Yeah, that I can totally get... there is very little marketing involved in the production of the sensor heads or the thermistor mount; they're not very exciting. The meter itself is where marketing comes in, so every once in a while a more modern-looking model has to happen.
Where I got on the wrong side of this conversation was the prehistoric analog meter still being kept in stock at HPAK; that's what I was originally talking about, not the thermistor/mount as a separate entity (even tho, as I understand it, the mount and thermistor can actually be used by themselves).
I still suspect the old meter lingers there because TPTB know there is/are some large money customer(s) (be it military, manufacturing, scientific or calibration labs) that still have some need for that particular model. And I still suspect that reason is some standards document (maybe internal, maybe external) that is ultimately referred to again and again in which that meter is a requisite. Or maybe they keep it around because it is used to calibrate/validate subsequent models, and they have enough NOS to be able to offer some for sale to calibration labs etc, I dunno. ![Confused :-//](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/confused0024.gif.pagespeed.ce.5xOqKkq0Co.gif)
But it makes no sense for them to spend the money keeping track of the damn things for 5+ decades if someone who makes these decisions didn't expect to recoup it from somewhere; I mean, FFS, the things outlived that crazy bitch and the HP television years... ![Shocked :o](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xshocked.gif.pagespeed.ic.CrwtrNUjLO.png)
mnem
![Popcorn :popcorn:](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/EatingPopcorn.jpg.pagespeed.ce.yJ6TmC5fSa.jpg)
Analog meters still have their place. They are much easier to use and much more accurate in making fine adjustments such as when aligning RF gear than a digital bargraph or display. Much easier to spot peaks and trends. Any RF tech worth his salt will have analog meters on hand including the lowly VTVM.
You and I and most of the old buzzards in here know that. But that's because we know how to use a analog meter because we grew up with them. I bet one in a thousand of the current crop of
*ahem* "EEs" groks that in any significant way. And less than one in a thousand of THEM are going to be willing/able to sell that to their pointy-haired boss.
![Face Palm :palm:](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xfacepalm.gif.pagespeed.ic.EBDwh1hCfo.png)
They're just going to get the single-purpose specialized test set for whatever application they're working on; or trust what they see on the screen of their half-million dollar DSO/MSO and use that for their "certifications".
Case in point... go to the FCC website and pick a few random FCC "certifications" for some pieces of gear that emit RF, either accidentally or on purpose. Look at the test setups used for validation. All are painstakingly well-documented, but the actual test setups are often utterly cringeworthy; enough to make a real EE from our generation cry. And I ain't claiming to be one; while I may cling to the fact of having held the title a few times, I'm at best a jackleg EE with just enough knowledge to grok how little I actually know. Even I cringe at some of what I've seen there.
![Face Palm :palm:](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xfacepalm.gif.pagespeed.ic.EBDwh1hCfo.png)
mnem
![](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/amazing-tesla-experiments!-totally-new-science/?action=dlattach;attach=1026780;image)