I still haven't had anyone confirm this is really a 869 design error. It seems strange that it is since other meters handle this fine.
There was a long discussion previously on this exact subject, I don't remember which thread. There are many other meters that cannot be used to measure ripple on the mVAC range, including some Fluke meters like the 113-117 models, so that can be a bug or a feature or just something that isn't included. The real issue, IMO, are the cases where you overload the mVAC range with DC but you just get a wrong reading rather than an OL indication of some sort. There was no consensus IIRC, but IMO that is not an acceptable result from a professional tool.
I need something I can reliably get several of for the folks on the manufacturing floor so would rather not putz with old stuff.
Nobody ever got fired for buying Fluke, right? The 289 can be fairly criticized--it is expensive, big, cumbersome to use according to some and it eats batteries like popcorn. But for some uses it seems to be only current production tool I know of that works, other than a bench meter which would have another set of issues. There may be alternatives that will perform to your expectations, but unless you get lucky, they won't be all that cheap anyway.