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  • What is your "go to" multimeter?

    I have owned various brands of multimeters (Klein, Craftsman, Radio Shack, Wavetek, Sperry, Extech, etc.). That said my go to meter is always my trusty old Fluke 87 V. It has most of the functions that I need, is reliable, is very safe, accurate and durable. The main thing is that I have confidence that the reading is correct. If only I had that much confidence in the operator. :-)

    FYI: This is not a paid endorsement from Fluke.....though I wish it was. Hey Fluke! If you are monitoring this forum, please send me a free multimeter! I promise that I will only say nice things about it. ;-)

  • #2
    How about an ancient Fluke 8000A DVM that's been inhabiting my workbench since the mid 70's. Sometimes this Fluke gets flakey but so far I've been able to set it straight just by punching thru the pushbuttons. Good ol' stuff that never quits.

    A couple of old Shack meters suffice for field work. One's a 22-806. I can't find the other at the moment. Not the cheapest ones, they were @ $40 in the early 90's.
    This isn't the future I signed up for.

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    • #3
      I've got meters everywhere- one in the band bus, a couple at home, one in the car, a couple at work. Can't remember all the brand/models. I know I've got a couple B&K's. Oddly, the one I use most at work is an old Universal Enterprises DM300 that I got free back in the 80's as a reward for buying so many parts from one of my vendors. I also use my scope alot. It's a Sencore SC61 with a selectable LCD readout- DCV, VPP, or FREQ. I like it because you can make lots of measurements with one device and, at the same time, see what's going on. It's nice to be able see a digital DCV readout while at the very same time see ACV on the screen.
      "I took a photo of my ohm meter... It didn't help." Enzo 8/20/22

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      • #4
        Fluke 87 $2 at the flea market and another given to me by an older ham. The older hams find it refreshing to see someone younger than them willing to tear into things and repair them. You don't see it so much anymore and they willing give me stuff to make it easier.

        nosaj
        soldering stuff that's broken, breaking stuff that works, Yeah!

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        • #5
          I have a fluke 89 in the desk drawer.
          I have a bunch of cheap meters, I mainly use for continuity, and low voltage use, around the property.
          "If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favourable reference of the Devil in the House of Commons." Winston Churchill
          Terry

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          • #6
            I like my Fluke model 11 and 12. The downside is neither measures current - rather an oversight on Fluke's part. I like how it switches to voltage measurement if you have it on the resistance scale and it detects a voltage across the probes. The auto-ranging is fast. For everything else I use an ancient Beckman Industrial HD110 that's still in perfect condition and is rated at 1500v.

            I'm a sucker for offers and have plenty of cheap (mainly Chinese) DMMS where the cardboard box probably cost more to make than the meter.

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            • #7
              We shouldn't leave out old fashioned (?) d'Arsonval-movement meters. I was quite annoyed with myself when I lunched my old Simpson 260 about 20 years ago. Wrecked beyond repair. Meanwhile I've collected 3 of the 160 mini version, 2 showing up within the last year. What keeps me from putting these into service are the 22.5V batteries - expensive and moreso when shipping is added. And those dopey 2mm mini banana leads. One of these days I'll take the plunge.

              Also wrecked a Radio Shack meter when I started probing a live amp ... whoops! At least it was cheap.

              Somewhere in my junque room lingers an RCA FET-VOM also in need of repair. Finding the right FET, that's the trick.

              Would be nice to score a tough old VTVM. Back in the day, those were the cat's pajamas!

              In conclusion, I have no standard movement meter. Drat, something's missing in my life.
              This isn't the future I signed up for.

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              • #8
                My bench meter is a Fluke 87. I have a couple of cheapies that I keep around for misc. stuff like when I want to monitor two voltages simultaneously. I bought the Fluke maybe six or seven years ago based on things I've read here after my old meters plate switch went unrepairably hinky. My old meter lasted about twenty years. A B&K Precision meter and "component tester" that I purchased for about $70 (US) at Quement Electronics (back when I bought it you could walk into an electronic component store and shop!!!). That was a great meter. Not just for the price either. The only drawback as I see it is that the models they produce change so commonly that getting repair parts is impossible. I would have repaired that meter if I could have purchased the switch. So my old B&K died and I replaced it with the Fluke. There was one thing the B&K did that the Fluke doesn't... The B&K had a capacitor tester that would accurately measure from a few pf up to about 1uf. The Fluke can measure in a range of something like 1uf to 4.7uf. Which wouldn't be very useful at all except that I figured out to put a known good capacitor in series with the one I wish to test to get the overall values within test range and then do the math from there. And this still isn't very useful since the value of new, high voltage electrolytics tested by a low voltage doesn't serve much purpose. But the 87 is tough, accurate and has fast auto ranging. The display lamp has come in handy. This may seem like small potatoes, but I like that it has more ballast than my last meter. I was always dragging that thing off the bench.
                "Take two placebos, works twice as well." Enzo

                "Now get off my lawn with your silicooties and boom-chucka speakers and computers masquerading as amplifiers" Justin Thomas

                "If you're not interested in opinions and the experience of others, why even start a thread?
                You can't just expect consent." Helmholtz

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                • #9
                  This is my Go-To meter. Bought it in the mid-70s, use it daily. FET input, 50KHz bandwidth, taut-band meter. Best analog meter I've ever found.
                  If I need a little more accuracy I have a Wavetek 27XT. For a lot more accuracy I have an Agilent 34401A

                  https://music-electronics-forum.com/...1&d=1570281934
                  Attached Files

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by dmeek View Post
                    This is my Go-To meter. Bought it in the mid-70s, use it daily. FET input, 50KHz bandwidth, taut-band meter. Best analog meter I've ever found.
                    If I need a little more accuracy I have a Wavetek 27XT. For a lot more accuracy I have an Agilent 34401A

                    https://music-electronics-forum.com/...1&d=1570281934
                    Something you don't often get on digital meters, but nearly always on analog meters is the zero adjust or null option. I think that would be handy. I can add ans subtract of course but I'd still like to see this feature become common on digital meters.
                    "Take two placebos, works twice as well." Enzo

                    "Now get off my lawn with your silicooties and boom-chucka speakers and computers masquerading as amplifiers" Justin Thomas

                    "If you're not interested in opinions and the experience of others, why even start a thread?
                    You can't just expect consent." Helmholtz

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Sometimes a proper analogue meter is more useful than a DMM for some jobs. I thinned mine out to leave a nice little Taylor. The large AVO meters went a few years a go as they're just a little bit too big. I think I'd still like to get hold of a compact VTVM meter as they seem to be pretty much indestructible.

                      There's a theme in this thread - most people seem to be attached to their older meters.

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                      • #12
                        Fluke 177 & Fluke 115
                        My trusty Fluke 77 was given as a present to a good friend along with an old Micronta power supply.
                        Drewline

                        When was the last time you did something for the first time?

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                        • #13
                          Interesting you should mention Micronta. In the 70s I bought a Micronta auto ranging DMM that was an eye-watering price at the time here in the UK. Made in Japan and a delight to use. I was really saddened when the LCD display eventually dimmed until it became unusable. That was my trusted companion for many years.

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                          • #14
                            I still have two Micronta analog meters put away for the day I might want to use one. I gave away the Micronta DVM's I had years ago after I got my first Fluke 77. Spoiled me for life. The Microntas were not auto ranging.
                            Drewline

                            When was the last time you did something for the first time?

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Drewline View Post
                              I still have two Micronta analog meters put away for the day I might want to use one. I gave away the Micronta DVM's I had years ago after I got my first Fluke 77. Spoiled me for life. The Microntas were not auto ranging.
                              My fav Micronta was the clamshell.

                              nosaj
                              soldering stuff that's broken, breaking stuff that works, Yeah!

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