HAMFEST FIND

I like this -- and for a dollar, how could I go wrong?United Television Laboratories was, it turns out, a tech school in Lousiville, KY; searching for them turns up a fascinating blog post, with a promotional audio clip and a lot of memories from graduates. "UTL" gave way to "United Electronics Institute" some time in the 1950s; eventually, UEI declined but in their heyday, the school (supposedly, I can't confirm it) even ran its own UHF TV station! (At one time, FCC handed out UHF TV licenses practically for the asking -- and even at that, not all of them made a go of it.)

A version of the meter even showed up in some of their magazine ads. It looks a lot like a Triplett prewar 666-H VOM, both inside and out; if I can find mine, I'll post a photo for comparison, later: (Similar one here). The specific arrangement, with the "OHMS" zero-adjust and pin jacks above the meter, was only used in a few models of Triplett's 666 and it is very likely the United Televison Labs meter is a clone. Update: Or, on reflection, maybe not; at least not of mine, which, Triplett-like, has but a single mode-changing switch. Some earlier versions of the 666 did have an AC/DC selector, though.(Later versions of Triplett's compact meter retained the test-lead lacks at top, in a case otherwise similar to their top of the line VOM, which is still in production).

Though the front panel is a bit bent and some of the hardware is loose, the meter movement seems to have some life in it and if it's intact and the meter rectifier (copper-oxide, a bit difficult to replace) is okay, the VOM can probably be brought back with a little bench time and elbow grease.