On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 08:18:24 -0800 (PST), Robert Ladden wrote: >I have had good luck with a Jackson 648A tester. It is not an expensive Hickok >mutual conductance tester. It uses a "Dynamic" testing circuit and there is >much debate if that is really better than simple emission testing. But it does >have a test I have found useful.
I use a Jackson 658A. It is a late model, with the adapter that has sockets for most of the tube types used in the 60s and 70s. It supports most of the tube types, although I did have to fudge up a test for the 8950 recently. Not hard to do if there is a roughly equivalent type you can use as a reference. The life test is useful, as you say. Garey's comments on tube testers are accurate and well thought out. One thing that a good tester WILL do for you is help sort out shorted or gassy tubes, which could potentially cause damage when plugged in to a radio. They will also, of course, tell you if a tube is just dead, and can somtimes help find an intermittent tube (but you can also do that in the radio). 73 -Jim -- Ham Radio NU0C Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.S.A. TR7/RV7/R7A/L7, TR6/RV6, T4XC/R4C/L4B, NCL2000, SB104A, R390A, GT550A/RV550A, HyGain 3750, IBM PS/2 - all vintage, all the time! "Give a man a URL, and he will learn for an hour; teach him to Google, and he will learn for a lifetime." HyGain 3750 User's Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HyGain_3750/ http://radiojim(dot)exofire(dot)net http://incolor.inetnebr.com/jshorney http://www.nebraskaghosts.org _______________________________________________ Drakelist mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
