Way back shortly after I started blogging I pointed out some handy tools.
So what other tools can I recommend?
Well at one point in my past (prior to having access to a service monitor), I'd use the IF birdee of my scanner as a low power signal source to tuning 5 pole filters and the like. My old BC350 has a 10.85 MHF IF, so you subtract 10.85 MHz from the freq you need a carrier at, and voila a birdee. I think I measured it once and it was about -40 dBm. So when you need it weeker as you tune, you throw the scanner in the basement clothes dryer, or use a step attenuator on whatever you are working on.
Of course now days its pretty easy to use a Raspberry Pi to generate a narrow band modulated signal. IK1PLD has created some nice code for that that will easily let you transmit a 1000 KHz audio tone that you can create in audacity. His code even lets you adjust the power factor. This works nice up though the UHF bands.
I have that same old Bearcat scanner permanently fitted with a home brew deviation meter, which I wrote about before.
And of course with cheap RTL-SDR USB sticks you'll get a spectrum analyzer.
