GPS-179
Handheld MultimeterA 40 000 count True RMS handheld resolving to 0.01 mV, 0.01 µA and 0.01 mΩ, with a 4 to 20 mA process loop read as a current and as a percentage of span. Sealed to IP67 and fused at 1000 V on both current paths.
Every function on one set of terminals
One switch position covers resistance, capacitance, continuity and diode, with the MODE key selecting between them. That keeps the switch short and the meter narrow enough for a pocket.
The 4 to 20 mA loop has its own position on the switch rather than being a mode inside one. Ranging is automatic with manual selection on RANGE, and hold, MAX/MIN, relative and peak capture are all on the front panel.
Every function, and what it resolves to
| Function | Maximum range | Maximum resolution | Basic accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC voltage | 1000 V | 10 µV | ±0.06% |
| AC voltage | 1000 V | 10 µV | ±1.0% |
| DC current | 10 A | 0.01 µA | ±1.0% |
| AC current | 10 A | 0.01 µA | ±1.5% |
| Process loop | 4 to 20 mA | — | — |
| Resistance | 40 MΩ | 10 mΩ | ±0.3% |
| Capacitance | 40 mF | 10 pF | ±3.5% |
| Frequency | 10 MHz | 0.001 Hz | ±0.1% |
| Duty cycle | 99.90% | 0.10% | ±1.2% |
| Temperature | 760 °C | 0.1 °C | ±1.0% |
| Diode | — | — | — |
| Continuity | — | — | — |
These are basic accuracy figures: the best available across the ranges of each function, at the maximum range and resolution shown. They are not range-by-range figures, and the lowest and highest range of a function will differ from the basic figure. Range-by-range detail is in the operating manual supplied with the instrument. Temperature accuracy excludes the error of the thermocouple probe.
The rest of the switch
- True RMS on AC voltage and AC current, so a distorted waveform reads correctly rather than optimistically
- Peak capture, which holds a transient an averaging measurement never sees
- Hold, maximum and minimum on the front panel · automatic power off
- Automatic ranging, with manual selection on the RANGE key
Temperature accuracy excludes the error of the thermocouple probe.
Made for the conditions
A bench meter is protected by the bench. This one is protected by its case, its fuses and its category rating, and it is worth knowing what each of them covers.
The loop, read two ways at once
4 to 20 mA has its own position on the switch, and the meter shows the current and the percentage of span together. A transmitter sitting at a quarter of scale reads 8 mA and 25% side by side, which is the arithmetic nobody wants to do at the top of a ladder.
Forty thousand counts
Resolution of 0.01 mV, 0.01 µA and 0.01 mΩ, with a basic DC voltage accuracy of ±0.06%. That is close to bench figures in something that goes in a toolbox.
Fused where it matters
The µA and mA path carries a 500 mA 1000 V fuse and the 10 A path a 10 A 1000 V. Both are 1000 V rated, which is what decides whether a wrong-socket mistake is an inconvenience or an incident. The rating differs from the GPS-176, which uses 800 mA on the same path.
CAT IV 600 V and CAT III 1000 V
Two permissions rather than one range: up to 600 V at the origin of the installation, where the transients are largest, and up to 1000 V downstream. Every range carries 1000 V protection, and the 10 A terminal is marked for 20 A for thirty seconds, every fifteen minutes.
What’s in the box
- GPS-179 meter
- Test lead set
- Type K temperature probe
- 9 V battery
- Carrying case
- User manual
Spare fuses, 500 mA/1000 V and 10 A/1000 V, and replacement test leads are available from GPS.