Oh I trust you! I know they're different. That's what I was saying, I didn't understand how a S/G worked.
Now though, after lots of reading, tests, and help from you guys, I understand them better.
I finally got a chance to do the tests Bedell linked me to, and if they tell the whole story, then it sounds like I've got a bad S/G. The Bat terminal on the VR has power, the blue and yellow wires have almost no resistance (less than .5 ohms, which is the same as my meter read touching its own leads together), and finally, most damning, there was no RPM drop when I jumped the F terminal directly to the Neg battery post, and the voltage at the battery terminals didn't change, 11.5 volts with the F jump disconnected, and connected.
Might I just need to repolarize it? I have no idea if that's even a sensible question to ask in this case, but I see it suggested on that page of S/G tests.
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