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42-Range Digital Multimeter with Electric Field Detection image
 
(based on 24 ratings)
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Brand:RadioShack
Located in:Cables, Parts & Connectors, Test & measuring equipment, Multimeters
This 42-range digital multimeter with electric field detection is a compact, auto-ranging, multimeter ideal for testing in the field, lab, shop or home.
More information for the 42-Range Digital Multimeter with Electric Field Detection
Product Reviews Summary
Avg. Customer Rating:
 
2.5 stars
(based on 24 reviews)
44% of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Customers most agreed on the following attributes:

Pros:
Consistent performance(6), Good value(3), Rugged(4), Versatile(5)
Cons:
Inconsistent signal(3)
Best Uses:
Dorm room(3), High-end equipment(4)
Describe Yourself:
Practical(4), Professional(11), Tech savvy(5)
Primary use:
Business(7), Personal(12)
 
not worth the money
By Larry from Greenville,SC on 8/26/2008
Pros:
Rugged
Cons:
Inconsistent Signal
Best Uses:
High-End Equipment
Describe Yourself:
Tech Savvy
Primary use:
Business
Bottom Line:
No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Had this meter less than a year,I touch anything thats metel with one probe and it shows a short.
I would invest a little more money and get a better meter.

 
Good meter for the price
By Uber Geek from Seattle, WA on 8/23/2008
Pros:
Consistent Performance
Best Uses:
Audio measurements
Describe Yourself:
Professional
Primary use:
Personal
Bottom Line:
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

- After reading some 20 odd reviews, I went to the store armed with a "known to be reliable" signal source and some test resistors. It passed.
- I have a Fluke 8012A true RMS meter, but it has a sample cycle of 30Hz. The specs say it looses it's 0.1% accuracy below 45Hz.
- I also have a Sperry DSA-400 meter for >50v and >1a. My intended use for this meter is limited.
- I am measuring drivers for their Thiele-Small parameters which requires repeatable, but not accurate, readings below 10Hz.
- This meter tracks the 8012A down to 50Hz with a 0.5% error. The meter is stable down to 8Hz. It's voltage linearity (100mv to 800mv) at 20Hz is +/- 1.5% and reads about 2% low.
- I have a 10.00 ohm calibration resistor (0.1%), this meter reads it as 10.2 ohms. Well within spec.
- The display? I use a flashlight. I actually read the manual (in PDF form) before purchasing and have had no difficulty with the controls.

 
Don't buy it
By just me from pa on 7/4/2008
Pros:
Nice case color
Cons:
Nice sounding piezo
Best Uses:
Display -only
Describe Yourself:
Practical
Primary use:
Personal
Bottom Line:
No, I would not recommend this to a friend

easy to hold , not easy to see selections.
did not give same readings twice when new and two months later not at all. no trouble shooting assistance with product.

 
Great Meter For The Hobbyist
By IxpahVerified Reviewer from Portland, OR on 7/1/2008
Pros:
Consistent Performance, Low cost, Rugged
Best Uses:
Hobbies
Describe Yourself:
Hobbyist, Tech Savvy
Primary use:
Personal
Bottom Line:
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

This is a great multimeter for the price. I bought it 2 years ago and its still working perfectly. I use it all the time for hobby electronics and it does almost everything I want. The only things I wish I could change would be a lower minimum capacitance (it cuts out at about 100pf) and a higher maximum frequency (4MHz max). But it was only [$]so thats fine.Unlike some of the other people here I have never blown a fuse on it. And the ones who get erratic behavior have probably fried the meter through improper use. Remember, measure current in series and voltage in parallel. NEVER THE OTHER WAY AROUND. Also, you want to remove the probes (leads) from the circuit being tested when you switch functions, because as you pass over the intermediate functions they activate briefly and might fry the meter or the test circuit.Oh, and after 2 years of almost daily use I am only on my second battery for it.

[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

 
Should cost $10
By Tom from Cincinnati on 5/24/2008
Pros:
Versatile
Cons:
Wears Easily
Best Uses:
garage
Describe Yourself:
Practical
Primary use:
Personal
Bottom Line:
No, I would not recommend this to a friend

This meter only lasted 7 months until it would not read volts. Called Radioshack to see how much to get it fixed, $50 ,they said.

 
Excelent Product
By FMMICRO from HAMDEN, CT. on 5/20/2008
Pros:
Consistent Performance, Good Length, Rugged, Versatile
Best Uses:
High-End Equipment
Describe Yourself:
Professional
Primary use:
Personal
Bottom Line:
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I bought this product when it just came out and was amazed at all the features it has. The readings are all much better than the specifications and were tested at my work location with a Fluke 8508a Reference Multimeter. The readings are much steader than most i've seen for digital instuments. All the functions work fine and am really happy with this meter.

[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]

 
Do NOT buy this!
By DwayneVerified Reviewer from Cincy on 3/23/2008
Pros:
Good Length
Cons:
Inconsistent Signal
Best Uses:
None
Describe Yourself:
Full-time hobbyist, Gearhead
Primary use:
Personal
Bottom Line:
No, I would not recommend this to a friend

This product is terrible! I chose to ignore the reviews and went ahead and bought this item since it had so many features for such a low price, but it is the WORST multimeter I have ever used!

Volt function: Measures -50 - 4.5 mV when the leads are attached to NOTHING, this is NOT EF mode, it is volt mode. When attached to a battery, it couldn't give me a steady reading, when I set the range manually, it gave me an approximation, but not anywhere near accurate (1.3V for a BRAND NEW alkaline AA)

Resistance function: Works fine

Continuity: Works fine, nice loud piezo

Capacitance: This mode made me want to vomit. I'd be better off having a dead animal tell me capacitance. A 56nF capacitor registered at 2nF, a 50uF capacitor registered at around 14nF.

Random: No temperature, no PC interface, and every time you turn the dial it beeps, not a friendly "Oh, hey, you turned the dial" beep, but a nasty "Auggh! I hate you and will beep at you" beep. Oh and it does not include a spare fuse like it claims.

This is all with a brand new, 9V battery

 
Works fine for me.
By Technician Mike from Ellicott City, MD on 3/8/2008
Pros:
Consistent Performance, Versatile
Cons:
Very small symbols
Best Uses:
High-End Equipment
Describe Yourself:
Professional, Tech Savvy
Primary use:
Business
Bottom Line:
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I have been using my meter for a few months now at work. I use it to measure 115VAC, 230VAC, 24VAC, 12VDC, 24VDC, Frequency, Resistance and Diodes. It works fine for me.

[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

 
I like it, but
By Phys ProfVerified Reviewer from Poughkeepsie, NY on 3/6/2008
Pros:
Rugged, Versatile
Cons:
Inconsistent Signal
Best Uses:
Teaching Lab
Describe Yourself:
Professional
Primary use:
Business
Bottom Line:
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I bought 3 of these meters for use in my Physics lab course. Students being beginers make a lot of mistakes, but so far nothing worse than fuses. They work reasonably well, although readings are a little unsteady and auto ranging is slow. For student use these are pretty good and the price is very competitive with (or much better than) other meters I investigated. On the other hand, I don't like auto ranging at all, for repeated readings it really slows down the process. My students and I actually like the older model meters I bought in '98 that these replaced in the Radio Shack lineup much better. If these have anything close to the lifetime (6 of 7 still working perfectly) those seem to I will be very happy.

[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

 
Great meter for the price
By Nickname from Los Angeles, CA on 2/23/2008
Pros:
Consistent Performance, Good value
Cons:
None so far
Best Uses:
Dorm Room, High-End Equipment
Describe Yourself:
Professional
Primary use:
Personal
Bottom Line:
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I first bought this meter for use in my Electrical Engineering lab because it's price tag was very inviting to a poor college student like myself. But now I use this meter all around because it proved to be a solid piece of equipment. Sure it doesn't boast the features that FLUKE meters do, but at this price I am not complaining. Come on,[$]you get an AC/DC Voltmeter, Ammeter, Ohmmeter, AND you can measure capacitance and EF.After reading some of the reviews here and it looks like the meter is not the problem, but the user. To anyone who actually tries to measure current across a battery, please step away, you will get yourself killed.

[0 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

 
Do Not Buy This Multimeter
By Songman68Verified Reviewer from Charlotte, NC on 1/26/2008
Pros:
Large Numbers
Cons:
Inaccurate readings
Best Uses:
Door Stop
Describe Yourself:
Tech Savvy
Primary use:
Personal
Bottom Line:
No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I used this thing for several months and I never got a proper reading from it. It is horrible and just plain doesn't work.

[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

 
Great for the price
By M. EdwardsVerified Reviewer from Pennsylvania on 1/16/2008
Pros:
PRICE
Best Uses:
Average home use
Describe Yourself:
Professional
Primary use:
Business
Bottom Line:
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I've been using one of these in the shop for two years with no problems, except for one that was my fault. No, it is NOT a professional DVM, but it doesn't cost $200+ either!
Notes for future purchasers: If you don't know what the universal symbol for AC voltage (the "tilde" somebody else mentioned) is, you don't know enough about electricity to buy any meter at all; you'll just experience frustration and possibly damage your equipment or even yourself. Seek professional help. Also, if the display fluctuates a lot, there's nothing wrong... you just blew the fuse in the meter. They thoughtfully included a spare fuse inside, just replace it and you'll be good to go again.

[0 of 4 customers found this review helpful]

 
Extremely disappointed - poor design
By The current tester from Powell, WY on 1/2/2008
Best Uses:
Dorm Room
Describe Yourself:
Professional
Primary use:
Business
Bottom Line:
No, I would not recommend this to a friend

THIS UNIT JUST BLEW OUT MY PowerSentry power strip! I was simply testing an AC house voltage across the black and red test leads and it actually blew out my PowerSentry power strip!

This unit stopped working after 1st use (long before the above situation occurred). Determined it was a bad fuse. Replaced the fuse and blew it out again (testing AC voltage circuit). Re-read the manual about testing voltage and current. NOTE: You MUST read the manual to use this (unlike other measuring devices that are better designed and are more intuitive for professional users).

In the manual's "Measuring DC/AC Current" topic, the first paragraph states "To measure AC or DC current, you must break the circuit and connect the test leads to two circuit connection points. The connection must be in series with the circuit under test." Then, the first Caution under this paragraph states "Never connect the test leads across a voltage source. Doing so can damage the meter or the circuit under test." What does this mean? Are they saying not to attempt a parallel connection? If so, then they need to be much more specific!
The poor design that I mentioned is because instead of having a separate selector for AC versus DC voltage and current, they have a single selector that supposedly can handle AC and DC voltage--BUT YOU MUST HIT THE SELECT BUTTON TO CHANGE IT TO READING AC VOLTAGE/AMPERAGE. AND THE SCREEN DOESN'T SHOW AC OR DC. INSTEAD, IT SIMPLY DISPLAYS A "TILDE" (WAVY LINE) IF IN AC MODE. THIS IS VERY NON-INTUITIVE!
ANOTHER MADE-IN-CHINA DISAPPOINTMENT!

[0 of 5 customers found this review helpful]

 
Bad item
By monty from Tampa Bay, Fl. on 11/23/2007
Cons:
Breaks quickly
Describe Yourself:
Practical
Primary use:
Personal
Bottom Line:
No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I only used this item two or three times and it quit working. I DO NOT recomend anyone buy it.

[0 of 4 customers found this review helpful]

 
Total Junk! Don't Waste Your Time or $
By The Foolee from Fargo, ND on 11/23/2007
Pros:
NA
Cons:
Does Not Work
Best Uses:
Garbage
Describe Yourself:
Professional
Primary use:
Personal
Bottom Line:
No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Tried all functions and none of them worked correctly.[...]should be ashamed of selling such a product. I did not take the advice of the comments before mine and found out the hard way. Unless you like looking at a bunch of random numbers being displayed, do not buy this.

[0 of 4 customers found this review helpful]

 
Not worth the money, don't buy
By electrician from Atlanta GA on 10/14/2007
Describe Yourself:
Professional
Primary use:
Personal
Bottom Line:
No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Broke down after a few uses, [*]

[0 of 3 customers found this review helpful]

 
Lacks tech specs if to be used profess
By wildduck from Rochester MN on 10/1/2007
Pros:
Weekend warrior product
Cons:
lacks specs for prof use
Best Uses:
Dorm Room
Describe Yourself:
Professional
Primary use:
Business

When I went to see how accurate this meter would be I found a total lack of technical data other than the ranges. So when making a measurement you have no idea what you really have.

[0 of 3 customers found this review helpful]

 
Not reliable
By nomane from moraga, ca on 8/29/2007
Pros:
Inconsistent performance
Cons:
Unreliable
Describe Yourself:
Practical
Primary use:
Personal
Bottom Line:
No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Unreliable. Several times I've checked for household current. . . the meter showed none but insuing sparks and recheck with analog meter proved otherwise.

[5 of 5 customers found this review helpful]

 
Don't listen to others!
By Tech. from Florida on 7/27/2007
Pros:
Consistent Performance, Durable, Versatile
Cons:
No PC Connection
Best Uses:
Electrical Computer Work
Describe Yourself:
Professional, Tech Savvy
Primary use:
Business
Bottom Line:
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I've had this meter for quite a while, and love it. It works as it always has, is fairly accurate and easy to use. Also has a nice price tag. EF detection works great and can detect EF fields from my CRT tv from over 15 feet away (without electrodes attached). I've even been able to detect where wires are inside the walls in my home with it (if you hold it like a stud finder). I've blown the fuses a few times and even accidentally melted both electrodes completely, and none of that killed mine. I just wish I had bought the model that linked to PC when they had it.

[1 of 4 customers found this review helpful]

 
Readings not reliable. ...
By Don M from NJ on 6/22/2007

Readings not reliable. Autorange is completely useless. Ground terminal broke off after minimal use.

[0 of 4 customers found this review helpful]

 
Piece of junk. Most ...
By Phil J from SF Bay Area on 5/12/2007

Piece of junk. Most functions stopped working after minor use. Could be dangerous if you are using to detect AC voltage.

[0 of 2 customers found this review helpful]

 
I've had two so far. I ...
By Damian A from Tucson on 5/5/2007

I've had two so far. I double checked the voltage reading with a lower cost analog meter and a 9 volt battery. The voltage reading on both units quite reading correctly within a week of using. Don't waste your money

[0 of 4 customers found this review helpful]

 
Unit quit working after ...
By Al W from Michigan on 3/18/2007
Pros:
Easy to use, Good performance, Good Value

Unit quit working after about 1 year.

[2 of 3 customers found this review helpful]

 
works well with ...
By Warner R from service garage on 10/12/2006
Pros:
Easy to use, Good performance, Good Value, Reliable

works well with automotice and electrical.

Customer Reviews about the 42-Range Digital Multimeter with Electric Field Detection at Radio Shack
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