[Elecraft] Recommended Fluke?

[Mark J. Dulcey]

Mike McCoy wrote:

> My Simpson analog meter is working fine but my digital multimeter isn't so
> I'm looking to pick up a used Fluke (I'm thinking bench model). Any advice?
> I'm thinking along the lines of an 8010, 8050 or maybe even an 8800. Any
> recommendation and/or particular model I should consider ?

I'd be more inclined to go with a handheld meter. It's more portable, 
which is sometimes handy. But you know how you use your meter, so make 
your own decision. Used handheld meters are likely to have been abused, 
so I'd buy new unless I was convinced that a meter I was looking at was 
in good working order. I don't have any advice on the specific models 
you mentioned.

By the way, hang on to the Simpson. Analog meters are handier than 
digital for peaking and nulling adjustments. And there may be occasions 
when you want two meters at the same time.

> Also, I've never had a VOM that measured capacitance... is it a worthwhile
> function?

I found the capacitance function on my DMM (Beckman DM27XT, now 
Wavetek/Meterman) to be a real lifesaver when I was building my K2. 
There were a couple of capacitors with really hard to make out markings 
(not just that they're small - a magnifier will take care of that - but 
impossible color combinations to boot. Red markings on brown 
bodies??!!), and the meter was able to tell me which caps were which. 
It's also handy for getting an idea of the range of an air variable 
capacitor.

It's not perfect, though. DMMs don't usually have any way to null out 
the stray capacitance of the meter and test leads, like dedicated 
capacitance meters do. That means you can't get accurate measurements of 
small caps; anything under 1000pf is somewhat compromised, and caps 
under 100pf are way off.

Still, it's good enough for a lot of purposes, and it doesn't add a lot 
to the price of a DMM, at least not in the case of new handheld meters. 
And if you find yourself needing more accuracy, you can always buy a 
dedicated meter to supplement your bench.