On Jul 26, 2008, at 2:16 PM, David Beierl wrote:

> Light dawns on Marblehead...are you measuring across the metal rod
> itself?

Yes. At both ends and also at 1/3 and 2/3 across the rod.

> What you need to be doing is measuring across the two leads coming
> from the rod.

Ah. The two wires, or leads as you call them, aren't accessible as
they enter the copper rod.

There are two layer of insulation, a yellowish and whitish woven cloth
surrounding the wires, which prevents me from making contact with
either of them with the probes. That's why I started with probing the
wires as they exited and re-entered their plastic terminal posts.
Can't isolate the wires from the copper core because they are
connected inside the rod and the rod is packed with some white solid
material.

I could disconnect both wires at the terminal and test the entire
circuit for resistance. The wire + the copper rod. Right?

If I did that, what do you think the multimeter should read?

Thomas (aka, "marblehead)