Hi,
One way to do this is to use a PLL chip, like the ADF41020, as the microwave divider. That chip has around -20dBm sensitivity at 10GHz, so you may not need an amplifier ahead of it.
However, you are left with a couple of problems. First, you have to program the chip on every power cycle. For that you can use a small microprocessor, like a PIC. Programming isn't very hard. Second, you need to get the divided down signal to your counter. You program the chip so the divided RF appears on the MUX-OUT pin and buffer the signal with a single gate like an NC7SZ00.
It should be obvious you are not going to get a divide by 10 with this circuit. But "for free" you can prescale by 100 or 1000, which may actually be better, since the signal can then be sent to the baseband counter input. Warning, the divided down signal will probably not be a square wave, but a low duty ratio pulse train.
Regardless of how you do the division, you still need to take care of intput protection. That is a significant engineering project all by itself. If you don't need a lot of input sensitivity, I would suggest putting a 15dB or 20dB attenuator ahead of the divider and see if it can survive.
Good luck,
Lew
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--- In hp_agilent_equipment@..., "Erick Schumacher" <wb6kcn@...> wrote:
Hi Folks
Anybody have any advice on getting a decade divider to go in front of a 5385
counter so I can measure frequencies around X band. Divide by 8 is not
acceptable. Clugey is acceptable as long as it is cheap.
Eric
