[Boatanchors] Voltage Calibrator

[Charlie Cheney]

They aren't boatanchors, but there are many solid state voltage 
reference ICs with precisions as good as 0.1% out of the box. They cost 
a couple of bucks in single unit quantities. The 6035 is available in a 
5V version and will source 10 mA. Its initial accuracy is spec'd at 
+-0.2%. This is probably better than you will get from a cheapo DVM. One 
of these and a few 0.1% resistors as your primary standards and you can 
calibrate the higher scales with a stable HV source into a divider. Of 
course the source resistance of the divider needs to be much lower than 
the input of your meter.

I've built a couple of calibration boxes along these lines. Tried to get 
the idea into Hints & Kinks once but I think they considered the concept 
of calibrating a measuring instrument too academic for the general ham 
population.

73,

Charlie K1LDZ