Tam, no problem, thanks for the suggestion anyway.
Looks like I'm going to have to wait for the CLIP docs. PS is dead-on, voltage is clean. Connectors reseatedseated. Unit is very clean. Amusingly, whoever owned it apparently sent to to Keysight for recal fairly regularly, stickers are on the box. Last recal 2017. Umm, so, just what were they paying for? A 5v source and about 20 seconds of button-pushing? This has got to be the easiest instrument to calibrate that I've ever seen.
Bill
|
Sorry Mate, I meant well. Wanted to make sure it does not get
forgotten.
Not my day today. Badly managed to hurt myself while shopping...
Tam
With best regards
Tam HANNA
Enjoy electronics? Join 15k7 other followers by visiting the Crazy Electronics Lab at
On 2020. 04. 25. 18:12, Bill E wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Yes, the front-end gain calibration requires 5.000V. My fancy (and
calibrated) voltage standard is good to 50 times better than that.
:)
The interpolator calibration does NOT require an input, in fact,
you are explicitly told to be sure nothing is connected.
|
Re: Test Equipment For Sale
Hi Jim
interesting about you using the tracking generator daily
Love to know how you use it in your daily job
Regarding Street credibility I think we all have it if we have HP test
equipment and I must admit I do have 6 HP spectrum analysers
But Midnight SNA and Nano VNA are both new to me
Regards Paul
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected][mailto: [email protected]] On Behalf Of Jim Shorney Sent: 25 April 2020 17:03 To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] Test Equipment For Sale I have used HP tracking analyzers at work almost daily for many years. Last year I acquired one surplus that needed minor repair for a stupid low price. I also own a Midnight SNA and NanoVNA. And a vintage Eico sweep generator. :) Each tool has its own niche. Each is plenty good enough for most hobbyist needs within those niches. The HP continues to be my favorite instrument and my go-to for sanity checks on the others. And yes, I do use the tracking generator in radio service work. I likely would not have purchased this HP if it did not have the TG. And then there's always the street cred that comes with using a name brand instrument.... :D 73 -Jim NU0C On Sat, 25 Apr 2020 10:59:31 +0100 "Paul Bicknell" <paul@...> wrote: Hi all
During the last year on a number of sites I have seen several requests for
people buying their fist spectrum analyser and all have spoken about
wanting a tracking generator
I personally have only used an analyser with a tracking generator a few
times in my life and that was 35 years ago a Marconi 110 Mhz spectrum
analyser for setting up IF filters
In my early days I started using swappers and diode detectors or power
meters with an oscilloscope then moved onto Scaler analysers
Could it be the new people are not familiar with other test equipment and
think a spectrum analyser is the only tool they require and unaware of
sweepers and Scalier analysers
Your comments please Regards Paul
|
Yes, the front-end gain calibration requires 5.000V. My fancy (and calibrated) voltage standard is good to 50 times better than that. :)
The interpolator calibration does NOT require an input, in fact, you are explicitly told to be sure nothing is connected.
|
Re: Test Equipment For Sale
I have used HP tracking analyzers at work almost daily for many years. Last year I acquired one surplus that needed minor repair for a stupid low price. I also own a Midnight SNA and NanoVNA. And a vintage Eico sweep generator. :) Each tool has its own niche. Each is plenty good enough for most hobbyist needs within those niches. The HP continues to be my favorite instrument and my go-to for sanity checks on the others. And yes, I do use the tracking generator in radio service work. I likely would not have purchased this HP if it did not have the TG. And then there's always the street cred that comes with using a name brand instrument.... :D 73 -Jim NU0C On Sat, 25 Apr 2020 10:59:31 +0100 "Paul Bicknell" <paul@...> wrote: Hi all
During the last year on a number of sites I have seen several requests for
people buying their fist spectrum analyser and all have spoken about wanting
a tracking generator
I personally have only used an analyser with a tracking generator a few
times in my life and that was 35 years ago a Marconi 110 Mhz spectrum
analyser for setting up IF filters
In my early days I started using swappers and diode detectors or power
meters with an oscilloscope then moved onto Scaler analysers
Could it be the new people are not familiar with other test equipment and
think a spectrum analyser is the only tool they require and unaware of
sweepers and Scalier analysers
Your comments please Regards Paul
|
On 25/04/20 16:30, Bill E wrote: The 'not working - for parts' 53310 I bought just showed up. It indeed won't pass the interpolator calibration, says can't set the interp gain or offset, and I get a DAC failure, value 255. I have the CLIP level schematics coming, but any clues? Given the 255 value, it would seem to be a problem with whichever DAC is involved, not the interps themselves. BTW, it seems to work just fine using whatever cal values it had when last calibrated. Looking at my 10 MHz GPS standard, it's well within frequency specs, historgram is nice, etc. Opt 031 works fine also, shows a pretty analysis of a 1Ghz signal.
It does pass the front-end gain/offset tests, and those recalibrate with no problem..
So, any ideas? I'd start with the obvious things. ?- check the PSU rails for voltage and ripple. ?- reseat connectors ?- just generally eyeball the relevant circuits
|
Hello,
AFAIK, one of these tests requires a precision external voltage.
Tam
With best regards
Tam HANNA
Enjoy electronics? Join 15k7 other followers by visiting the Crazy Electronics Lab at
On 2020. 04. 25. 17:30, Bill E wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
The 'not working - for parts' 53310 I bought just showed up. It
indeed won't pass the interpolator calibration, says can't set the
interp gain or offset, and I get a DAC failure, value 255. I have
the CLIP level schematics coming, but any clues? Given the 255
value, it would seem to be a problem with whichever DAC is
involved, not the interps themselves. BTW, it seems to work just
fine using whatever cal values it had when last calibrated.
Looking at my 10 MHz GPS standard, it's well within frequency
specs, historgram is nice, etc. Opt 031 works fine also, shows a
pretty analysis of a 1Ghz signal.
It does pass the front-end gain/offset tests, and those
recalibrate with no problem..
So, any ideas? BTW, the other unit, no 031 option, in working
condition seems to have been lost by the wonderfully-incompetent
USPS. Third package they've lost in 7 months. Hopefully, they'll
find it. I should be able to cobble together a fully-working 031
optioned unit from the two.
Bill
|
Re: Maximum depth of HP rack mountable gear?
That is what I have. IKEA worktops.
|
WTB HP 11852A or B 50/75 Ohm minimum loss pad
Hi
I'm looking for a pair of the HP 11852A or B 50/75 Ohm minimum loss?pad adapters or their
equivalents. If there is someone that doesn't need them I'm willing to buy them. I'm located at Athens GREECE so will have to ship them with post if possible for economy... reasons :)
Thank you in advance
Sotiris Pdmt
|
The 'not working - for parts' 53310 I bought just showed up. It indeed won't pass the interpolator calibration, says can't set the interp gain or offset, and I get a DAC failure, value 255. I have the CLIP level schematics coming, but any clues? Given the 255 value, it would seem to be a problem with whichever DAC is involved, not the interps themselves. BTW, it seems to work just fine using whatever cal values it had when last calibrated. Looking at my 10 MHz GPS standard, it's well within frequency specs, historgram is nice, etc. Opt 031 works fine also, shows a pretty analysis of a 1Ghz signal.
It does pass the front-end gain/offset tests, and those recalibrate with no problem..
So, any ideas? BTW, the other unit, no 031 option, in working condition seems to have been lost by the wonderfully-incompetent USPS. Third package they've lost in 7 months. Hopefully, they'll find it. I should be able to cobble together a fully-working 031 optioned unit from the two.
Bill
|
Re: HP 4195A NiCad Battery replacement
I went with option A on my 4276A.
The benefit of doing it this way (besides greater capacity for longer backup) is if the batteries are to leak in the future, they are well away from any PCB's so they can't do further damage.
You can see in the image where I scraped the solder mask back to get all the junk out and neutralise it. I also had to replace the card edge connector there too.
After the repairs, it's all working well. :)
On Sat, Apr 25, 2020 at 03:20 PM, Tam Hanna wrote:
Hello,
farting around the town now, my HP 4195A still has a working battery.
?
a) I would use an external battery pack. Just hotglue or cable tie a AAA holder to the arse end of the unit, and run a thin well insulated wire.
b) AFAIK not. Friend of my lab gypsy had a 4195A which was a real junker. They kickstarted it by charging the deep discharged battery externally, and the unit behaved. Also, the Maintenance Manual mentions EEPROM writes multiple times in the last chapter...
?
Tam
|
Re: Test Equipment For Sale
Hi Dave
I think you have it !? ? it is the tracking generator obsession
As we have only had one person com back saying he requires it but shame it only goes to 1000 mhz? I would think the minimum now days would be 2000 Mhz for sat comes IF work
Regards Paul
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dave McGuire
Sent: 25 April 2020 15:48
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] Test Equipment For Sale
On 4/25/20 5:59 AM, Paul Bicknell wrote:
> During the last year on a number of sites I have seen several requests
> for people buying their fist spectrum analyser and all have spoken about
> wanting a tracking generator
>
> I personally have only used an analyser with a tracking generator a few
> times in my life and that was 35 years ago a Marconi 110 Mhz spectrum
> analyser for setting up IF ?filters
>
> In my early days I started using swappers and diode detectors or power
> meters with an oscilloscope then moved onto Scaler analysers
>
> Could it be the new people are not familiar with other test equipment
> and think a spectrum analyser is the only tool they require and unaware
> of sweepers and Scalier analysers
? I've wondered about this myself.? I've always just assumed that the
tracking generator obsession was from people who don't know about (or
are intimidated by) network analyzers.
????????????? -Dave
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
|
Re: Decline, was Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] new File called App notes
Very true.
-Dave
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 4/25/20 11:19 AM, Paul Bicknell wrote: ***That is why we are on this site with good quality test equipment
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dave McGuire
Sent: 25 April 2020 16:02
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Decline, was Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] new File
called App notes
On 4/25/20 2:01 AM, Tam Hanna wrote:
Dave, you have to trigger me early in the morning. This is the only time in my career, ever, when I almost got medieval to a subordinate. ? I have impeccable timing. B-)
Returned to my office only to find an accountant playing SOLITAIRE on a TLA. The little coot somehow - innovatively, Ill give that - found out that the thing runs Windows. Neither me nor my team, at the time, liked card games (which are a total suck of life, sadly, one of my cadets is a Baccarat degenerate)...so we did not bother to clean it up and head IT also didn't give a f**k. ? I hope you fired the little snot.
Well, in I waddled in the morning, red bull in the one claw and toast in the other...only to see what cannot be unseen. ? I don't know what's worse...crappy test equipment running Windows,
life-wasting games, or people wasting their lives playing said games on
***said crappy test equipment*!
??????????? -Dave
--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
-----
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2016.0.8048 / Virus Database: 4793/15886 - Release Date: 08/14/18
Internal Virus Database is out of date.
--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
|
Re: Decline, was Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] new File called App notes
That is why we are on this site with good quality test equipment
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dave McGuire
Sent: 25 April 2020 16:02
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Decline, was Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] new File called App notes
On 4/25/20 2:01 AM, Tam Hanna wrote:
> Dave, you have to trigger me early in the morning. This is the only time
> in my career, ever, when I almost got medieval to a subordinate.
? I have impeccable timing. B-)
> Returned to my office only to find an accountant playing SOLITAIRE on a
> TLA. The little coot somehow - innovatively, Ill give that - found out
> that the thing runs Windows. Neither me nor my team, at the time, liked
> card games (which are a total suck of life, sadly, one of my cadets is a
> Baccarat degenerate)...so we did not bother to clean it up and head IT
> also didn't give a f**k.
? I hope you fired the little snot.
> Well, in I waddled in the morning, red bull in the one claw and toast in
> the other...only to see what cannot be unseen.
? I don't know what's worse...crappy test equipment running Windows,
life-wasting games, or people wasting their lives playing said games on
said crappy test equipment!
??????????? -Dave
--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
-----
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2016.0.8048 / Virus Database: 4793/15886 - Release Date: 08/14/18
Internal Virus Database is out of date.
|
Re: HP 4195A NiCad Battery replacement
Hello to the group. If the battery can't be found or maybe at a reasonable price, you can always build a voltage splitter. Opamp and a few resistors. Most of the meters I have?seen use something like 4 X 1.2V nicads in series center tapped. Granted that means the unit has to be plugged in maybe filtering issues since that batteries isolated the system from ground and were the real filter caps. But a consideration to return the meter to service. I have done this years ago on a HP analog VTVM and its still works. Regards Paul
|
Re: Decline, was Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] new File called App notes
On 4/25/20 2:01 AM, Tam Hanna wrote: Dave, you have to trigger me early in the morning. This is the only time
in my career, ever, when I almost got medieval to a subordinate. I have impeccable timing. B-) Returned to my office only to find an accountant playing SOLITAIRE on a
TLA. The little coot somehow - innovatively, Ill give that - found out
that the thing runs Windows. Neither me nor my team, at the time, liked
card games (which are a total suck of life, sadly, one of my cadets is a
Baccarat degenerate)...so we did not bother to clean it up and head IT
also didn't give a f**k. I hope you fired the little snot. Well, in I waddled in the morning, red bull in the one claw and toast in
the other...only to see what cannot be unseen. I don't know what's worse...crappy test equipment running Windows, life-wasting games, or people wasting their lives playing said games on said crappy test equipment! -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
|
Re: Test Equipment For Sale
On 4/25/20 5:59 AM, Paul Bicknell wrote: During the last year on a number of sites I have seen several requests
for people buying their fist spectrum analyser and all have spoken about
wanting a tracking generator
I personally have only used an analyser with a tracking generator a few
times in my life and that was 35 years ago a Marconi 110 Mhz spectrum
analyser for setting up IF ?filters
In my early days I started using swappers and diode detectors or power
meters with an oscilloscope then moved onto Scaler analysers
Could it be the new people are not familiar with other test equipment
and think a spectrum analyser is the only tool they require and unaware
of sweepers and Scalier analysers I've wondered about this myself. I've always just assumed that the tracking generator obsession was from people who don't know about (or are intimidated by) network analyzers. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
|
Re: Decline, was Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] new File called App notes
On Fri, Apr 24, 2020 at 07:58 PM, David C. Partridge wrote:
The major culprit in bloat is OOP. Tables of pointers to tables of pointers
to tables of pointers. In feature rich classes, all those tables of pointers
take up a huge amount of memory. Not necessarily so - well designed class structures in C++ can and often will
result in a smaller memory footprint than a traditional C application - stress
being on well designed!
TANSTAFL The best case for optimized C++ would be to be no larger than the same functionality in C. The version of xclock(1) running on my system takes more memory than I could install in my Sun 3/60. All it does is display the time and date. Same functionality, but over 100x more resources. Now, it takes 4 GB of DRAM to run a web browser and a 1 GB download to install a printer driver! What OOP does is allow people who don't understand what they are doing to pretend they are programmers. Mel Kaye would not use OOP.
|
Re: Test Equipment For Sale
In the US it is in the 902-927MHz ISM band.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 25 Apr 2020, at 14:29, Daun Yeagley via groups.io <daun@...> wrote:
? Is that the 978 UAT version, or 1090?
I monitor both here at my home next to the airport.
Daun
Daun E. Yeagley II, N8ASB
On 4/25/2020 9:24 AM, Colin Smithers wrote:
It is a lighter version if ADSB and is used by gliders in the US.
On 25 Apr 2020, at 13:59, Daun Yeagley via groups.io
<daun@...> wrote:
? Here in the US we call it ADSB.
Daun E. Yeagley II, N8ASB
On 4/25/2020 8:04 AM, Colin Smithers wrote:
FLARM is an aircraft collision warning system. Each end knows where is it by GPS and every second transmits is location, velocity and heading on a common channel.
?
Approaching aircraft hear the pings of other FLARM equipped aircraft an calculate whether there is going to be a collision. If it thinks there is danger it
beeps loudly to the pilot to take avoiding action. The beeps get faster as the nature of the danger increases. It is generally regarded that if you get a beep it is a failure of lookout, but lookout is never perfect and all pilots get beeps. Glider pilots
fly for miles towards good-looking clouds and hence find themselves unwittingly ?flying toward each other. In the Alps gliders fly in the updrafts very to the mountains and meet other aircraft head-on as they go around corners ¨C it was that community that
first developed FLARM. It¡¯s a life-saver.
?
The glider antenna installation is generally a monopole and ground plane somewhere in the dash in front of the pilot. The usual installation errors I get invited
to diagnose are owing to short range and arise from antenna de-tuning by nearby objects, noise from other equipment, (mostly data lines and switching PSUs), and obstruction such as by parts of the aircraft made of, or repaired in carbon fibre.
?
Sometimes its hard to get away from playing radio to actually get to go flying. Lol
?
Rgds
?
Colin
?
Hi colin
?
OK on portability by the way I always put instruments with a tube on the back seat so as not to brake the tube
Ok could you please explain
aircraft 866MHz FLARM systems
?
And yes the tracking generators I have only go to 1300 mhz
?
Regards Paul
?
A Spec An and sweeper and an external 3dB hybrid to act as reflectometer enable such a wealth of measurements that I¡¯d be lost without the tracking gen. Surely
it can only be lack of demonstrations showing people what can be done with this combination that is the answer to your question.
?
People will have read my comments about calibrating the 8920A. For something robust enough to survive in the boot (sorry ¨C trunk) it is always with me at ham
radio events and at the gliding club where I get to test and repair many things such as UHF ground radios, VHF airiband radios, aircraft 866MHz FLARM systems. Oh, and the remote Davis Vantage Vue weather station ¨C we have it operating at 2km range with >99%
uptime. The 8920 is the goto instrument and always has the hybrid hanging off the front for measuring all of these types of antenna. No sweeper? ¨C non starter. Shame it stops at 1GHz.
?
Rgds
?
Colin
?
?
Hi all
?
During the last year on a number of sites I have seen several requests for people buying their fist spectrum analyser and all have spoken about wanting a tracking
generator
?
I personally have only used an analyser with a tracking generator a few times in my life and that was 35 years ago a Marconi 110 Mhz spectrum analyser for setting
up IF ?filters
?
In my early days I started using swappers and diode detectors or power meters with an oscilloscope then moved onto Scaler analysers
?
Could it be the new people are not familiar with other test equipment and think a spectrum analyser is the only tool they require and unaware of sweepers and Scalier
analysers
?
Your comments please ??Regards Paul
?
?
?
Does 8594E have tracking generator..?
May be interested in TG parts...
_Dave KC6UPS
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG -
Version: 2016.0.8048 / Virus Database: 4793/15886 - Release Date: 08/14/18
Internal Virus Database is out of date.
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG -
Version: 2016.0.8048 / Virus Database: 4793/15886 - Release Date: 08/14/18
Internal Virus Database is out of date.
|
Re: Test Equipment For Sale
Is that the 978 UAT version, or 1090?
I monitor both here at my home next to the airport.
Daun
Daun E. Yeagley II, N8ASB
On 4/25/2020 9:24 AM, Colin Smithers
wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
It is a lighter version if ADSB and is used by gliders in the US.
On 25 Apr 2020, at 13:59, Daun Yeagley
via groups.io <daun@...> wrote:
? Here in the US we call it ADSB.
Daun E. Yeagley II, N8ASB
On 4/25/2020 8:04 AM, Colin
Smithers wrote:
FLARM
is an aircraft collision warning system. Each end
knows where is it by GPS and every second transmits is
location, velocity and heading on a common channel.
?
Approaching
aircraft hear the pings of other FLARM equipped
aircraft an calculate whether there is going to be a
collision. If it thinks there is danger it beeps
loudly to the pilot to take avoiding action. The beeps
get faster as the nature of the danger increases. It
is generally regarded that if you get a beep it is a
failure of lookout, but lookout is never perfect and
all pilots get beeps. Glider pilots fly for miles
towards good-looking clouds and hence find themselves
unwittingly ?flying toward each other. In the Alps
gliders fly in the updrafts very to the mountains and
meet other aircraft head-on as they go around corners
¨C it was that community that first developed FLARM.
It¡¯s a life-saver.
?
The
glider antenna installation is generally a monopole
and ground plane somewhere in the dash in front of the
pilot. The usual installation errors I get invited to
diagnose are owing to short range and arise from
antenna de-tuning by nearby objects, noise from other
equipment, (mostly data lines and switching PSUs), and
obstruction such as by parts of the aircraft made of,
or repaired in carbon fibre.
?
Sometimes
its hard to get away from playing radio to actually
get to go flying. Lol
?
Rgds
?
Colin
?
Hi
colin
?
OK
on portability by the way I always put instruments
with a tube on the back seat so as not to brake the
tube
Ok
could you please explain
aircraft
866MHz FLARM systems
?
And
yes the tracking generators I have only go to 1300 mhz
?
Regards
Paul
?
A
Spec An and sweeper and an external 3dB hybrid to act
as reflectometer enable such a wealth of measurements
that I¡¯d be lost without the tracking gen. Surely it
can only be lack of demonstrations showing people what
can be done with this combination that is the answer
to your question.
?
People
will have read my comments about calibrating the
8920A. For something robust enough to survive in the
boot (sorry ¨C trunk) it is always with me at ham radio
events and at the gliding club where I get to test and
repair many things such as UHF ground radios, VHF
airiband radios, aircraft 866MHz FLARM systems. Oh,
and the remote Davis Vantage Vue weather station ¨C we
have it operating at 2km range with >99% uptime.
The 8920 is the goto instrument and always has the
hybrid hanging off the front for measuring all of
these types of antenna. No sweeper? ¨C non starter.
Shame it stops at 1GHz.
?
Rgds
?
Colin
?
?
Hi
all
?
During
the last year on a number of sites I have seen several
requests for people buying their fist spectrum
analyser and all have spoken about wanting a tracking
generator
?
I
personally have only used an analyser with a tracking
generator a few times in my life and that was 35 years
ago a Marconi 110 Mhz spectrum analyser for setting up
IF ?filters
?
In
my early days I started using swappers and diode
detectors or power meters with an oscilloscope then
moved onto Scaler analysers
?
Could
it be the new people are not familiar with other test
equipment and think a spectrum analyser is the only
tool they require and unaware of sweepers and Scalier
analysers
?
Your
comments please ??Regards Paul
?
?
?
Does 8594E have tracking
generator..?
May be interested in TG parts...
_Dave KC6UPS
No
virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG -
Version: 2016.0.8048 / Virus Database: 4793/15886 -
Release Date: 08/14/18
Internal Virus Database is out of date.
No
virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG -
Version: 2016.0.8048 / Virus Database: 4793/15886 -
Release Date: 08/14/18
Internal Virus Database is out of date.
|
Paul Bicknell
Jim Shorney
Anders
Jared Cabot
Dave McGuire