The good ones cost an arm and a leg. Hickok and B&K are probably the ones you'll see most often referred to as "good ones". Most radio and TV repair businesses used B&K tube testers. Hickok made tube testers for the military as the TV-7 series. The very best ones do their testing at frequencies far below what the tube actually sees in applications. I think the Kickok testers work around 5kHz. Therefore tube testers a no good for testing sweep tubes as these tubes were never designed for high power RF service. Myself I use a Sencore TC-162 because I couldn't find a Hickok going for a decent price. Regardless of what you end up with keep in mind that a tube tester is not an absolute arbiter as to whether a tube is good or bad. They are good for weeding out the bad ones with open filaments, shorts or leaks, etc. The only real way to tell if a tube is good or bad is by direct substitution.
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Bill Maddock Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2006 10:56 AM To: drakelist@www.zerobeat.net Subject: [drakelist] Tube testers? I am looking for a good condition used tube tester to keep my drakes in tip top shape! What are the best ones to buy for our radios? Is Heathkit ok? How about B&K? Does anyone have one that they would like to sell? Thanks and Merry Christmas, Bill N4ZI Munford, TN _____ Have a burning question? Go to Yahoo! <http://answers.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTFvbGNhMGE3BF9TAzM5NjU0NTEwOARfcwMzOTY1 NDUxMDMEc2VjA21haWxfdGFnbGluZQRzbGsDbWFpbF90YWcx> Answers and get answers from real people who know.
