Tube tester??

Hey guys!
As I am just getting started working with older jukes I have come to the
conclusion I should have a tube tester. The problem is there are about a
million different models by hundreds of manufacturers. I want one that meets
my needs, but feel I don't need one of the high dollar mutual conductance
testers that nowadays sell for hundreds on Ebay. Can you give some advice.
What do you folks use? Where should I buy?
Craig

I have purchased several over the years. Any of them will do basic tests. I
paid $3.00 for one at a garage sale and I doubt that I paid more than $20.00
for any of the ones I have. I used to spend a lot of time going to junk
stores, flea markets, garage sales and antique shopes that dealt with not-so
fine quality merchandise. That is where I found mine. People in those places
do not know what they are worth even if they know what they are. Buyers on
eBAy will know exactly what they are buying and are willing to pay hansomly
to get it. I used to know where the shops were and whenever I was in the
area I would take 10 min. and stop in looking for old radio stuff. I bought
tubes, needles, radios and occasionally a jukebox, all sorts of fun old
things that way. Now I'm selling the stuff off on eBay. Go figure.

Anyway my opinion is that Triplett and Hickok are probably the best with
Heath and Eico making good ones also. I have a Triplett, Hickok and Eico and
maybe one other. EBay has some at not too high a price right now.

My $.02 worth after inflation.

Jim

"Craig Bellamy" wrote in message
...
Hey guys!
As I am just getting started working with older jukes I have come to the
conclusion I should have a tube tester. The problem is there are about a
million different models by hundreds of manufacturers. I want one that
meets
my needs, but feel I don't need one of the high dollar mutual conductance
testers that nowadays sell for hundreds on Ebay. Can you give some advice.
What do you folks use? Where should I buy?
Craig

Agreed!
ANY tube tester that is in good condition will work just fine for testing
juke tubes.
Just make sure that it has the setting sheets with it!
"Jim Murphy" wrote in message
...
I have purchased several over the years. Any of them will do basic tests. I
paid $3.00 for one at a garage sale and I doubt that I paid more than
$20.00 for any of the ones I have. I used to spend a lot of time going to
junk stores, flea markets, garage sales and antique shopes that dealt with
not-so fine quality merchandise. That is where I found mine. People in
those places do not know what they are worth even if they know what they
are. Buyers on eBAy will know exactly what they are buying and are willing
to pay hansomly to get it. I used to know where the shops were and whenever
I was in the area I would take 10 min. and stop in looking for old radio
stuff. I bought tubes, needles, radios and occasionally a jukebox, all
sorts of fun old things that way. Now I'm selling the stuff off on eBay. Go
figure.

Anyway my opinion is that Triplett and Hickok are probably the best with
Heath and Eico making good ones also. I have a Triplett, Hickok and Eico
and maybe one other. EBay has some at not too high a price right now.

My $.02 worth after inflation.

Jim

"Craig Bellamy" wrote in message
...
Hey guys!
As I am just getting started working with older jukes I have come to the
conclusion I should have a tube tester. The problem is there are about a
million different models by hundreds of manufacturers. I want one that
meets
my needs, but feel I don't need one of the high dollar mutual conductance
testers that nowadays sell for hundreds on Ebay. Can you give some
advice.
What do you folks use? Where should I buy?
Craig








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I've bought a few tube testers both from ebay and from local swap
meets & garage sales.

One thing I've found is that it's good to have more than one tester.
Sometimes you'll find a tube will be marginal on one tester while
another will say it's good. If two testers say a tube is shorted than
you can be pretty sure it's shorted.

I use a small B&K model 600 Dyna-quik for most stuff cause it's so
easy to pack around. I also use a Heathkit TC-2 for older tubes cause
this unit has the old 4 and 5 pin sockets on it.

Regardless of what tester you get it's useless without the manual and
tube setup charts.

Try to avoid those 'drug store' tube testers with those umpteen
billion sockets all over it. Most decent testers have only 10 to 15
sockets whereas the drugstore variety may have 30!

tube testers- good question.after over 50 years, I've seen a lot of them from
lab equipment to the drug store type.

with out going onto all the ins and outs of this subject. the sencore mity mite
two will do fine. and is easy to set up.
doc ellis

Ken Layton wrote:


One thing I've found is that it's good to have more than one tester.
Sometimes you'll find a tube will be marginal on one tester while
another will say it's good.

So which one do you believe?

One thing I've found is that it's good to have more than one tester.
Sometimes you'll find a tube will be marginal on one tester while
another will say it's good.

So which one do you believe?

The "SHORTS" test on the B&K is more sensitive, but
feature-for-feature I prefer the old Heathkit as it tests old 4 and 5
pin tubes as well as the famous 2050 used in Seeburg jukes. The B&K
does not test 2050's.

About 15 years ago I bought an "update" box for the Heathkit which
plugs into the 9 pin socket on the tester. This box allows testing of
compactrons, novars, etc. It even came with an update setup booklet to
use with the tester. I think the company that made this box has since
gone out of business, but that just makes my Heathkit worth that much
more.