Gidday Gents, I am still in the hunt for my first tube tester and found this chap on Pirate Ebay< I say that lovingly, selling a Hickok 600a tube tester for $ 300.00 not working. I dont have the strongest background in amateur electronics nore do I know what is all wrong with this unit. Other then the Apprapoh advice "Buyer Beware" Do any of you chaps have insite to offer? Thanx Loads.......

Inquire about a working tube tester here. There are always reliable members on this site selling tube testers.

I sold a working one (it was either 600a or 800a, can't recall) for $250, and it powered on, but needed repairs. The roll charts were broken (bad gear) and it wouldn't "hold" line voltage. I couldn't test with it due to that.

You can definitely by a good working Hickok for that price. I paid exactly $300 for my near perfect 534B over two years ago when the prices were higher.

That is certainly too much money for that tester.
Being new, please find one from a decent seller that guarantees it to be in proper working condition.

Thanx so much fellas for all your help and input. I will continue looking. arghhh.

Hang in there. I bought an "Aggie orange" (very deep crimson) very clean, working-but-needs-recapped 600A for $120 cash at our local hamfest. My TV-7/U cost me $40.00 at a sale. It worked but needed caps. I got an older PACU emission tester for $20.00 at an auction. Try to find vintage radio and/or ham radio events in your area, meet folks and ask around.
As for eBay, my Sencore mu-140 was purchased damaged and I repaired it - total with parts was about $275.00. Shop around, ask around, and be ready when opportunity knocks. If you are ready to get one sooner, determine what you want and post an ad on the radio classifieds forum. Best bang for your buck, hands down. Many of us would rather give an emission tester away to somebody who'd use it than see it sold, for a ridiculous price, to someone who won't really use it. Fancier testers are often pretty reasonable on the forum too.

HI
I have a older model hickok tube tester, a 536 it works ok, could use
cleaning. I quit using it 3 month ago when I got my hickok 538.
I will take $75.00 plus shipping. Get some opinions form the other
guys, see what they think.

alton

The advice given previously, and many other times before, about trying here on ARF are quite appropriate.

The VAST majority of those who post here regularly know the value of, not only a dollar, but of the electronic gear discussed here. That said, the prices quoted for a given part, tester, radio, etc., are almost always true market value, if not below. Nay, many times substantially below. Too, the descriptions of an item are uniformly accurate. One can also not forget that, if someone here is selling some piece that has a problem, that person will more than likely also tell you the best way to go about fixing it.

You see, no one in this hobby is getting rich doing it. These guys know it. It is the love for the radios, test gear, boat anchors, whatever, that they do it.

And you can take that to the bank.

How about this?

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=178744

Yup, that looks like a nice clean tester. Price is fair.