Handheld Multimeters
Meters for the van and the plant room, not the bench
Two models, both sealed to IP67 and rated CAT IV 600 V with 1000 V protection on every range. The GPS-179 adds forty thousand counts, true RMS with peak capture and a 4 to 20 mA process loop; the GPS-176 covers general electrical work at six thousand counts. Filter by resolution, true RMS and loop measurement below.
Filter the handheld multimeters
Select any combination of criteria. Choosing more than one option within a row widens the search rather than narrowing it.
| Model | Counts | True RMS | Process loop | Resistance | Basic DC accuracy | Fuses | Link to product page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPS-179 | 40 000 | Yes, with peak capture | Yes, with % of span | 40 MΩ | ±0.06% | 500 mA and 10 A | View |
| GPS-176 | 6000 | No | No | 60 MΩ | ±(0.09% + 2) | 800 mA and 10 A | View |
Two meters, one decision
Same case, same sealing, same category rating. What separates them is resolution, true RMS and whether you work on current loops.
GPS-179
True RMS Handheld Multimeter
Forty thousand counts resolving to 0.01 mV, with true RMS on both AC paths and a peak capture mode. The 4 to 20 mA loop has its own position on the switch and reads the current and the percentage of span together.
GPS-176
Handheld Multimeter
Six thousand counts with an analogue bargraph, and a tighter DC voltage figure than the count suggests at ±(0.09% + 2). Resistance runs to 60 MΩ across six ranges and capacitance to 1 mF.
The GPS-170 and the GPS-98 are discontinued. The GPS-98 archive page is kept for reference; for current handheld meters use the two above.
Four things worth settling first
Count the digits you will actually read
Forty thousand counts resolves to 0.01 mV and 0.01 mΩ, which matters when you are looking for a drift or a millivolt of offset. For continuity, supply voltages and motor circuits the GPS-176’s six thousand counts is not the limiting factor, and its DC voltage accuracy of ±(0.09% + 2) is closer to the GPS-179 than the count difference suggests.
Is anything you measure distorted?
An averaging meter reads a clean sine correctly and under-reads almost everything else: a drive output, a dimmer, a switch-mode load. If that is your work, true RMS is not a refinement, and only the GPS-179 has it. On clean mains and DC the two read the same.
Do you work on 4 to 20 mA loops?
The GPS-179 reads a loop as a current and as a percentage of span at the same time, so a transmitter at a quarter of scale shows 8 mA and 25% side by side. If you commission or fault-find instrumentation that one function is usually the whole decision.
Safety is the same on both
Both are IP67, double moulded, rated CAT IV 600 V and CAT III 1000 V, and carry 1000 V protection on every range. Both mark the 10 A terminal for 20 A for thirty seconds, every fifteen minutes. The fuses differ: 800 mA on the GPS-176 and 500 mA on the GPS-179, so order spares against the model rather than the range.