Tube tester...anyone own their own?

I’ve been very pleased with a Hickok 800A I purchased from an antique radio collector in the 1990s. I’ve never had it calibrated, but testing I’ve performed on many NOS tubes (that I know to be truly NOS/never used) as well as various used tubes, in relation to my antique radio collecting hobby as well as in relation to my audio system, has given me high confidence in its accuracy. And the measurements it provides these days seem consistent with the ones it provided in the 1990s.

In searching for a Hickok or other quality tester it would probably be beneficial to include a perusal of the various antique radio-related forums in your search. And possibly also some of the links shown under "For Sale, Services, etc." around the middle of this page:

http://www.antiqueradio.com/radiolinks.html

Regards,
-- Al

Where do you get a tube tester recalibrated?

I've used Roger a couple of times.  He does great work.  Used to have a local guy, but he passed away awhile ago.

http://www.alltubetesters.com/index.htm

I own, and like very much, the Amplitrex tester.  It is a modern design that is still in production.  It's ease of use is unmatched.  One chooses the tube type from a menu, and after a type is selected, the display tells you which socket to use.  The machine then warms up the tube before testing.  The screen showing the results displays the specification for the tube, which can be compared to test results, and also interprets the results as strong, weak, etc.  The tester measures emissions, transconductance, gas/leakage, and noise.  The Amplitrex tests at full power to stress the tube; this gives more honest results than the vast majority of units that do not stress test the tubes. A lot of tubes that test strong on a Hickok, for example, will not do as well on the Amplitrex.

For tube types not on the menu, the unit can be programmed to test such other tube types.  For really advanced users, it can be hooked up to a laptop and it will then curve trace the tube.  

The downside is, primarily, that the Amplitrex is expensive.

I too took the Amplitrex plunge. Yes is was expensive. Yes it was worth every penny. I couldn't live without it.

The bad news? A lot of the tubes we buy are not near as good as advertised. There is no ambiguity with the AT1000, it tells you exactly what you have. Few new production tubes I've bought even comes close to NOS.

Get headphones, plug them into the Amplitrex, gently touch the top of the tube with the eraser of a pencil. It's amazing how many tubes are microphonic.