1972 Naval Multimeter

[Twilight Fenrir]

Well, the other day I picked up an interesting tool... A US Navy Multimeter for $10. I have a digital multimeter, but wanted to have an analog one as well, and when I saw this thing I couldn't pass it up!

The thing is HUGE! That green circle in the first picture is a cap from a 20oz pop bottle :P

Unfortunately, it's either broken, or I can't figure out how it works... It has 3 different leads, plus it has that little ground terminal on the front. I'm not sure which combination of leads I'm supposed to use! The two larger leads are labeled for different purposes, so it's not those two combined. The 'Common'  is a tiny wire with an alligtor clamp.... I don't have the cable for the 'ground'  terminal on the front, but I can make one to experiment with...

I can find pictures of this meter online, but not any digital operations manuals. So if anyone has some insight, it would be appreciated. The red light does come on when I flip the switch...

[oldgoaly]

Made by Hickok which is one of the best brands!
you should be able to find a schematic here http://bama.edebris.com/manuals/
Sometime I'll get around to doing a Hickok radio service bench and a Philco, I've been collecting tester for 30+ years to do old time radio shop from the early 30's.

[Twilight Fenrir]

Made by Hickok which is one of the best brands!
you should be able to find a schematic here http://bama.edebris.com/manuals/
Sometime I'll get around to doing a Hickok radio service bench and a Philco, I've been collecting tester for 30+ years to do old time radio shop from the early 30's.

Nope, no appropriate page on the link you supplied that I can find, but thanks for trying. :)

I played with it for an hour last night, and I'm reasonably certain it is no longer functioning. I popped it open to look for any obvious culprits, but I was not prepared for the complexity of the thing :P I half thought it might have vacuum tubes, and it does, 4 or 5 of them. I didn't see any obvious signs of wear, damage, or severed connections. The tubes LOOK okay, but I'm just looking at them like fancy lightbulbs. I don't see any burnt out filaments.

Maybe I'll find the model of the tubes, and see if there is some sort of reference for means to test them. That seems like a resource that would be somewhere online...

[Aunt Phil]

Got a hunch you have a Vacuum Tube Voltmeter there, not a mutimeter.

There are sites with the manuals for just about every piece of military equipment.

[Twilight Fenrir]

Got a hunch you have a Vacuum Tube Voltmeter there, not a mutimeter.

There are sites with the manuals for just about every piece of military equipment.

It says multimeter on the case o.o

I tried to search out the manual. I found some hard copies I could order on eBay, but nothing digital.

[oldgoaly]

http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/

VTVM is correct. sometimes the precision resistors go out of tollerance. a capacitor can go bad.
I don't think I have anything that new in my stuff.

[Twilight Fenrir]

Got a hunch you have a Vacuum Tube Voltmeter there, not a mutimeter.

There are sites with the manuals for just about every piece of military equipment.

http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/

VTVM is correct. sometimes the precision resistors go out of tollerance. a capacitor can go bad.
I don't think I have anything that new in my stuff.

My appologies, you would be correct! I have never heard of that term before, the name made me think you meant it was used solely to test vacuum tubes ^^;  Now that I have looked up what it is, you are absolutely correct... Interesting...

Also, nope, no manuals there eithet. I found that site in my original searches as well.

[oldgoaly]

The radio museum has the tube line up, but no schematic, nor some of the specialized collector either?  http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/hickok_multimeter_anusm_34me_8.html
I can't seem to find a pic of my Jumbo, big round dial, before the 209 (abc) and 203 vtvm
Someone on the Antique Radio forum should have one they make you a copy.  Some really cool guys and gals on there. I'm not near as active as I should be. I lost a bet years ago with my wife, she said I had 300 radios, I said 100-150, well I knew I was in trouble I had over a 100 in my radio room. I took a week to count them all. 297. she says did you count the 3 in the van from one of her relatives. She isn't right very often but was that time.
added a pic of a old catalog with the Jumbo on it 9" round dial. they made some very good stuff!

[Aunt Phil]

Post on QRZ.com and hopefully one of the old guys will be able to duke you into the military manual site.  Search engines don't seem to find them.