AADE L/C meter

MFJ = "made from junk" So they say, anyway.

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Then there are these but I don't know how they compare:

AFAIK the design is based on an ATMega 328. I like the idea of the ZIF socket with repeated pin-out so you can move one three pin positions when one location wears out.

My interest is in the L measuremnt, small values for use in HF-VHF work. I gave up years ago for lack of good test HF equipment. Actually I wish I had a Dip meter back then, would have made it easier.

As an aside, some of the antenna anaylsers make for pretty good RF generators, which can be pricey if you purchase a dedicated signal generator.

Cheers

I bought a Sencore LC53 at the Ocala Hamfest, yesterday. I got it for $20. :)

I have a Measurements 59 VHF dip meter that I got off eBay for under a hundred bucks. Recommended.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

About 10 years ago, someone handed me a Millen 90651. I took it out last night and turned it on for the first time. I coupled it into a Leader 250mhz counter I have and it looks like it works in all bands except the 150 - 300mhz. Probably a coupling issue, next time I'll hook up the wide band preamp I have. It was spot on with the dial vs freq. It probably needs new caps and resistors, the split 20/20uf input filter goes bad with age and the carbon comps drift. THe tube seems to be ok. Whats neat is the case is copper with a black finish, never noticed and wasnt expecting that.

Cheers

I've bought two of these LCR meters that I like...

Measures 10kHz and 100 kHz as well.

Worth $107 or whatever. It ships from Japan I seem to remember.

boB

Yes, and this one is the true retro variety with tubes and all. I got a Boonton 59 as well which I believe is the same. Mostly I am decadent though and use a Heathkit HD-1250 transistor dipmeter:

Problem is, you can usually only buy it after someone has passed away. People who have them do not let them go.

I had one and chucked it--it was junk. It required way too much coupling between the meter and the DUT. The Measurements 59 requires only very light coupling.

Maybe my Heath one was busted.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

It probably was because the HD-1250 has a FET coupler stage to reduce the load on the resonant circuit. When climbing around on equipment it is nice to have a battery-powered dipmeter.

I actually have both the HF/VHF and UHF models of the Measurements 59. The UHF one goes from 420-950 MHz, has a fixed hairpin coil under a plastic bubble, and uses an acorn triode.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

Just came across this that might interest you. The MIL service guide for the Measurements 59 if you don't already have it:

Plus someone with sufficient brains who knows what he is doing is sitting at the other end of the dipmeter dial. Nowadays that isn't normal. Many youngster will probably have trouble understanding just what a dipmeter does.

I spent the whole morning trying to explain rather simple financial matters to a phone company and then rather simple IT basics to a bank. The _whole_ morning. Yeah, people say the older generation always belittles the next one but slowly I am getting the feeling us older folks are right about that.

Sorry for the vent but it needed to be vented. Now I am feeling better :-)

Yes, I believe so. In fact I _think_ they're all properly called "Measurements 59", but lots of people refer to them as "Boonton" because that's where they were made.

Measurements Corporation was one of at least half-a-dozen electronics firms which headquartered in Boonton, NJ.

That particular Heathkit isn't bad... I'd put it in the middle of the pack as far as sensitivity goes. The little Heathkit with a tunnel diode (HM-10A) is pretty bad.

In general I've found the tube-based grid dippers to outperform the solid-state ones (with the venerable 59 at the head of the pack).

The add-on-coil "dipper" accessory kit for the MFJ 1259 and similar antenna-analyzer systems doesn't work well at all.

I've been meaning to find a cheap junker unit, tear it down, and rebuild it around a "lambda diode" oscillator, just to see how that configuration compares with some of the others.

FWIW, there's a Measurements 59 up on eBay at the moment, 955 tube replaced, tested and working, with what looks like all of the coils, for $85 buy-it-now plus shipping. If I didn't have one already I'd grab it myself at that price.

I wonder what became of the buildings they were in. Lots of those jobs have vanished, especially back east.

The Heathkit HD-1250 schematic is at the end if anyone is interested (7.7MB file):

The dual-gate FET detector circuit presents very little load. A nice touhc is that its little meter is shorted when turned off so it won't bang the needle around wildly during rough car or aircraft rides.

I'd be surprised if it could rival the Boonton.

So would I. For some things tubes just rule.

I use these:

I also posted that I had the DE-5000, apparently lost in bitland. I like it, frequencies are 50hz, 60hz, 100hz, 120hz, 10kHz and 100kHz. I paid more, I see price is coming down. Read the description, it does a lot more than L, C and R. Mikek