I mostly agree, but for a VNA, consider the HP 8505A. It only goes to about 1.8 GHz, but is leaa of a dinosaur than the 8410 system.
-John ============= > John Foege wrote: >> I have recently started to build an electronics lab, and am currently >> trying to acquire test and general equipment for my little basement >> workshop of horrors. > > John, I hope my first post on this Forum will be useful to you... I was > in your same position two or three years ago. > > I have to say that ebay is really handy, but I suggest you first to try > with swapfests and flea-markets. There you can speak with the seller, > and _ask_ for a demonstration if there's a AC plug close by. > My only suggestion is: buy what you need now, and save money for the > future. > > Oscilloscopes > If I'm not wrong, Tektronix is selling its entry-level models at around > 1000$. I have a TDS 210: small, portable, fits 100% the requirements for > a general purpose scope. However, I use most my old Tek 475A (analog, > >200 MHz bandwidth) > > Spectrum Analyzer > I have started with a HP 141T system, a real workhorse (and reparable). > The 141 is actually the mainframe, then you need the 855x series > plug-in. One (8552) is the IF, the other the RF plug-in. > With the 8555 you can go up to 18 GHz. In this case, I'll consider the > 8445 preselector. > They are still worth 500$--1500$ depending on the plug-in and accessories. > Now I have a HP 8566A (100 Hz-22GHz) which I payed a little more of a > complete HP 141 system. My father has a HP 8568B (100Hz-1.8 Ghz), that > one is less expensive. > > Signal generator > I'll consider building a DDS generator kit for frequency <150 MHz. > Analog generators/sweepers are relatively cheap, but they are not stable > in frequency. > If your target is high frequency, the HP 8620C sweeper series is a good > compromise. Get a "C" mainframe, get the 86222 and 86290 plug-ins and > you can sweep from 10 MHz to 18 GHz. 8620C+86222 run at about > 300$--400$; the 86290 can go up to 500$ (watch ebay for deals). > If you buy an EIP source-locking counter, you can phase-lock them. > Lower prices for the heavy, old BWO-based HP 8690 sweepers. I can't > recommend them, unless you find a good deal, with the complete plug-in > series. > If you need a synthesizer, HP models are generally more expensive (but > also more fixable, in general) than Marconi, Giga-tronics and Fluke. > I have a Marconi 2019 (80 kHz-1040 MHz) and it works fine and it's clean > enough for my needs. > If you buy one, make sure it's 100% working, they are tricky to fix. > > Network analyzers > Wonderful instruments. Very sophisticated. People still write entire PhD > theses on their calibration theory. > Please don't take it badly, but if you don't really know how to use > them, you don't need them, since a spectrum analyzer and a tracking > generator will solve your problems and save you a lot of money. > > However, if you want to acquire some pieces of history, look for the HP > 8410 from 1970's, it uses the 8620 as sweeper: the HP8412 display + 8410 > IF should go for 200$, S-parameters test-set 8745 (0.1-2 GHz) or 8746 > (0.5-12/18 GHz) for 300$; the 8511 sampler converter is about 100$: get > at least two. > If you have money _and_ you need it, the HP 8510C is the best VNA ever > made. But the 8510 is just the display (85101) and the IF (85102), you > need a sweeper (8340 or 8341 or newer models) and the test-set (8515, > 8514 etc) AND the interconnecting cables. > Once you have all that, you have a Ferrari without tires. > You need at least two test cables, calibration grade adapters and > calibration standards... new tires will cost much more than the > second-hand Ferrari. > Both instruments are reparable, if you don't blow up the unobtanium RF > parts (samplers and pulse generators for the test-sets, wideband > amplifiers and YIG oscillators for the source). > (By the way, new VNA models from Agilent, Anrits, R&S all have an > embedded PC with MS Windows and a hard drive. > This simply means they are not designed to last 20+ years, but perhaps > it's not fair to compare them with my HP 8510B...) > > Oh, yes... one thing more: a PC with a National Instruments GPIB board > if you plan to automate your measurements. > > Good luck > Marco Garelli, AI4YH > > _______________________________________________ > 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.