[ARC5] [Milsurplus] Tube Tester

[Kenneth G. Gordon]

On 12 Jul 2009 at 15:07, Bob Macklin wrote:

> The Heath TT-1 is the only dynamic tube tester that heath ever made.
> They don't come cheap.

You can say THAT again!

I just checked eBay: there is ONE Heathkit TT-1 for sale 
today, and the Buy-it-now price is $499.99, about 
equivalent to the Hickok 539(*)s being sold today.

BTW, Hickok patented the Dynamic Mutual Conductance 
method of testing tubes, and, as far as I know, any other 
manufacturer who used the same method had to pay 
Hickok a fee.

Jackson Brothers then designed a similar method in direct 
competition to Hickok, and patented THAT, selling its 
method to some few other companies.

You can usually tell those testers that use the Jackson 
system since they cannot call them "Dynamic Mutual 
Conductance" testers after Hickok patented their design. 
Most of those Jackson system testers I have seen say 
something like "Dynamic Tube Tester"

The TV-2 series uses the Hickok system, although most of 
those were built for the military by Victoreen.

I don't know who made the '177 military versions. Maybe 
someone else here does.

Ken Gordon W7EKB