Protek / Unisoft / Seintek C3100 programmable universal counter

[sabia]

 I'm considering buying a counter that can measure both absolute frequency, frequency difference and time interval. I need at least 1ppm accuracy and plan to use a fancy universal counter with a 10 MHz GPSDO as an external reference to achieve the accuracy without having to spend lots of money on periodic calibration and an OCXO upgrade.

I have looked at Agilent 53131A and have a 5335A in the lab currently, but it has developed a fault. And I want to upgrade to something that offers RS-232 or USB connectivity and statistics, and so I have looked at some second hand Protek / Unisoft / Seintek C3100 programmable universal counters.

Trouble is, I'm having difficulties assessing if they are any good, and if it's possible to get the software for these. As far as I can tell from the manual .pdf]http://electronicsandbooks.com/eab1/manual/Hardware/P/Protek%20www.protektest.com/C3100%20User%20Manual%20c20041206%20[35].pdf
the software used to come on a floppy disk! Old school stuff! O0

I would love to hear from you EEV bloggers out there if you have any experience with this counter, and alternatively for tips on other units I should consider. My budget for the counter is $500.

Thanks!

[TheWaterbug]

In case anyone tried to click that link, it's malformed because it has [square braces] that corrupt the URL.

User manual is at:

http://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Hardware/P/Protek%20www.protektest.com/C3100%20User%20Manual%20c20041206%20%5B35%5D.pdf

and programmers reference is at:

http://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Hardware/P/Protek%20www.protektest.com/GPIB%20RS232C%20Programming%20Manual%20c20041231%20%5B20%5D.pdf