Test equipment every amateur radio operator should have

[ecps92]

FCC Rule Book
Doesn't mean they will ever open it

A friend and I were talking about a problem I was having with my station and the topic of "test equipment every amateur radio operator should have" came up.

So, how about we make a list? I'll start with:

• Digital multimeter
• SWR/power meter
• Dummy load

What models of this "basic three" would you suggest?

What else would you add to the list?

 

[mmckenna]

FCC Rule Book
Doesn't mean they will ever open it

Amen.

And it's too bad. There's a lot to be learned from the FCC rules. Unfortunately there are those hams that will believe random dude on the internet over the published Part 97 rules.

 

[ems55]

For work, it's pretty much the same:

Fluke multimeter is usually the first thing I grab out of my truck.

Also in the work truck:
Telewave directional wattmeter. It covers VHF, UHF and 700/800MHz and up to 500 watts without needing slugs.
Bird 100 watt dummy load good up to 1GHz.
Kit of adapters.
Decent quality (so you can trust them) coax jumpers.
I've got a service monitor and all that, but that's work stuff, and I don't carry it in the truck.

For ham use, it's pretty much the same thing at home. Only difference is I don't have a service monitor. I do have a NanoVNA antenna analyzer.


The Multimeter, watt meter and dummy load will get you a long ways with stuff that is easily fixed/serviced by the average ham. The NanoVNA is a nice add-on.

Just the info I was looking for !!! Which NanoVNA do you use ??

 

[mmckenna]

Just the info I was looking for !!! Which NanoVNA do you use ??

I have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08132DJLS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Not because it's the "best", but because for an unproven tool (at the time) the price was within my comfort level for being a loss. It absolutely falls into the position of "good enough for hobby use". It doesn't compare to the stuff I have at work. For home use, checking an antenna, or even building an antenna, it works fine. Interface is frustrating, but it can be linked to another device via USB. Touch screen leaves much to be desired. Case is cheap plastic, so not something that will survive a fall off the roof.

 

[majoco]

...and the knowledge to interpret the indications that your test equipment is telling you....and the knowledge of how to use the test equipment in the first place.

Our club (no names - no pack drill!) had the opportunity to buy cheaply a pair of HP signal generators, the 606B and the 608E, mainly to lend to the members. We held a couple of classes on how to use them. We bought a couple of the in-line fuses for a bit of protection. Later on both of them had the fuses blown and the attenuators busted. We should have bought a couple of Heathkit RF-1Us or similar.

 

[AK9R]

The problems is that modern equipment is extremely difficult to repair and there's no longer a plethora of convenient parts vendors.

One of the problems with repairing modern equipment, aside from the challenges of surface mount devices, is the number of proprietary, custom programmed, or short supply integrated circuits. Many radios have ended up in the electronics recycling because a crucial large-scale IC was not available.

 

[mmckenna]

We held a couple of classes on how to use them. We bought a couple of the in-line fuses for a bit of protection. Later on both of them had the fuses blown and the attenuators busted. We should have bought a couple of Heathkit RF-1Us or similar.

"I'll take -why I never loan my tools to people- for $500, Alex".

 

[wa8pyr]

For work, it's pretty much the same:

Fluke multimeter is usually the first thing I grab out of my truck.

Also in the work truck:
Telewave directional wattmeter. It covers VHF, UHF and 700/800MHz and up to 500 watts without needing slugs.
Bird 100 watt dummy load good up to 1GHz.
Kit of adapters.
Decent quality (so you can trust them) coax jumpers.
I've got a service monitor and all that, but that's work stuff, and I don't carry it in the truck.

For ham use, it's pretty much the same thing at home. Only difference is I don't have a service monitor. I do have a NanoVNA antenna analyzer.

The Multimeter, watt meter and dummy load will get you a long ways with stuff that is easily fixed/serviced by the average ham. The NanoVNA is a nice add-on.

Bare minimum I would go with:

1. Both digital and analog multimeters. As noted earlier, even a halfway decent DMM is perfectly sufficient; for ham use a Fluke or other similarly overpriced DMM is overkill as all you need to do is measure voltage and resistance, check for continuity, etc.

An analog multimeter is not indispensable but is very handy to have, especially if you'll be aligning radios the old-fashioned way (it's a lot easier to watch the needle swing to a peak than to try and decipher the jumping numbers on a DMM. You can't go wrong with a Simpson 260.

2. SWR meter and preferably a separate wattmeter. In addition to a couple of SWR meters, I use an old Bird 43 that works like a champ.

2a. An antenna analyzer isn't necessary but it sure is handy. I have a RigExpert AA-1000 I wouldn't be without; it covers all the bases including SWR (but not power).

3. A good dummy load. I use one rated 100 watts from DB Products which has a nice flat response all the way to 1 GHz.

4. A set of good tools and a soldering iron. Don't buy cheap stuff.

5. A frequency standard of some sort, even if it's a 5 or 10 MHz oscillator you build yourself. As long as it's stable. You can use this to verify that your rig is on frequency.

If you get deeper into homebrewing, some things you should have include:

Frequency counter
RF generator
RF probe
Signal tracer
DIP meter

EDIT: Above is just the minimum. I've also got all sorts of professional gear, from spectrum analyzer/tracking generator to a communications analyzer (as well as the aforementioned Nano VNA), but I wouldn't recommend that sort of stuff to anyone unless you're very serious about radio.....

 

[mmckenna]

Bare minimum I would go with:

1. Both digital and analog multimeters. As noted earlier, even a halfway decent DMM is perfectly sufficient; for ham use a Fluke or other similarly overpriced DMM is overkill as all you need to do is measure voltage and resistance, check for continuity, etc.

The Fluke meters are nice, but I agree, overkill for most users. I have them at work because
1. Someone else is paying for it.
2. I need something reliable so when I tell some tech support guy I'm not seeing what I should be seeing, I'm using a tool that has a good reputation. ("Your device is not working, or so says my free Harbor Freight multimeter" Followed by laughing…."

I picked up a Fluke 27FM military surplus meter for $30 off e-Bay. But a basic $30 hardware store meter will work just fine.

An analog multimeter is not indispensable but is very handy to have, especially if you'll be aligning radios the old-fashioned way (it's a lot easier to watch the needle swing to a peak than to try and decipher the jumping numbers on a DMM. You can't go wrong with a Simpson 260.

Analog meters have their place. Since I still have to maintain some copper lines at work, I have a Tempo Sidekick 7b that I still carry. Even though they sell digital versions, the analog is still preferred since it's easier to see intermittent faults on an analog meter.

But I wouldn't stop a ham from having just a digital meter. The basic functions will solve a lot of issues. Think of a simple "test light" check. For most new hams, that's all they need.
- Is there power on this wire?
- Is the fuse blown?
- Is there continuity?

I think 99% of issues are solved with tests that simple.

 

[Lauri-CoyoteFrostbite]

I was going to make some snippy remarks about all the fancy equipment an 'average' ham needs, but after I got to a the Spectrum analysiz'r I calmed down.

A VOM and a frequency appropriate SWR meter is about all the "average" ham needs.
Having neat equipment and being able to meaning-fully be able to use it are two separate things. Modern radios have no 'user-friendly" parts and 99% of average hams that think they can diagnosis and repair surface mount technology...... Surprise !

Since I left my laboratory days I have gotten along very nicely with just my ancient Bird meter and a half dozen slugs---that -.and my ever present Fluke 77 multimeter. I have a Agilent 8591 that was given me, but now-a-days I hardly even know where I last left it, let alone use it......


.

 

[w2xq]

The ARRL Antenna Handbook (or equivalent).

The myriad of basic questions and circular "discussions" on the air IMHO is frightening and/or scary. Take your pick.

 

[AK9R]

For those suggesting an antenna analyzer, I'll say that today's AA's certainly make designing and checking antennas much easier and faster.

When I first started messing with amateur radio antennas, antenna analyzers didn't exist in the amateur radio market. We analyzed antennas by connecting a transmitter to an antenna through a SWR meter. We then recorded the SWR over a range of frequencies. Those SWR readings were then plotted on an X-Y graph with SWR vs. frequency. The end result was an SWR curve for the antenna. Of course, if the antenna was way outside the range of our transmitter, it was hard to obtain an SWR curve.

My point is that an antenna analyzer is not necessary...if you have an SWR meter. But, an AA is sure are nice to have. Tuning my 3-band fan dipole would have been much more challenging if I didn't have an MFJ 269C.

And, before anyone asks, I walked 5 miles to school uphill both ways in a snow storm.

One other thing...within the past 12 hours, I've seen a thread in a Facebook group about this exact same topic. Hmmm...

 

[merlin]

Merlin, most hams would have no idea what that hi-end test equipment was for, let alone how to use it! A decent voltage meter and power meter would take care of most problems the current generation of hams could handle. Problem determination is a dying art!

Frank

I agree. but that is the new generatin of amateurs and their fault. In my time, hams built much of their equipment.
I have all the stuff I listed and more. Used it for decades. I knew the '64 edition of radio amatures handbook, front to back before I even went for my license. a lot of tech class have never opened a page today.
Questions asked here prove that.

 

[merlin]

Key here is "every amateur radio operator". Not techs wanting to go into the LMR business, not trying to build out a full service bench. Just the basics to take care of the most common issues.





I agree.

Looking over years of posts, there's a common thread. Most new hams barely have enough to afford a radio, never mind a full repair bench. Some basic tools to do basic troubleshooting would be a good place to start. A multimeter (analog, digital, licking the 9 volt battery, whatever) will help track down many issues. Add in a cheap watt meter and a basic dummy load, and you've got the basics covered.

I'd bet dollars to donuts that 95% of the issues new hams run across could be solved with those 3 items.


As for which models, I think that would depend on the individual ham.
Not every ham is going to be up to disassembling radios. Some can't afford more than a Baofeng. Expecting all hams to have spectrum analyzers and service monitors is going a bit too far.

Many hams would do just fine with a Harbor Freight digital multimeter, a Cheap Chinese SWR meter and a 50Ω load. I would even try to count the number of posts on this site from people having radio issues that would be solved if they just had these 3 basic items.

If they progress in the hobby, they may want to upgrade as budget allows. Fluke meters are nice, Bird meters are nice. But a flea market Radio Shack analog meter and an MFJ watt meter would achieve the same basic goal.

Very true, but then it has taken me 5 decades and many thousands of dollars to amass a decent station and work bench. The learning curve never stops. Tubes to transistors to ICs and SMT and SOICs.
Baofeng is a radio with two chips. the radio and the controller. If mine ever failed, It goes into the trash and buy a new one.
Yea, I started with Allied Radio shack, MFJ etc. I have a cheap Cen-Tech that gets used. Short/open
TLAR ohm and volt.

 

[mmckenna]

Very true, but then it has taken me 5 decades and many thousands of dollars to amass a decent station and work bench. The learning curve never stops.

I agree. I've built up a lot of stuff over the years.
New hams often will, in time. A good start is those original 3 items. Think of them as a simple "test light" type of tool. A 'go/no-go' tester that will quickly and easily answer the simple questions without needing a lot of knowledge or training.

 

[techman210]

If anyone is using a meter near an active transmitter, get a high-ish quality meter, not some Harbor Freight meter.


You can get a used Fluke or elderly Beckman meter for not much more.

I’ve seen cheap meters do strange things when they were near relatively low power (30-50w) transmitters.

 

[k6cpo]

Antenna analyzer is a good idea !! Any suggestions ??

I've had good service with a couple of different ones from MFJ. Comet has a line of decent analyzers, but the Gold Standard today seems to be the Rig Expert. They are made in Ukraine and I have no idea how the war has affected their availability.

 

[MUTNAV]

I've had good service with a couple of different ones from MFJ. Comet has a line of decent analyzers, but the Gold Standard today seems to be the Rig Expert. They are made in Ukraine and I have no idea how the war has affected their availability.

If I can add to that, there are accessory packs to make (or buy) for antenna analyzers to increase their usefulness.

Thanks
Joel

 

[krokus]

Interesting thread. Are we talking about the "What is this ham radio thing?" crowd, that s wanting a CCR, to dip a toe in the water, or more serious than that? How much more seriously is that person wanting to get involved?

Early stages of neophyte:
$5 DMM (Harbor Freight, etc)
Some decent hand tools. (Pawn shop, estate sale, etc)

Moving on from there:
Temperature controlled soldering station.
Soldering tools
NanoVNA
Dummy load
Power & VSWR meters (frequency appropriate)
Higher quality DMM
Analog VOM, if getting involved with tube/valve equipment.
Cabling tools (PowerPole, coaxial, Mole, etc)

That is just a starting point, and to be coupled with instruction on using said equipment properly.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Amen.

And it's too bad. There's a lot to be learned from the FCC rules. Unfortunately there are those hams that will believe random dude on the internet over the published Part 97 rules.

Some folks lack the reading comprehension skills required when interpreting FCC rules. Then cite something out of context.