Hello all!
I would like to discuss some ideas / aspects on a hobby laboratory reference frequency oscillator.
First of all, I thought to take a FE-5680A rubidium standard as they can be found on eBay in quantities.
Then I read some articles about noise of such devices and the short term stability.
Next, the question is, how often I will need long term stability or if, in most cases, one would only need a good short term stable reference for an afternoon hobby-lab measurement.
A rubidium standard is nothing one would switch-on and –off too often …
Right now I’m thinking of having a OXCO that is connected to a PLL. The ref-input of PLL could be connected to a rubidium or GPSDO.
Standard would be just to turn the OXCO on for quick measurements and have the rubidium only switched in (48h before?), if I long term stability is key.
-> Is there a better / other solution?
-> Can someone recommend a good OXCO with voltage control, low noise and that is available on secondary market?
It would be nice to share some ideas!
Best regards, Simon