Triplett Model 310 VOM

Many years ago I had a summer job in an electronics factory and used one of these meters. When I stumbled across one at a fleamarket, I snapped it up and have been using it productively in my hobby work. It still works perfectly. I use it to measure volts, ohms and amps, although I have a digital VOM when more accuracy is required.

I don't know how old my meter is but according to Radiomuseum the model dates back to 1956.  What's amazing is that an updated model 310 is still available for sale. That's well over 50 years! An internet search shows several new and used ones for sale.

Tektronix 2236 Oscilloscope

I bought this scope at the Dayton Hamfest in 2007. Until then I had been using various oscilloscopes, the 1st one being homebrewed and the last one a surplus 10 mHz 'scope, the kind they use on factory assembly lines. The 2236 was a big step up for me, and I am delighted with it. I know you can buy decent LCD and PC-based scopes these days, but this kind of scope has always been on my wishlist.

The scope includes a built-in multimeter and frequency counter. You don't realize until you have it how handy it is to have the sweep frequency or period read out right on the instrument. The frequency counter is more accurate than my bench unit.

(Photo credit Flemming Frandsen, more about the 2236 on his page.)

Heathkit GR-151 AM Portable Radio

I picked this up for next to nothing at a fleamarket. It didn't work very well, and as you can see the handle is broken. It was easy to repair the electronics:

Considering the simple circuit used it works amazingly well. Six germanium transistors! I built a number of Heathkits over the years but never had this one.

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