 2 Mercury transconductance testers. They work well and seem to be selling for less, and sometimes LOTS less, than the more popular Hickocks, etc.
You might also try to find a copy of Alan Douglas's book 'Tube Testers and Classic Electronic Test Gear'; it contains lots of info on testers.
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Tin-eared audiofool and obsessed landscape fotografer.
http://community.webshots.com/user/jeffreybehr
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