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Recommendations on Radio Test Set
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W3AXL:
Hi all!

Ham radio operator and fresh-outta-school engineer here. Recently graduated from university, which means I no longer get access to all the fun RF test gear that our ham club at school had (and some of which I helped acquire!). I do a lot of tuning & troubleshooting of radios as a part of the hobby and I really need want  to get my hands on a decent RF test set. At the club, we had a CMU200 which was fantastic for general radio troubleshooting because it could easily measure FM deviation as well as frequency error in one setup. We also had a tank of a VNA, an HP 4195, that was great for filter & amplifier measurements. Now I'm in a 1-bedroom apartment and don't exactly have the room for a huge lab bench, so I'm looking for a compromise.

The older HP cell test sets seem like very attractive options. I've also been considering a CMU200 since they're relatively cheap as well. I really, really want to stay under $1k if I can because even though I'm employed I don't have a lot of disposable income.

My short list of requirements, in order from must-have to would-be-nice:

* Spectrum Analyzer
* Modulation Measurement (FM mostly)
* Decent input power limit (at least 10W)
* Tracking Generator
* Relatively small form factor (test bench real-estate is limited)[l/i]
So far what I've found that seem like good options (prices are all averages seen on eBay):

* HP 8922H, ~$300, can handle 25W and does FM measurements (thanks AMPS!)
* HP 8935, ~$500, newer unit but less info on capabilities
* R&S CMU200, ~$600, have used it and love it, but bulky and hardware options can make or break usability
* Moto R20xx series, ~$800, have also used an R2012 before and it was very useful but limited in feature scope[li]HP 8920, ~$1500, over budget by a lot but would be a "holy grail" unit for radio testing
[/li][/list]

I'm open to any other suggestions! This is just what I've gathered from primarily research and stuff I've used before.

Thanks in advance!
0culus:
OK, it seems to me that you're looking for something that's "one stop shopping", and I understand having space issues. However, to meet your modulation measurement criteria, consider looking for an HP 53310A Modulation Domain Analyzer, preferably with Option 31 (I think) that is the RF comms test that gives you Channel C and LO ports. 2.5 GHz (edit: if you have Channel C), which should more than cover typical amateur radio use.
tautech:
SVA1015X, 1.5 GHz SA/VNA combo $ 1395 plus options.

10" touch display and a very compact unit with a power of capability.
kj7e:
IFR-500 and a separate spectrum analyzer, or an IFR-1200s.
TheSteve:

--- Quote from: tautech on August 15, 2019, 12:47:28 am ---SVA1015X, 1.5 GHz SA/VNA combo $ 1395 plus options.

10" touch display and a very compact unit with a power of capability.

--- End quote ---

A very cool box, but certainly not an RF test set.

IFR-1200S is a very nice unit, if you do come across a deal or up your budget though you can't say no to an HP-8920 or 8921. It does need to have the mechanical attenuator so it has full performance below 30 MHz.
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