Thanks to all for their comments on VNAs. I got a very nice 8753B & 84046A from Vladan. That forced me to cry "uncle" I and am now looking for a rack for this stuff. So I have room for more, at least once I find a rack.
With the prospect of a place to put stuff I'm considering LCR meters. For a fairly sophisticated hobby user, how much benefit is there to a 4284/5 pair vs a 4274/5 pair?
There are some 84/85s on offer at $2200 each. Obviously newer and more capable. But also at, from what I can tell from eBay, over 4x the price of a 74/75 pair. I have been so impressed by what I have been able to get for under $2k, usually 1/2 that or less, that a 74/75 pair for around $1k seems more attractive. Lots of bang for the buck.
With the 8753B & 84046A combination it seems to me I should be able to use that to make up for the more limited frequency range of the 4275A. It would just be a lot slower. But I'm not going to be sorting parts in significant numbers. And if it really gets demanding I can always fall back to using a bridge to match devices.
I spent my career as a research geophysicist in the oil industry. So I'm in the odd position of knowing a great deal and nothing. I would drool as I walked by the EE lab areas, but that was not someplace I was allowed to go play. And up until recently, could not square buying that sort of stuff with my habitual parsimony. But being able to check a garage door remote with my 8560A last week was a real pleasure.
Thanks,
Reg
