I agree. The RF generators are not really useful for radio work. -John
============== > I agree, the TM-500 series has a lot of good plug-ins like DMMs, power > supplies, function generators, pulse generators and frequency counters, > that > are quite useful and as good as economy stand-alone equipment, often for > much less. > > One relatively deceptive instrument in the TM-500 series is the SG-503 > (and > its big brother SG-504). On paper, it sounds very useful, with 250MHz max > frequency and very stable output level with a frequency counter built-in > in > a single TM-500 drawer. But its frequency stability is insufficient to > check > receivers, the frequency control (and counter) is too coarse, and the > attenuator has very limited range (high level only). It is perfect for > what > it was designed for, which is checking the bandwidth of oscilloscopes, but > is not really useful for much else, particularly not for checking > receivers. > I have one in perfect condition, and I never use it. > > If you do RF work on a budget, don't buy an SG-503. They are still > relatively expensive, and not very useful. Keep your money for a true > Signal > Generator, like an HP 8640 (manual tuning) or an HP 8657A (synthesized), > or > a Communication Test Set. > > This was my $0.02 for today... > > Didier > > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com >> [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of J. Forster >> Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 3:46 PM >> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement >> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Test Equipment >> >> One thing to look at is the Tek TM500 stuff. When I lived in >> a small appartment, it was very helpful. There are a wide >> variety of modules available, often in the $20 to $30 range. >> They are also mostly pretty easy to fix and use mostly >> standard OTS parts. >> >> The TM500 stuff is NOT a substitute for high end instruments, >> but is well above hobby grade. BTW, the RF generators are not >> very good on frequency stability. You can get 6 lab grade >> instruments in a box about 9" wide x 14" high x 18" deep. >> >> FWIW, >> -John >> >> ================ >> > > > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > > _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.