[Boatanchors] Hickok 203 VTVM

[Sandy]

Speaking of lamps!  Doesn't EVERYONE know?  California and all the 
"Greenies" have BANNED the incandescent lamp!!  It is inefficient and wastes 
precious energy!  It is old, and obsolete, and absolutely MUST be replaced 
to save "earth" and our environment!  (Yes, I AM sarcastic!  Because it is 
[the old Edison lamp] indeed not as efficient.)  Eventually as LED 
technology improves even more the incandescent bulb will be 
superceded....WHAT IS THE BIG PANIC and RUSH?  That rush to BAN it is very 
stupid and "Chicken Little" thinking.  There are NO #44 and #47 "dial" lamps 
at Radio Shack anymore in most of the "Cellphone Shack" stores!  I have all 
but written "Rat Shack" off.  They have nothing I can really use anymore in 
"parts".  What they DO have has inflated prices thru the ceiling.  {End if 
tirade.  I'm sorry this "banning" and forced obsolescence stuff angers me to 
no end!}

I had a similar plug and socket "problem" with a Hickok 209.  The VTVM with 
the huge illuminated meter.  It is truly a joy to work with and does so much 
more than most of them, and is easier to read for this old man than a small 
metered instrument.   I LIKE METERS instead of numerical readouts for 
trouble shooting.  Pointer "action" and trends can tell you more than some 
exact voltage readings!  I wound up using some old "pin plugs" that ICA used 
to sell that had a "two step" probe on the plug.  The first part was the 
typical probe shaft of around 1/16" diameter like most "pin plugs".  This 
was stepped to a slightly larger size for the last 1/4" or so of length 
before the metal ferrule that secured the wire in the metal body of the 
plug.  I clipped off the 1/16" part, filed the "stub" round to keep from 
puncturing myself and the larger stepped part fit the Hickok pin jacks 
fairly well.  Just where you can get these ICA or H.H. Smith plugs now is 
anybodys guess!  I think Hickok must have had the original plugs specially 
made an "oddball" size to force you to buy replacement test leads from them.

You may have some really "old timer" hams that still have junk boxes with 
stuff they haven't used in years.  They would be a possible good source for 
this kind of stuff.  Most of this stuff AND old parts usually get relegated 
to the dumpster when some old ham passes away when "estate raiders" buy off 
the old gear.

73,

Sandy W5TVW

-----Original Message----- 
From: manualman at juno.com
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2012 2:11 AM
To: boatanchors at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Hickok 203 VTVM

There's got to be thousands of Molex type connector plugs depending on
style, pins(male or female), number of positions, contact plating. It
would be pure guesswork on what to stock. On the lamps, if it was the
70's or 80's, they probably would have had them in stock. Those lamps
were quite common back then.

Pete, wa2cwa

On Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:42:16 -0400 Bill Cromwell <wrcromwell at gmail.com>
writes:
> Hi,
>
> Not at MY Radio Shack! I went there today to get some garden
> variety
> lamps to relamp the dials in my Kenwood Twins (tubes used in the
> TX).
> They had only a few types and mine wasn't one. I also need a couple
> of
> Molex plugs. Guess what. No joy. Whenever I go to Radio Shack and
> mention all the things they don't have any more I get some crap
> about
> this being the 21st century. So today I pointed out that another
> thing
> they don't have any more is a long line at the checkout counter. Try
> the
> online places and just wait for the parts. At least you'll find what
> you
> want.
>
> <dismount soapbox>
>
> 73,
>
> Bill  KU8H
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