Just bought a 'used' Agilent U1242B Meter from Keysight on eBay

[NoisyBoy]

Hey, great to know.  I will use that option for my future calibrations, sounds like a no-brainer.

[Gandalf_Sr]

Yeah, that was the first option on the list I copied earlier.  I called in and spoke to a very helpful Keysight Rep who told me that it was cheaper to set up a service agreement for which there is no fee (that's what she told me and I think she's right so far) and then I get free shipping on the return leg of the Calibration that comes free with the 1 year Service Agreement; I suspect they will try to invoice me in a year's time to pay another $228 which I may well allow because it's important to have at least one calibrated meter in my lab and this is the obvious choice.

[NoisyBoy]

Completely agree, glad you looked into it as I never bothered to ask, because return shipping is another $35 that you saved. 

I have the repair service contract on my meter but not cal service, I added 3 additional years when I bought the meter a couple years ago.  Given my 34401As has been superbly stable due to their age, I think I will move them from annual to a 2-year cal cycle (but rotate them so they get cal on alternate year).  But for the 34461A, I will join you and move it to a cal service contract next year when cal is due. 

Yes, I have worked with over ten folks from Keysight on new purchases, cal, service & repair, parts, equipment pick up etc..., every single one of them have been superbly professional, helpful, and friendly.  That's why it is my go-to brand and make up 95% of my equipment purchases, as that support experience is important to me. 

Enjoy all your toys, glad we both learned something new in our Keysight journey.

[Gandalf_Sr]

Well I managed to get my 34461A sent back to Keysight for calibration but the experience was less smooth than you'd expect from a high-end OEM like them.  Here's some info.

1. The first link in my picture above is for a year's service agreement that costs $228 for the 34461A
2. Once you buy that 1-year service agreement, you are entitled to send the meter back for calibration once during the covered period
3. Under the service agreement, you pay the shipping to send it to Keysight and they pay for the return to you
4. Under the service agreement, they will test and adjust the meter to bring it within specification, issue a calibration certificate and full test test report
5. The calibration is done to ISO 9001:2008
6. If the instrument fails Cal because of a defect, Keysight will quote for the fix and, if you decline to go ahead with the fix, they will charge you 50% of the Cal fee

Trying to call them up and following their menu system seemed always to end up with someone who didn't know answers to simple questions like "what does the Cal include?". After several periods of hold music, and one call where I was disconnected, I eventually got to speak with a customer service rep from the Cal department called Neal who gave me the above information.

There's a cost saving to go with the first option - Keysight Calibration Agreement - for which I paid $228 plus the $30 cost of shipping the meter to California - a total of $258.  If I'd taken option 2, I would have paid $240 for 1 Cal plus the cost of shipping both ways - about $300.

I am happy with the decision to Cal the 34461A, it was probably pretty good but the point of owning such a meter is to do a bit better than pretty good.

[NoisyBoy]

Sorry to hear about your experience, Neal has been very helpful with getting my latest cal order placed, nice guy.  Hope the rest of your experience go smoothly. 

My meter just arrived this afternoon, after a warm up, I did some quick DC V test against both 34401A I have (both had been cal in the last 5 months, and both had been so solid that annual cal had not discovered anything out of spec in the last four years).  I did four voltages, and the meters all agree to the last digit in 6.5 digit mode in each reading. 

That, to someone with accuracy OCD, is like sipping fine wine in a French Riviera resort.

[Gandalf_Sr]

"Accuracy OCD" LOL!

Neal was great once I got to talk to him.  The first thing I did was get his extension so I could get straight to him in future calls.

[Gandalf_Sr]

Well my 34461A is on the way back to me after calibration which was a 3-day turnaround. The calibration report shows that, although it appeared to be in-spec under the pre-adjustment section, they adjusted to achieve improvements that, in some cases created an order of reduction in the errors, e.g. DC offset with 0V input on the 10V DC scale, was 1.0 uV pre adjustment and -0.1 uV post adjustment

I'm happy I had it done

[NoisyBoy]

Great to hear, for something like a 6.5 digit meter, it is pointless to own if one does not bother to calibrate it professionally on a regular basis.  It is like buying a Ferrari but not giving it regular service. 

Now, you can measure with full confidence on the result.   

[Gandalf_Sr]

@NoisyBoy You're right, thanks for nudging me in the right direction.  Let's hope that the FedEx plane flying my 34461A from Memphis to Detroit today isn't a 737 Max and the truck it rides on doesn't fall down a Michigan sink hole.

[NoisyBoy]

Along with the DMMCheck Plus you got, now you have a set of stable source and transfer standard to do the basic calls for your other DMMs.

May the meter travel safely back to your home.

And thank you for figuring out the cal contract, I will put my meters on contract when they are up for cal next year. 

Have a great afternoon.

[Gandalf_Sr]

May your meters make it safely back to you after calibration
May your tests always fall within spec
May your component orders always all be tariff free;
your silkscreens miss all your pads and until we meet again,
may god hold you in the palm of Her hand

[Gandalf_Sr]

Well my prayer worked and the 34461A is back in my lab with a full Cal.  I let it warm up and it seems pretty close...

[NoisyBoy]

Excellent, he Keysight service has always done excellent work in all my equipment. I am glad you get to experience it as well.