Wow, Thanks, Everybody for offering loaner phono amps!  You want to be careful (ask Charlie) - I borrowed his phono amp, stopped working on mine and kept his two years!  

 Not that Charlie ever was upset or angry with me: he's too even tempered.  
 Roscoe - thanks for verifying the battery situation.  I was going to check the amp-hour rating of batteries today but you've already answered my question.  I remember a tube-radio kit long ago that used (among others) a small group of AA batteries for something (heater, bias?)  I also figured I'd add an AC-to-DC power supply as an alternative to battery, or possibly a charger, to compare amp noise.  
 Charlie, where can I learn about this radio-repair class?  It might be worth driving to your area to take such a thing (of course, snow will start soon.)
Tube Driver and TomP: thank you for graciously offering your loan of phono amplifiers!  

  Please see disclaimer at start of message, and let me consider your offers with that in mind - I feel like a freeloader, and I might be forcing you into the role of Enabler!  
 Let me look at Roscoe's link, too, and see what I'm in for.
Ask for transparent valve covers, that's something I never considered.  I figure they'll be all oily anyway, but I could check the oil quality that way.  

  My rockers are gold because I'm too cheap to upgrade to the Stuart's blue Scorpion rockers, but that's the way I would have gone.  Now it's getting too cold to paint in the garage - fire up the heaters, I guess.