The mil spec version of the Eico grid dip meter my father used to have. But it goes down only to 2MHz, but up to 400MHz, uses a 955 acorn triode for the oscillator. Useful for getting tubed LC circuits resonant close to where I want them.
http://videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=180464&stc=1&d=1381623630

Neat. You buy that at BARA today?

Neat. You buy that at BARA today?

Yep, bought a bunch of stuff, mostly a few tubes and someone had a bunch of 7 pin male tube plugs. They looked to be tube bases that were never used to make tubes. And the grid dip meter works! :banana: Wonder if I can use it to test antennas, to find out the resonant freq? :scratch2:

Supposedly, a small coil to act as a coupler on the end of the coax cable that feeds the antenna under test can tell you the resonant frequency with the grid dip meter. But I see a lot of dips on the 2 meter antenna, one every 4 or so MHz from 120 to 250 or so MHz. Not sure what I'm really seeing, maybe a mismatch at the antenna causing reflections to make the extra dips?

nice meter
have a really nice Heath grid dip meter
would someday like to build a few wire antennas
but too damn much power line noise at current qth ... makes the hf bands not pleasant to listen to

nice meter
have a really nice Heath grid dip meter
would someday like to build a few wire antennas
but too damn much power line noise at current qth ... makes the hf bands not pleasant to listen to

That is a very nice GDM. Military test gear of that time was go good. I have RF signal Generators, audio signal generators. etc that need a fork lift to move them but the sure work well.

RobtWB have you tried a loop antenna. The design is the best one for minimizing QRM. I used to run Butternut vertical antennas, great antenna but it could pickup a worn out Kirby Vacuum cleaner 10 miles away.

There was a Hardy Boys mystery where they were kidnapped. The brothers managed to seed out a SOS with a grid dip meter. I don't remember the details on how.