I recently bought a 1935 and a 1959 General Radio equipment catalog. I
am absolutely fascinated by the old test equipment, and want to learn
how it is used, and what it is used for. I have found inexpensive
versions of an impedence bridge and signal tracer to practice on, but
need to start somewhere. Is there a recommended text that can help a
non-engineer get up to speed on these? Something like a technicians
text book that steps through the theory and practice from a pretty
basic level, without going deep into the theory by itself?

All replies appreciated. Thanks.

(Eventually I want to have a radio and electronics hobby workshop, and
get my license.)

If I recall, there was a book on the basic use of test equipment of the
ilk you're talking about. It may have been a TAB(TM)series book. They
went into scopes, signal generators, tracers, grid-dip meters, and the
like, at a very basic level. If no-joy with that, HP had/has a series of
technical notes that discuss what you're looking for, albeit at maybe a
bit higher level. The HP issuances contain general/generic information,
but as you'd imagine, do reference appropriate HP test sets. Also,
there are books on basic troubleshooting. I'm sure they reference the
required support equipment, too.

zeitguy wrote:
I recently bought a 1935 and a 1959 General Radio equipment catalog. I
am absolutely fascinated by the old test equipment, and want to learn
how it is used, and what it is used for. I have found inexpensive
versions of an impedence bridge and signal tracer to practice on, but
need to start somewhere. Is there a recommended text that can help a
non-engineer get up to speed on these? Something like a technicians
text book that steps through the theory and practice from a pretty
basic level, without going deep into the theory by itself?

All replies appreciated. Thanks.

(Eventually I want to have a radio and electronics hobby workshop, and
get my license.)

There are also books which cover individual peices of test equipment - such
as Oscilloscopes. They can be found on E-Bay for various prices and also at
hamgest and some flea-markets - often for as little as a dime to as much as
say $1 each. Titles such as "101 ways to use an Oscilloscope", 101 ways to
use a Signal Generator", "101 ways to use a VOM"..... there may be one for
the VTVM also, but you'll get the idea........ They give many instances of
use.
I've got a few of them in my reference library from years back. I'm not sure
how deep you want to get into electronics, but an understanding of it would
certainly be a boost. Sad to say - even with a license, today - that isn't
much help. WHY? Because the license manuals today give you the answers to
questions - most people tend to just memorize the answers. The answers given
in the text are often not enough to explain the concept. They don't go into
enough detail to really be of any help. A good electronics text would serve
you better. Just my two cents - and I am an examiner for both Amateur and
Commercial exams.
You've taken a good first step asking here for advice. You'll get lots of
it, but in the end, you'll come away with a vast knowledge of things
compared to what you may have now. Good luck.

clf


"K3HVG" wrote in message
...
If I recall, there was a book on the basic use of test equipment of the
ilk you're talking about. It may have been a TAB(TM)series book. They
went into scopes, signal generators, tracers, grid-dip meters, and the
like, at a very basic level. If no-joy with that, HP had/has a series of
technical notes that discuss what you're looking for, albeit at maybe a
bit higher level. The HP issuances contain general/generic information,
but as you'd imagine, do reference appropriate HP test sets. Also, there
are books on basic troubleshooting. I'm sure they reference the required
support equipment, too.

zeitguy wrote:
I recently bought a 1935 and a 1959 General Radio equipment catalog. I
am absolutely fascinated by the old test equipment, and want to learn
how it is used, and what it is used for. I have found inexpensive
versions of an impedence bridge and signal tracer to practice on, but
need to start somewhere. Is there a recommended text that can help a
non-engineer get up to speed on these? Something like a technicians
text book that steps through the theory and practice from a pretty
basic level, without going deep into the theory by itself?

All replies appreciated. Thanks.

(Eventually I want to have a radio and electronics hobby workshop, and
get my license.)

I found a recent Tektronix book on the A-Z of Oscilloscopes which was
written at the appropriate level, but it talked mostly about the new
digital technology. I have HP documents on the digital VOM I found,
which are almost incomprehensible to me. So I know what you mean. I
also have found a lot of value in the older TAB series.

The items I am interested in are pre-IC, for the most part. I want to
see the pieces of the toy I am playing with. The oscilloscope I found
is a Tektronix 585a, with 78 tubes and every single component is hand
soldered on ceramic strips. It seems to work, after I cleaned it up a
bit and learned enough to jump the Cal Out to the input on the dual
trace module to watch the square wave. But it also seems to drop out
or not respond consistently, and I don't know any where near enough to
go beyond watching the cal out trace at the moment. I can't wait to
probe my first radio circuit when I am reasonably sure I know enough to
not get electrocuted.

Thanks for the reply.

Hi,

A good introduction to vacuum-tube Tek scopes is
"Oscilloscopes Selecting and Restoring a Classic"
by Stan Griffiths, W7NI (1992) (paperback, about $20)
It is a survey of Tek scopes from the beginning
through the 1960's, including your 585A.

If you go to qrz.com and "Get Callsign" W7NI,
you can get his email address.
Hopefully, Stan still has some books to sell.

I followed his troubleshooting hints,
and fixed intermittant problems in my 545.
The problem was that "Black Beauty" capacitors
in the regulated power supply had grown leaky over time.
These black tubular capacitors with color coded values
are used liberally in the regulted supplies
of the vintage Teks, and can cause strange
intermittant symptoms. I replaced all
of the the Black Beauty's with Mylar capacitors
found cheap on eBay.

I would not plunge in to working on the scope
until you are more experienced with working
around high voltage. The scope has a hefty power
supply and large storage capacitors, and can give
a painful or dangerous jolt to the unwary.

One caution: do not use regular 60-40 rosin core solder
with the Tek. That will ruin the ceramic terminal strips.
Instead, use Kester "Electronic Silver Solder"
62% tin, 36% lead, 2% silver.

73,
Ed Knobloch

zeitguy wrote:
snip The oscilloscope I found
is a Tektronix 585a, with 78 tubes and every single component is hand
soldered on ceramic strips. It seems to work, after I cleaned it up a
bit and learned enough to jump the Cal Out to the input on the dual
trace module to watch the square wave. But it also seems to drop out
or not respond consistently, and I don't know any where near enough to
go beyond watching the cal out trace at the moment. I can't wait to
probe my first radio circuit when I am reasonably sure I know enough to
not get electrocuted.

Hi,

You should search out a copy of "Basic Electronic Test Instruments:
Their Operation and Use" by Rufus P. Turner (Rinehart books, 1953)

Turner was a wonderful technical writer and this book is a gem.
It consists of discussions of basic categories of test equipment,
followed by build-it-yourself projects illustrating the concepts.
Many early Heathkit test instruments are also described,
with complete schematics. The test equipment described
runs the gamut from d.c. voltmeters to a build-it-yourself Q meter
for testing coils. His chapter on bridges is especially good.

I have a 1930's vintage General Radio type 650A impedance bridge,
in its sloping wooden cabinet - a thing of beauty.

The "ARRL Radio Amateur's Handbook", published annually, is a good
place to start your studies. Any edition from the early 1950's
will have plenty of information on vintage test equipment
and methods. These ARRL Handbooks are available cheap on eBay.

Regards,
Ed Knobloch

zeitguy wrote:
I recently bought a 1935 and a 1959 General Radio equipment catalog. I
am absolutely fascinated by the old test equipment, and want to learn
how it is used, and what it is used for. I have found inexpensive
versions of an impedence bridge and signal tracer to practice on, but
need to start somewhere. Is there a recommended text that can help a
non-engineer get up to speed on these? Something like a technicians
text book that steps through the theory and practice from a pretty
basic level, without going deep into the theory by itself?

All replies appreciated. Thanks.

(Eventually I want to have a radio and electronics hobby workshop, and
get my license.)

I found Turner's book on ABE and ordered it yesterday, after choosing
among several other possible texts. Turner seems the best chance,
although I got a 1940 or 43 edition, I think I will still have plenty
of grist for the mill, as it were.

The GR 650A was the first GR product I saw on Ebay, and even though I
don't really know what it does, it lured me into this whole fascinating
area. I had to settle for a nice Heathkit '50s Impedance Bridge, and a
Superior Instruments Signal Tracer and CR Bridge, as my first
inexpensive tools, since the GR items were bidding up over $100 apiece,
which is too steep for a whim.

I will look for the vintage ARRL, also. That is also a great tip,
thanks.

I have a paperback copy of this on my shelf:

"How to Test Almost Everything Electronic," by Delton Horn.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/083...lance&n=283155

It won't delve into obscure mysteries of vintage tube equipment, but it does
give an overview of how to use many test instruments.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html