UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post

SPCh · 19th Mar 2006, 2:22 pm

Thanks to everbody for the steady stream of information.

Zulu95, your Universal Minor (UM-1) dates from July 1942 (I have number 48547 in my collection from the same month). 120,000 were built in the 14 years from 1938 (plus some military variants). The UM-1A (basically the same spec. but with a clever "low ohms" range added) was introduced around the end of 1955 !

The survey is a slow process, and heavily skewed towards the Model 8 Mark II which seems to be the one most "restorers" have. Around 120,000 of these were built in the ten years from 1956 at a fairly steady rate. That compares with around 40,000 Mk Is (in the five years from 1951), and some 90,000 Mk IIIs (in the five years from 1964).

It's good to see so many of you taking an interest. AVO (whose head office is now "across the pond" in Ohio) has no interest in the history of its product range at all, and is only interested in badging oriental flimsies. It's humbling to consider that the first AVO meters are just coming up to 83 years of age, with some still working, still accurate, and at least one with its original calibration seal intact. Where will the flimsies be even 20 years from now, I wonder ?

Keep the Serial Numbers coming in, and any questions or comments (in an appropriate other thread or by PM).

19th Mar 2006, 2:22 pm	#101
SPCh Rest in Peace Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Antwerp, Belgium Posts: 345	Re: AVO Multimeter survey Thanks to everbody for the steady stream of information. Zulu95, your Universal Minor (UM-1) dates from July 1942 (I have number 48547 in my collection from the same month). 120,000 were built in the 14 years from 1938 (plus some military variants). The UM-1A (basically the same spec. but with a clever "low ohms" range added) was introduced around the end of 1955 ! The survey is a slow process, and heavily skewed towards the Model 8 Mark II which seems to be the one most "restorers" have. Around 120,000 of these were built in the ten years from 1956 at a fairly steady rate. That compares with around 40,000 Mk Is (in the five years from 1951), and some 90,000 Mk IIIs (in the five years from 1964). It's good to see so many of you taking an interest. AVO (whose head office is now "across the pond" in Ohio) has no interest in the history of its product range at all, and is only interested in badging oriental flimsies. It's humbling to consider that the first AVO meters are just coming up to 83 years of age, with some still working, still accurate, and at least one with its original calibration seal intact. Where will the flimsies be even 20 years from now, I wonder ? Keep the Serial Numbers coming in, and any questions or comments (in an appropriate other thread or by PM).