Amprobe Ultra Value?

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Glenn F.

Member

• Sep 25, 2016

• #1

How much is this Amprobe worth? What you see is all I have. Are
leads available for it? An operator's manual?

Thanks,
Glenn F.

 

guido

Well-known Member

• Sep 25, 2016

• #1

Hello Gleen F,


They are still in business, check the web site ,

Guido.

 

S

Steve@Advance

Well-known Member

• Sep 25, 2016

• #1

They're running around $30 on Ebay.
Manual

 

O

Ozlander

Well-known Member

• Sep 25, 2016

• #1

(quoted from post at 16:09:55 09/25/16) How much is this Amprobe worth? What you see is all I have. Are
leads available for it? An operator's manual?

Thanks,
Glenn F.

Click to expand...

Since it's not setting on zero, probably not worth anything.

 

OP

OP

G

Glenn F.

Member

• Sep 25, 2016

• #1

I wondered about that. I've never used it.

Glenn

 

OP

OP

G

Glenn F.

Member

• Sep 25, 2016

• #1

I just flipped the switch on the left & it dropped to zero and
stayed there.

 

guido

Well-known Member

• Sep 25, 2016

• #1

Hello Gleen F,

There is a red lock lever on top of the meter, on the left of the red wheel. The red wheel is for changing the meter scale. It is used to lock the readings where you can't see the meter , and when your are done. Also the red slot, in the center of the meter, is where you zero the meter movement. Make sure you unlock it first,

Guido.

 

T

Texasmark1

Well-known Member

• Sep 25, 2016

• #1

I have one I bought new back in about 1980 for $40 as I recall. Should have 2 holes in the bottom for leads used to measure voltage. Doesn't measure resistance as there is no battery contained therein. I have mine out in the shop. Haven't used it in years. One thing is it's for AC only as you need AC current to be able to pick it up as the wire you are testing is the primary of a transformer. The crab claws make the iron core when closed coupling the magnetic flux into the secondary winding which is in the meter base with the meter to measure secondary current, but display it as primary current (via the turns ratio).

On AC measurements, the average value of ac current is zero since what you have going left to right is coming back right to left zeroing out. So you have to split the wires and only measure one wire. Inside a switchbox is the best place since the wires are broken out and easily accessible.

 

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member

• Sep 26, 2016

• #1

GlennF,
Back in the 70's amprobe and simpson where common names. I used both when working on Furnaces and air conditioners.

Both meters were easily damaged. Both meters could be sent in for repair.

I think they were definitely legendary and state of the art at the time. I wouldn't give you a nickel for either one today. I pitched both my broken amprobes and simpson 260s decades ago.

There are better ones on the market.

If you want to be cheap, you can get $20 you can get a digital HF amprobe that has fewer problems and extremely accurate.

geo

 

B

Billy Shafer

Well-known Member

• Sep 26, 2016

• #1

Not worth much. I have one around here someplace. Sneeze on it and it will break. Still have my 260.Use to get heavy after eight hours of lugging it around all day. I went to Fluke lighter and better meters.

 

guido

Well-known Member

• Sep 26, 2016

• #1

Hello Gleen F,

Put the meter in the amp scale, clamp it around a live wire. Bet you it will work. A lot sturdier then people think,

Guido.

 

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dr sportster

Well-known Member

• Sep 26, 2016

• #1

Bought them at garage sales for five and sold to co-workers for 10. The leads are unique to Amprobe.

 

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dr sportster

Well-known Member

• Sep 26, 2016

• #1

I should add if I had to write up an ebay ad I would ask 20 bucks . The first electrician at work sees me selling for 10 will buy it.

 

guido

Well-known Member

• Sep 26, 2016

• #1

Hello Texasmark1

Ha! But it does have an ohm scale, doesn't it. Extra lead has a AAA BATTERY for resistance measurements,

Guido.

 

T

Texasmark1

Well-known Member

• Sep 26, 2016

• #1

Ha. I thought you'd hit on this. Grin. I remembered it had an additonal scale but it's been too long and I forgot, thinking that since it had no internal battery that the odd scale was volts. But, just for you (another grin) I'll have a look next time I'm out and think about it and yes if it's ohms then it would require an external battery. Since I don't have any paper work with it I have no idea as to what the voltage would be......I guess you play voltage values till you get the meter to zero with the leads together; using the thumb wheel for minor corrections for the zero.

 

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dr sportster

Well-known Member

• Sep 27, 2016

• #1

I always read the reviews on Harbor-Freight items . The ammeters do not have all good reviews. You may be the only person claiming 'extreme accuracy" .

 

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member

• Sep 27, 2016

• #1

Do you own one? I have two, one in my truck and one in the shop. I'm impressed how well they work and for less money than you can get an amprobe repaired. I also have an old analog meter, but rarely use it. I've damaged too many analog meter movements in my life time. geo

 

D

dr sportster

Well-known Member

• Sep 27, 2016

• #1

No I have a Greenlee I bought at the supply house on Greenlee day on sale. If I read several bad reviews among many good reviews about H-F then I pass. Some of the customers got units that don't work . Right there it is not worth my trip to H-F. Many are happy but I don't want to take a chance of being one of the unhappy ones.

 

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member

• Sep 27, 2016

• #1

You are right about returning things to HF. For me, I go past HF almost everyday. Keep receipts. I will say that it a crap shoot, half the time I find something good, the other half I return it. Sometimes HF is the only place I can buy special tools.

HF free EVOMS work well for me. When they break, I just pit them. Their $20 EVOMs don't measure capacitors or frequency worth a crap.

Good chance most amprobes are not made in the USA, good chance China.

I give I give HF's digital amprobes a good buy rating.