multitester

old truck lover · Dec 10, 2019

Hello I am looking to buy a new multitester I was wondering wich would be better a digital or analog GB brand tester for checking magneto coils and electric motors and different things.

David G · Dec 10, 2019

I like my Fluke digitals.

Janicholson · Dec 10, 2019

Fluke digital meters are superior and "understand" noisy circuits. If too expensive, buy two an analog meter will play nice with noisy old tractors and generator charging systems. A 40.00$ digital will do other stuff better. Jim

Bob M · Dec 10, 2019

Agree 100%!

MarkB_MI · Dec 10, 2019

Analog meters went out with platform shoes.

old · Dec 10, 2019

Are you wanting just a knock around VOM or are you wanting to spend some real $$ on one. The cheap digital tend to pick up stray voltage and give readings that can go crazy if you have the engine running etc. The Fluke VOM are very good but also cost you. Or if you can still find one the old Simpson 260 analog VOM are real good

Butch(OH) · Dec 10, 2019

There is realy no reason to stay away from a digital meter unless you are considering the $3.99 ones from HF. I own a Fluke and it will do anything you need but cost near $100. Twice now I have found myself out on the road and in need of a meter due to vehicle issues. Once I so happened to be near a HF store and bought one for around $50 that looks like my Fluke. The second time I was near a Lowe's and boughtva DM20 Greenlee for less than $30. Either one of those meters will read correctly on the worst circuits for noise that I work on and will do what you want to do. My Simpson analog meter has not been out of the case for 10 years. The only reason to consider an analog meter is if someone offers to give one to you.

Billy Shafer · Dec 10, 2019

I have had my Fluke 77IV for 11 years. Light weight and very rugged.The Simpson 260 is a very good meter. But it is heavy. Not something you want to lug around all day.I would get the Fluke.

old truck lover · Dec 10, 2019

thank you everyone for the replies I am just looking for general purpose multitester for around home and wondered if a digital would be better than an analog tester.

old · Dec 10, 2019

Just for that type of thing a HF digital meter will work just fine. I've had one for 20 or so years and it has been pretty good

jniolon · Dec 10, 2019

(quoted from post at 16:52:21 12/10/19) There is realy no reason to stay away from a digital meter unless you are considering the $3.99 ones from HF. I own a Fluke and it will do anything you need but cost near $100. Twice now I have found myself out on the road and in need of a meter due to vehicle issues. Once I so happened to be near a HF store and bought one for around $50 that looks like my Fluke. The second time I was near a Lowe's and boughtva DM20 Greenlee for less than $30. Either one of those meters will read correctly on the worst circuits for noise that I work on and will do what you want to do. My Simpson analog meter has not been out of the case for 10 years. The only reason to consider an analog meter is if someone offers to give one to you.

butch, take the batteries out of that Simpson !!!

jeffcat · Dec 10, 2019

I have my good old Fluke 179. Was over $300.oo when I bought it. Has been a fantastic meter. You can get a very good digital if you stay around the 70 to 100 area. Make sure it measures frequency!!!! This is so you can tune the output of your portable generator. After you read the manual. .. your meter in a wall socket should look like the picture. 69 00hz on the nose. You want to adjust your generator to as close as possible. A quality meter is worth every penny.
Crud. Sooner or later I will get the right picture.

jeffcat · Dec 10, 2019

Had to try again.

John T · Dec 10, 2019

"Analog meters went out with platform shoes."

That may be so in your opinion HOWEVER

As both an electrical engineer and an electrical hobbyist for sixty years, I've used all sorts of expensive or cheap analog as well as digital meters and I STILL LOVE AND USE MY OLD SIMPSON 260 ANALOG woooooooooo hooooooooooo

Merry Christmas

John T

John T · Dec 10, 2019

Rich, DITTO look at my post below

"As both an electrical engineer and an electrical hobbyist for sixty years, I've used all sorts of expensive or cheap analog as well as digital meters and I STILL LOVE AND USE MY OLD SIMPSON 260 ANALOG woooooooooo hooooooooooo"

John T

JerryD · Dec 10, 2019

It's hard to check a capacitor with a digital meter.

jniolon · Dec 10, 2019

(quoted from post at 21:05:39 12/10/19) Rich, DITTO look at my post below

"As both an electrical engineer and an electrical hobbyist for sixty years, I've used all sorts of expensive or cheap analog as well as digital meters and I STILL LOVE AND USE MY OLD SIMPSON 260 ANALOG woooooooooo hooooooooooo"

John T

when doing 'tuning' as in transmitter or receiver tuning there is no substitution for an analog meter... peaking isn't easy to do digital... used my 260 today and my fluke is in the drawer and my three throwaway HF meters have dead batteries... the 9 volt batteries are more expensive than the meters !!!

j

Tony in SD · Dec 10, 2019

Maybe but anyone who wore platform shoes know the value of a Simpson 260. Believe it or not. Many of the broadcast radio stations still use tubes. As mentioned before, the analog Simpson 260 is far superior for peaking and/or dipping tube circuits. I have and use several meters including Simpson 260s and True RMS Fluckes

jeffcat · Dec 10, 2019

I have a Simpson 260 and a 265. The 265 has DC and AC current. There is a
little transformer inside. It works!. I also have an RCA kit meter that you
built from a kit and it was part of an electronics course in the late 60s early
70s.

Oliver 500 Wa · Dec 11, 2019

It's hard to check a capacitor with a digital meter.

Kinda depends on the meter maybe. Both my Fluke 87-5 and nearly 30 year old Tektronix DMM 254 have capacitor test functions.

hermit · Dec 11, 2019

I am old and hardheaded, and just resist change to be ornery maybe, but when the digitals came out we did go to Flukes (reluctantly). There are pros and cons to most every argument such as this. But when I hear a VOM mentioned, my addled mind pictures a Simpson 260. I have several of both types, and you can have any one except the Simpson.

jeffcat · Dec 11, 2019

Reading through all of the other replays and another little bell rang. My Simpson is a VOM. Volt Ohm Meter. 1969 first year of tech school and we had one of the hottest gizmos you could buy. They had in the class a VTVM!!!!!! That is Vacuum Tube Volt Meter. Crud, today's $10.oo digital would be more accurate and you didn't need to wait for the tubes to warm up. Any of you guys remember them?

buickanddeere · Dec 13, 2019

(reply to post at 13:09:24 12/10/19)

I recently bought a Fluke 376FC. Very pleased with the unit and what it can do . Blue tooth remote display allows standing back from switchgear while performing tests .
to have a full set of multimeter equipment . The Simpson 260 is still the standard by which all others are compared to.

sotxbill · Dec 14, 2019

For lots of work, a 4 dollar harbor freight meter works fine. When they are on sale, I buy 5 at a time and put them everywhere.

HOWEVER>>>>>

when doing two-way radio work, and tuning circuits all day, an analog meter is far better, but I have many motorola radio tests sets along with my service monitors .

And... when near a tractor with solid wire plug wires, the wires radiate massive amounts of radio interference that cheap meters and even some better meters will pick up and measure, meaning that you cant get a good dc voltage measurement due to all the high voltage pulses being transmitted near by.

THEN I have better meters that measure capacitors, frequency, temperature, ac current, and now even dc current with the clamp around the wire mode. Even a battery meter that measures mho's (conductance) or the reverse of ohms...

But 99% of the time, its a cheap digital meter that serves the purpose. They are auto ranging so I dont have to worry about high voltage, or reverse polarity, or damaging the meter movement of an analog. They are also very high impedance so I dont have to worry about circuit loading as well in radio work.

Sometimes they are so cheap, that its easier to grab a new meter than to change out the 9 volt battery. Now thats cheap.

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