[R-390] Test Equipment

[David C. Hallam]

Tube testers are about the least useful piece of test equipment ever 
invented.  I can't understand their popularity or the astronomical 
prices they command.  The only bit of truly unambiguous information you 
can get from a tube tester is that the filament is burned out.  I don't 
think you need a tube tester to find that out.

I was that the Orlando hamfest yesterday and was astounded at the asking 
prices for any kind of tube tester.

David
KC2JD/4

Lester Veenstra wrote:
> Not necessarily improvements in the results, but certainly in the ease,
> speed, and reproducibility.  Been there and done that (CTM1) and I have to
> say it was a joy to get do the job with an HP 606 and 5248.  
> 
> In retrospect, what I would really would like to have had back then would be
> a synthesized sweeper to get the IFs to where they can be and noise source
> to properly characterize sensitivity, rather than the bogus numbers you can
> get by tuning the SigGen to a hot spot (peak) in the IF response.   
> 
> New rant:
> So yes, you can do good things to an R-390 with a URM-25 and a PSM-4. On the
> other hand you can do bad things with a tv-xx. The only useful tube tester
> you should use, and will ever need, is the R-390. What you get, from a tube
> tester, is meaningless where it is critical, and frequently condemns
> perfectly usable tubes. Instead of spending money on tube ?testers?, you
> should spend it on a collection of spare tubes.
> 
>  
> Lester B Veenstra  MØYCM K1YCM
> lester at veenstras.com
> m0ycm at veenstras.com
> k1ycm at veenstras.com
>  
>  
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: r-390-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:r-390-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
> On Behalf Of Pete Williams
> Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 12:29 AM
> To: r-390 at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: [R-390] Test Equipment
> 
> G'day....  well, for goodness sakes guys... belittling a URM-25,56+years
> old, because it doesn't do alinement/tests or whatever to current standards
> pays no respect to history.--Vintaqe.
> Used for R-390's it's perfectly satisfactory-why, you can align a R-390
> using the calibrator if you read the manual and have your druthers about
> you.
> Any noticeable/useable  improvement using later sophisticated  gear is
> fetishism to extreme lengths ---- get real !
> Pete
>  
> 
> 
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