AVO METER USERS

I bought a real Avo meter from a local shop. The meter is used as the base for a table lamp, and had been converted before I bought it. With an old fashioned styled Edison L.E.D. lamp installed it looks very nice indeed. I believe that the meter will still work, but have not tried it yet. I think that I have an Avo 8 hiding in the clutter somewhere as well.

Z.

Here is my father's model 7 and case along with grandad's radio test meter

Not a collector, but I do have a Mk6, which is in excellent condition. The case even smells like new. I cannot quite see the point in having more than one.

There are some frighteningly expensive ones on eBay, but I think that you just have to be patient.

The best use for mine is testing the batteries in my Fluke multimeter. Occasionally, it goes on the blink and it is useful to know whether it needs new batteries or not.

Another thing which the multimeter does not do well is when there is a bad contact. With the AVO, the needle clearly flickers, but since the multimeter seems to take time to settle, one can never be sure.

Oh yes, we were taught how to use them at school and then did so in physics classes.

I struggle with the new format but hopefully the picture is now visible . Are you interested in the model 7? It is currently in Switzerland but could move back to the UK next month?

John Peckham said:

or use one from time to time for its intended purpose?

As you know, John, I still keep (and use on the bench) a Model 8 MK III, which, in my opinion, is probably the best of the bunch overall.

I rarely use the resistance ranges, as I have a raft of digital instruments to cover that without a real need to resort to the log-type scale on the AVO ... but for those of us who started off with analogue meters, often it's easier when fault-finding, or tinkering with a newly-conceived circuit, to see sudden changes in voltage or current, perhaps even easier than using a 'scope depending what you're doing.

And a very interesting wee engine - do tell us more please!

I certainly prefer an analogue meter for situations where there is RF crawling all over the wiring, as the meter acts as its own low pass filter. digital ones can 'fruit machine' if the RF disturbs the sampling. On  a panel there is nothing like a moving needle that can be read from afar, But for a precise reading, or for use in an tight spot or up a tower, the modern DMM is the right thing.

Horses for courses.

Mike

My first post on this forum!

I have about ten AVO 8's of various marks, and a few others. Some belong in the historical collection but I like to keep one or two at the main bench as alternatives to the digits. Possible reasons for using include real hardware needles, 20kΩ/V sensitivity (which is sometimes assumed in vintage service info) or as an average-responding movement rather than RMS. Oh, and unlike the Fluke 289 you don't have to wait half an hour for an AVO to boot up (one of my pet peeves about the 289, possibly an exaggeration.)

The first meter I ever had (and still have and cherish) was an AVO 8 Mk2. Some 40+ years later I wonder that its arrival was not a more memorable occasion and struggle to recall when it was; probably age 8 or 9 as I had built a number of electronic projects by then but don't recall ever being unable to make measurements. It was a present from dad, who had been in management in radio and TV retail and rental, and was ostensibly his own. It might well have come from one of the firm's service depots originally, but I never thought to ask about its history while he was alive. He showed me how to use it and what its strengths and limitations were and soon it was part of everyday life. It was not until many years later that I realised what a privilege it had been to grow up with proper tools of the trade like the AVO, as opposed to hobby-grade ones.

Getting my first digital meter is more memorable as I was then 14 and it represented a significant outlay of cash and a move into a new technological era. However it was not in the same league of quality and did not last, leading to a refreshing re-acquaintance with the AVO. A few other digitals followed but it was not until my first Fluke 77 that I felt the AVO had finally been equaled in terms of integrity. I went on to travel the world with that Fluke and it has become as much a part of me as the old AVO, but our adventures together are another story.

The "knee Jerk" kick of a robust analogue meter needle is something that was lost with those new fangled DMMs . You could see straight away a needle swing and immediately make a (reasonably) accurate first guess approximation of events.

It is as nostalgic as having to switch the TV on ten minutes before watching an event , then the familiar smell of paxillin  boards and the glow from valves was a mind blowingly comfort experience in its own right

Don't forget the dot in the middle of the screen when you switched off!