[ODPILOT]

5/17/14
Hello all - I'm restoring my second Philco radio phonograph. I need to buy a tube tester on ebay - there are so many brands and types, not sure which one I should get. I'm restoring another 53-1750 Console. If it matters, Tubes it takes are:
7A8
7B7
7C6
35L6GT
50Y7GT
Thanks.

[jerryhawthorne]

ODPILOT, you will get more answers from that question and they will all vary. I have a Precision 10-12 which is a low end tube tester but will test any tube I can come up with. Testing is a word that is rather ambiguous as some test more factors than others. Mine is an emission tester but it does handle dead and shorted tubes which I'm most interested in and provide an idea of emission of the tube. Others will provide more precise information on tube function. I will say radio tubes that test weak on any tester seem to work just fine. All bets are off on oscillator tubes as no reasonably priced tester will tell you if they are going to work at higher frequencies. The best tester is the radio with a known good tube that works in another radio.
If you wish to match output tubes in a high end piece of audio equipment, the more expensive ones are nice. I don't need that just a rough test.

Good luck on your search and match your needs to a product. Particular emphasis on will it handle your tubes. Often "new" ones won't handle tubes from the 30s due to sockets for them not being there.
Happy with what mine does as a rough check and to make certain I don't plug a tube in that is going to hurt something else in the radio.

Jerry

[codefox1]

Well, if you are doing real old, not so old, and pretty much to the end of the tube era, a Hickok would be great. I have a 533 Hickok , and also a simple Superior which does most compactrons/noval. There are also Knight/Eico/whatever that do basic testing pretty good too. Well many well respected opinions abound!

I like to test tubes in a set when I get it, just to see if there is any immediate peril like shorts or open filaments. Beyond that, the proof is whether the tube performs as expected in the set.

[morzh]

Firs, of course:

You do not buy a tester because "I am restoring this particular radio right now".
If you plan to keep doing it and your interests lie in the band Codefox outlined, then yeas, a Hickok would be a good investment.

I have a Hickok 600.

[jerryhawthorne]

Mike hit the nail on the head. If your just doing a couple phonos and not interested in expanding to a lot of radios, you really don't need to spend the money on a tube tester. Should you wish to expand your horizons they are handy but not necessary. If your moving to radios, there are other pieces of test equipment I would go for first, like a signal generator and perhaps a circuit tester. Not to mention if you buy a tube tester one on line, it would be nice to make certain it works well. They are not a lot of fun to repair.
Jerry

[Phlogiston]

Here is the thing. An emissions tester of moderate quality/price will generally give you a good indication on small signal tubes. If you are dealing with power/output tubes for transmitters, stereo amps or just high power radio receivers (say anything bigger than a 45), you need a good mutual conductance tester. I would recommend the Hickok, in particular the 600A. They are not too expensive (yet) and will test the old big-pin tubes.

[morzh]

Well,

I would not say 600A is not expensive.....it ain't cheap, one in good condition fully working will pull 300 and up (mine was in low 400).
Of course compared to 539B it is dirt cheap.

[jerryhawthorne]

Got my Precision for $50. Does what I need.
Jerry

[Eliot Ness]

I'll go along with Jerry and say I really like my Precision 10-12 tube tester. Although I also have a Hickock TV-7 I use the Precision 95% of the time because I've become so familiar with it and it is so easy to use:

http://www.indianaradios.com/Precision%2...Tester.htm

If you can afford it a Hickok or other mutual conductance tube tester is a fine piece of equipment, but unless you're selling tubes most can get by with a more affordable unit.

And for anyone seriously interested in vintage tube testers the book by Alan Douglas is a must have:

http://www.amazon.com/Tube-Testers-Class...1886606145

It should be noted, as one reviewer stated, "it is NOT a "review" of tube testers or test equipment on a "which one is better" or "what is the BEST" type of basis. Rather, it is a careful examination and explanation of the "method of operation" as well as the "inherent limitations" for a multitude of vacuum tube testers and test equipment."

[GarySP]

Hello ODPILOT, I have to concur with the opinions given. To find the basic functionality of a tube, an emission tester like an Eico 625 or a Heathkit tester will get you into the church. If you get to the point where you are looking to get into a particular pew in that church, then you're looking at getting a mutual conductance tester. Regardless what avenue you take, a tester is only as good as its' calibration. Gas and short tests are just as important as output values. Just my two cents worth... Take care, Gary.

[Ron Ramirez]

One of the few times in my collecting career that I hit it really lucky - about 25 or so years ago, I attended an estate auction of a radio-TV repair shop. I still have one of the items I bought at that auction, a Heathkit TT-1A mutual conductance tube tester. I think that was the best two dollars I ever spent in this hobby. It worked for many years until it began to get flaky a few years ago, at which point I replaced all paper and electrolytic capacitors.

It's still going strong...the meter sticks sometimes now, but a careful tapping gets the pointer loose again.

That said, I concur that for average radio restoration, an emission tester will be good enough.

[TA Forbes]

After Daystrom acquired both Heath and Weston back in the '50s, it was decided to develop a kit-mutual conductance tester that would directly compete with other high-end testers then available.

Much of the TT-1's design was directly influenced by the Weston 981-3 tester. In fact, much of the tube-test roll-chart info can be used for both testers.

The TT-1 is definitely an excellent instrument. In fact, it has several "improvements" that make it a better tester than the Weston 981, these being: 1. Gas Test; 2. "Life Test": 3. "Disconnect" switch that takes the tube out of circuit; 4. 12AV6 tube to drive the meter.

Additionally, it offers both a left hand and right hand roll-chart thumbwheel and frankly is one of the most attractive instruments out there. AND the calibration procedure has been simplified to a five-minute procedure.

[Chuck Schwark]

I got lucky too, like Ron, a while back.

[Image: http://www.philcorepairbench.com/images/bench02.jpg]

A local house sale and the lady was selling off hubbies'
tool bench and it had a Hickok 600A, pristine, with Supl. charts,
and foreign cross ref sheets, all for $100.
Needless to say . . .

Tweaked the calib a bit and it's minty. Red tolex coverings
also in VG condition - just minor corner wear.

Chuck

[Ron Ramirez]

AND the calibration procedure has been simplified to a five-minute procedure.

Yes, forgot to mention, after I recapped my TT-1A, I calibrated it. Still works fine other than the occasional sticking pointer.

[jerryhawthorne]

Poor OD probably "ODed" on all the information and opinions we offered up. Of course they were filled with good information.
OD, just post a want to buy here and see what is offered up. The prices will be reasonable and the people on the Phorum can be trusted.
Jerry