I promised some posts about test equipment and here is the first. The first piece of test equipment that I am going to talk about is multimeters. Multimeters are a very important piece of test equipment that can be used for more than just ham radio. In fact, anyone who does any work at all involving electric currents or electronics should have one.

The basic functions of a multimeter that you will use the most often are measuring voltage and resistance. Most multimeters have many more functions than these, but the most common uses are to test voltage (making sure that you have power or enough power at a given point) or resistance/continuity.

A multimeter can also be used in situations that do not involve electricity. An example of this is for testing antenna cables. Using the resistance testing function of a multimeter can help you make sure that you have good connections on your cables and also that there are no shorts in the cable.

Multimeters come in many styles, brands, models, and with many different features. The specific multimeter that you should get depends greatly on what you plan to do with it. I would definitely recommend that you get one with a digital read-out rather than analog and also make sure that it has a diode testing function (it comes in very handy for testing continuity) but other than that, it is completely up to you.

Most people would agree that Fluke branded multimeters are close to the best on the market, but they are also quite a bit more expensive than some of the others on the market. The cheaper meters might not be as precise and durable as the higher end models, but they also work.

The bottom line is that if you don’t have a multimeter, you should strongly consider getting one.