I was reading another blog these two items were covered in his blog and I wanted to put the same stuff here. What are a Hams best tools… probably the number one tool is the Multi-meter or VOM. We use it for almost anything and everything in checking “continuity” to “resistance”. I think we would be essentially lost with out one. I have several since I forget where I leave them sometimes and I am working in several places. I carry one in the RV, one in the shop and another in my “electronic” tool chest… I found this video and it shows a lot of what the multi-meter is used for and some of the methods:
One thing that is newer than the VOM is the “kill-o-watt” meter. It is much easier to use to figure out how much current your pulling (for an AC load). It is also very useful to determine that the voltage that your getting ready to hook up to is proper.