Homebrew PCBs

I've been thinking about switching to CuCl etching, to avoid having to
deal with FeCl any more.  I've started collecting the bits and pieces,
and have my HCl (Lowes had it, Home Depot and Ace didn't).  I've found
a place that has a suitable hydrometer (the local auto parts store
only had 1.1-1.3).  I've considered the venting issue.

My current question is about pH or HCl molarity.  Adam Seychell's page
says that pH strips won't work because the copper messes up the
reading.  What about the cheap digital pool pH meters?  They claim
they support 0-14, but (1) will the copper mess those up? and (2) how
does the molarity translate to pH in a CuCl solution?