A friend in town (W7TOM) just bought an HP 3478A, and we were both very
favorably impressed by it. I have a HP 34401A on my bench which I bought
brand-new for $1K, and the 3478A is almost as good at 20% of the price. It
has one less digit of resolution than the 34401A (5.5 instead of 6.5, either
are more than sufficient for nearly any practical purpose and much more than
any handheld can offer), and a couple fewer bells and whistles (dB,
frequency...) that I don't use anyway. Calibration is simple, with no need
to open the cabinet, and the manuals are excellent. Bob's 3478A showed an
invalid calibration checksum on one DC voltage range, so we set it up
against my 34401A and he was good to go. The other ranges were so close to
the 34401A that no adjustment was warranted.
Dealers sell the 3478A for around $300; the going eBay rate is $200 or less.
These things are the T&M bargain of the century, IMHO. I wish I'd gone the
3478A route -- I could have gotten essentially the same meter for a lot less
money. Didn't know they were that cheap, or that good.
-- john KE5FX
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Hi all,
I'm looking at getting an HP meter along the lines of the 3455, 3456
or 3457. Its to be used in a small lab. I don't require any remote
capabilities. I'm after a meter to carry on from where the handhelds
cease to be useful.
Are there any particular models that are best avoided and any that
are more highly prized than others?
Cheers
Ian Du Rieu
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