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This article is from the Antique Radios And Phonographs FAQ, by Hank van Cleef vancleef@netcom with numerous contributions by others.

102 Advantages/disadvantages oftube tester by Hickok (600, 6000, others), military (TV2C)

(The following was furnished by Dan Schoo)
Does anyone have advice for the make and model of the best tube
tester for restoring and maintaining communications receivers
I've seen units made by Hickok (600, 6000, others) as well as
military (TV2C). What are the advantages/disadvantages of each? Thanks.

There are many good testers available. A mutual conductance type is a
better choice than an emission tester. Many times the choice is a matter
of personal preference about the layout and cost. Hickok made many good
instruments. All of them were of similar design and should work equally
well. The 600A, 800, 800A, 6000 and 6000A were very similar. They were
aimed at the radio/TV service industry and were designed to be easily
transported. The 6000 is a nice machine but way overpriced in the current
market. I'd take an 800A any day of the week over a 6000. The 800 and
800A used the meter to measure shorts/leakage instead of a neon lamp in
that capacity. With the meter you could measure leakage to a much lower
level than with the lamp. The only difference between them is the
socketing. The 800A was updated to include Compactrons and Nuvistors but
still retained the old sockets.
The 500 series was a bit larger and not as portable as the 600/800/6000
but similar in function and about equal in performance. The top of the
500 series was the 539C which was closer to a laboratory type tester than
the others. It had three meters and several features you might use in
circuit design. It would test the firing voltage of VR tubes and small
thyratrons. It tested for leakage with the meter but also had a neon
lamp for fast short tests.
The 700 series was larger too and more or less aimed at the industrial
and communications market. These were a little classier than the other
series but not as advanced as the 539. The best machine they made was
the 700. This was closer to a TV-2 than any of the others. It was
designed for laboratory use and had seven meters. If you are just doing
repair and restoration on receivers any of the Hickoks will suffice. The
752A is a good choice because it has some of the desireable features for
communications equipment like VR tube tests, has newer and older type tube
sockets, and reads the leakage on the meter. The TV-2 is a big machine
and for normal service work probably way more than you need.

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