old or antique....?

[Ken Weitzel]

Hi...

Curious if anyone has any idea of when
old test equipment magically switches
from old junk to valuable antique ?

Going through the basement, I found an
old meter or something. Nice case, like
a B&K CRT tester for those of us antique
enough to remember them.

Full of sockets, toggle switches, and meters.

No AC input, one old cotton covered cable with
a real weird male plug on it, 5 or 6 pins. No batteries.

Many weird "tube" sockets.

There's a folded paper manual there, but I don't
want to open it up - it crumbles easily.

Says it was made by the readrite meter company,
bluffton, ohio, established 1904.

Hey, *I'm* an antique and I haven't the slightest
idea what this is or what to do with it

If anyone might by chance like a photo of it,
drop me an email and I'll send one along.
Perhaps memories, if nothing else.

Take care.

Ken

 

[exray]

Ken Weitzel wrote:

Hi...

Curious if anyone has any idea of when
old test equipment magically switches
from old junk to valuable antique ?

One can usually tell by the price tag

Seriously, tho, you might try the question with a link to a photo on
rec.antiques.radio+phono. In the US we don't have a big line (100
years) like they do in the UK for instance.

Off the cuff I'd say its from late 20s or early 30s. Valuable no, worth
keeping, definitely.

-Bill M

 

[Art]

Agreed, post a digital pix of the item, I'm confident there are folk that
will identify the item for you without destroying the fragile manual.
"exray" <dontspamme-exray@coqui.net> wrote in message
news:107mrm61naa719b@corp.supernews.com...

Ken Weitzel wrote:


Hi...

Curious if anyone has any idea of when
old test equipment magically switches
from old junk to valuable antique ?

One can usually tell by the price tag

Seriously, tho, you might try the question with a link to a photo on
rec.antiques.radio+phono. In the US we don't have a big line (100 years)
like they do in the UK for instance.

Off the cuff I'd say its from late 20s or early 30s. Valuable no, worth
keeping, definitely.

-Bill M

 

[Ken Weitzel]

Hi...

Here you go

http://members.shaw.ca/kweitzel/meter.jpg


Ken

Art wrote:

Agreed, post a digital pix of the item, I'm confident there are folk that
will identify the item for you without destroying the fragile manual.
"exray" <dontspamme-exray@coqui.net> wrote in message
news:107mrm61naa719b@corp.supernews.com...

Ken Weitzel wrote:


Hi...

Curious if anyone has any idea of when
old test equipment magically switches
from old junk to valuable antique ?

One can usually tell by the price tag

Seriously, tho, you might try the question with a link to a photo on
rec.antiques.radio+phono. In the US we don't have a big line (100 years)
like they do in the UK for instance.

Off the cuff I'd say its from late 20s or early 30s. Valuable no, worth
keeping, definitely.

-Bill M

 

[exray]

Aidan Grey wrote:

I wonder if it might be some kind of tube tester.

Aidan Grey

Ya think so?

Now that I see the pic it indeed is one of those 'do everything' boxes
that were popular with servicemen making house calls. They could
measure voltages, test tubes, etc, all with a unit like this.

My original date guesstimate was a bit broad...7-pin socket says its
mid 30s...not so far back as the 20s.

-Bill

 

[Aidan Grey]

I wonder if it might be some kind of tube tester.

Aidan Grey



On Tue, 13 Apr 2004 18:36:04 GMT, Ken Weitzel wrote:

Hi...

Here you go

http://members.shaw.ca/kweitzel/meter.jpg


Ken

 

[Ken Weitzel]

exray wrote:

Aidan Grey wrote:

I wonder if it might be some kind of tube tester.

Aidan Grey


Ya think so?

Now that I see the pic it indeed is one of those 'do everything' boxes
that were popular with servicemen making house calls. They could
measure voltages, test tubes, etc, all with a unit like this.

My original date guesstimate was a bit broad...7-pin socket says its mid
30s...not so far back as the 20s.

-Bill

Leaves me wondering what the corded connector is...

It surely pre-dates the batteryless days, wonder if it
was used to borrow power from the radio?

Either way, it's bringing back lots of old long
forgotten memories... taking the battery out of
old radios and carrying them to the gas station to
be recharged....

Makes me wonder... perhaps one of these days my
grand kids will re-discover some of our current equipment
and agonize over what it is>

Take care.

Ken

 

[exray]

Ken Weitzel wrote:

exray wrote:



It surely pre-dates the batteryless days, wonder if it
was used to borrow power from the radio?

Exactly. It powered from the radio under test.

Either way, it's bringing back lots of old long
forgotten memories... taking the battery out of
old radios and carrying them to the gas station to
be recharged....

Makes me wonder... perhaps one of these days my
grand kids will re-discover some of our current equipment
and agonize over what it is>

hehehe...maybe sooner than you think...ask one of your grandkids what an
"LP" is?

Nice find.

-Bill

 

[Don Young]

I believe it is is an analyzer used like an extender board. They had a cable
with adapters to plug into the tube socket and the tube was plugged into the
panel. This enabled the serviceman to make measurements without removing the
chassis.
Don Young
"exray" <dontspamme-exray@coqui.net> wrote in message
news:107p62ts2neht6f@corp.supernews.com...

Ken Weitzel wrote:



exray wrote:



It surely pre-dates the batteryless days, wonder if it
was used to borrow power from the radio?

Exactly. It powered from the radio under test.

Either way, it's bringing back lots of old long
forgotten memories... taking the battery out of
old radios and carrying them to the gas station to
be recharged....

Makes me wonder... perhaps one of these days my
grand kids will re-discover some of our current equipment
and agonize over what it is>

hehehe...maybe sooner than you think...ask one of your grandkids what an
"LP" is?

Nice find.

-Bill