As with many others, I've accumulated some test equipment over the years. Many will have more, and know better how to use it, too, so I won't brag about my collection; I'll relate something that happened when I didn't have ANYTHING.
I was attending the Avionics school at Fort Gordon, GA in 1964-65, and I'd bought a pawn-shop clock radio to get me up early enough there was hot water in the shower. It quit on me, and, having no money and nothing else to do one weekend, I was using a screwdriver to follow the signal path back on ambient noise.
"What're you doing?"
"Oh, I'm troubleshooting this radio."
"But you don't have any test equipment!"
I explained that there's always some RF noise around, and how one starts with the last stage and works back to earlier stages until that's no longer audible.
They still acted doubtful, so, now holding onto the screwdriver shaft to improve the signal, I touched it to the 6AL5 detectur input.
A local AM station was broadcasting its weekly Science Fiction program, and JUST when I touched the input pin, a voice came from the speaker:
"Major! We are in contact with the planet Mars!"
I was not a top student -- but after that, I was the next best thing to Resident Mad Scientist.
Cortland
KA5S
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