[Boatanchors] Old resistor values

[Garey Barrell]

Robert -

In my experience, the color bands on "modern" resistors are just for 
decoration!  The colors are NOT true, and it is particularly difficult 
to tell the difference between black, brown and red.   Even with bright, 
color accurate lighting and high magnification.  I have given up and 
just measure them with an ohmmeter.

73, Garey - K4OAH
Atlanta

WA5CAB at cs.com wrote:

>Group,
>
>I've been meaning to ask this for a week.  Most of the newer production 
>carbon film (and/or maybe metal film) resistors that I've seen have dumbbell shape 
>(like the 20's and 30's vintage carbon composition ones except that those were 
>radial lead), micron sized lead wire, and of those that still have standard 
>color bands, the colors are often pastel rather than true, and the band width 
>is typically so narrow that at 61 and wearing tri-focals I often have trouble 
>reading them.  Does anyone make square ended resistors with decent width color 
>bands in the correct colors?  So that valid repairs aren't automatically 
>suspected by the next person to look at the set of being modifications?
>
>Robert Downs - Houston
><http://www.wa5cab.com> (Web Store)
><wa5cab at cs.com> (Primary email)
><wa5cab at houston.rr.com> (Backup email)
>  
>