Tek RSA f/w upgrade Not nice at all :(

[Mr Simpleton]

OK, so this not the average Joe instrument but still.... 
Making the instrument 4 times slower with a firmware upgrade  What will come next? Forced f/w upgrades??

Changes in performance due to export regulations
------------------------------------------------
Changes in US Department of Commerce export regulations require Tektronix to change a specification related to the
real-time performance of our instruments. Your instrument remains legal for you to own at its current performance, and
Tektronix can service and calibrate your instrument without making any changes to your current performance.*
However, if you’d like to update software of the instrument to gain access to new features, or to purchase new analysis
capabilities on the instrument in the future, it is necessary to update your instrument to our latest software.  This
new software will affect the specification of minimum signal duration required for 100% probability of discovery and
trigger on brief signals. If you decide to install the new software, you can order a no-cost, customer installable
option (Option 09) that will recover the original performance.  The price of this option is $0, but it does require that
we determine your eligibility to receive this performance based on the new export regulations.
*Some service functions that involve hardware replacement may require a SW upgrade to version 3.1.0029 or greater.

A summary of changes for each model is given for instruments with Option 110 (110 MHz Acquisition Bandwidth). To see
the complete specifications of all option configurations of the new software, please see the latest data sheet available
at Tektronix.com.  To see comparisons and more complete explanations of the new performance, please contact your Tektronix
representative.
Performance SW 3.1.0029                                Current performance          (or Opt. 09)
- RSA6100B, all models                                          17.3 us                       3.7 us

[Dark Prognosis]

You have to love our govt forcing this shit on everyone and this is the sort of stuff that is ticking everyone off around the world including we in the USA.  The Zombie Apocalypse is coming faster than people think.

[Marco]

So every US made signal analyzer you buy outside of the US is going to be crippleware in the future? (Until you buy the "option".)

[c4757p]

Your instrument remains legal for you to own at its current performance

That the idea of an instrument you already own becoming illegal because it works too well would even cross anybody's mind is downright frightening. We should all be ashamed of allowing our government to reach the point where people think it has, or ought to have, this power.

[Dark Prognosis]

Your instrument remains legal for you to own at its current performance

That the idea of an instrument you already own becoming illegal because it works too well would even cross anybody's mind is downright frightening. We should all be ashamed of allowing our government to reach the point where people think it has, or ought to have, this power.

I agree but many are too asleep to care.  They will say that this is just to stop terrorists from using our equipment to help make bombs or something equally as stupid.  The issue is that the govt is taking a larger slice of the bologna every day and eventually we will have nothing left.  No rights, no food, nothing to defend ourselves with or to use to help stop them.  Thank goodness there is an underground movement for when the time is right and I expect that to be within 7 years from now.

[Dark Prognosis]

So every US made signal analyzer you buy outside of the US is going to be crippleware in the future? (Until you buy the "option".)

The option will be paying a hacker, or attempting to do it yourself, to remove the crippling.  The problem is that soon the mere mention of what I just said will be illegal too so will not be allowed on the internet or anywhere else.

[Len]

So every US made signal analyzer you buy outside of the US is going to be crippleware in the future? (Until you buy the "option".)

Don't worry, that won't happen. By next year there just won't be any US-made signal analyzers. Easier for everyone that way.

[Co6aka]

When test equipment is illegal only terrorists will have test equipment.      Erich Mielke grins from the hereafter.  (Willkommen auf der Stasi-State!)

[eurofox]

If US is creating this kind of stupid rule we will buy Chinese instrument, it is very simple ...

[madires]

That reminds me of the time when US products with crypto functions were crippled to short key lengths for exports. Just taking a DAT tape (with the software) with you was much simpler than doing all the paperwork to obtain the version supporting full key length.

[c4757p]

Your instrument remains legal for you to own at its current performance

That the idea of an instrument you already own becoming illegal because it works too well would even cross anybody's mind is downright frightening. We should all be ashamed of allowing our government to reach the point where people think it has, or ought to have, this power.

I agree but many are too asleep to care.  They will say that this is just to stop terrorists from using our equipment to help make bombs or something equally as stupid.  The issue is that the govt is taking a larger slice of the bologna every day and eventually we will have nothing left.  No rights, no food, nothing to defend ourselves with or to use to help stop them.  Thank goodness there is an underground movement for when the time is right and I expect that to be within 7 years from now.

Ew, they can have all my bologna.

If they stop making me bend over and take theirs, that is.

It's not "asleep", it's "lazy". Everybody who can rub two brain cells together knows fancy equipment doesn't help the terrorists, we all know the stereotype is some backwoods redneck in the Middle East throwing together a makeshift bomb from gunpowder, dog shit and old mayonnaise. "We must guard our technology" went out with the Cold War and everybody knows that.

The problem is that people like to take the government bologna.

[Dark Prognosis]

Your instrument remains legal for you to own at its current performance

That the idea of an instrument you already own becoming illegal because it works too well would even cross anybody's mind is downright frightening. We should all be ashamed of allowing our government to reach the point where people think it has, or ought to have, this power.

I agree but many are too asleep to care.  They will say that this is just to stop terrorists from using our equipment to help make bombs or something equally as stupid.  The issue is that the govt is taking a larger slice of the bologna every day and eventually we will have nothing left.  No rights, no food, nothing to defend ourselves with or to use to help stop them.  Thank goodness there is an underground movement for when the time is right and I expect that to be within 7 years from now.

Ew, they can have all my bologna.

If they stop making me bend over and take theirs, that is.

It's not "asleep", it's "lazy". Everybody who can rub two brain cells together knows fancy equipment doesn't help the terrorists, we all know the stereotype is some backwoods redneck in the Middle East throwing together a makeshift bomb from gunpowder, dog shit and old mayonnaise. "We must guard our technology" went out with the Cold War and everybody knows that.

The problem is that people like to take the government bologna.

Well, I have said for a few decades this shit was coming and it has and I have also said that as long as Joe and Jane sixpack continue to get their beer, smokes, and cable tv they do not care what is happening to the world.  Well, the joy ride is soon going to end even for those people then what?  Very bad "Mad Max" type days where they take their anger out on us all but not on the ones who caused it...the govt.

For those who think voting matters they are the real problem for a long time now as voting hasn't mattered in so long none of us were alive to remember those days.  It started out small and grew then grew some more into the Mr. Smith goes to Washington days then it grew until it is a huge cesspool it is now where votes do not even leave a paper trail to make sure of anything.

[ElectroIrradiator]

They are worried us foreigners will find their mm wave spread spectrum spying bugs:

From this article:

(3) technical surveillance counter-measure (TSCM) or electronic surveillance equipment and counter electronic surveillance equipment (including spectrum analyzers) for the RF/microwave spectrum having all of the following:

(i) A sweep or scan speed exceeding 250 MHz per second;

(ii) a built-in signal analysis capability;

(iii) a volume of less than 1 cubic foot;

(iv) record time-domain or frequency-domain digital signals other than single trace spectral snapshots; and

(v) display time-vs-frequency domain (e.g., waterfall or rising raster).

[Dark Prognosis]

They are worried us foreigners will find their mm wave spread spectrum spying bugs:

From this article:

(3) technical surveillance counter-measure (TSCM) or electronic surveillance equipment and counter electronic surveillance equipment (including spectrum analyzers) for the RF/microwave spectrum having all of the following:

(i) A sweep or scan speed exceeding 250 MHz per second;

(ii) a built-in signal analysis capability;

(iii) a volume of less than 1 cubic foot;

(iv) record time-domain or frequency-domain digital signals other than single trace spectral snapshots; and

(v) display time-vs-frequency domain (e.g., waterfall or rising raster).

That makes perfect sense so just buy the stuff from the Chinese and eff the USA.  Hell, this makes me so mad that I used to not need or want that but now I would crack it open and tell the world just to spite the govt.  How dare they get so worried over their own illegal activities that they make the equipment that might bust them illegal.  Sort of like if Gotti were president he would never have allowed the FBI to have their high tech surveillance listening devices either.

Basically the fox is guarding the hen house only he has eaten all of the chickens already.

[Dark Prognosis]

The problem is that people like to take the government bologna.

As you see this thread will simply die off because, as I said earlier, people don't care.

They came to take my neighbors and I didn't care.  They then came to take away my family and I still didn't care but then they came for me and I cared.  That is the mentality we had in Germany around 1930 and that is what we have in America today and it is laziness and apathetic.

[amyk]

(iii) a volume of less than 1 cubic foot;

Sounds like an easy way for Tek to get around this stupid "restriction"...

[BravoV]

As you see this thread will simply die off because, as I said earlier, people don't care.

NSA does care and I believed this thread and you are officially "tagged" now. 

C'mon, lets have a huge two hands weaves to those guys. 

[c4757p]

I've been trying to get tagged by them for a long time! I want somebody to ask for my lost files when I delete them by mistake...

[w2aew]

They are worried us foreigners will find their mm wave spread spectrum spying bugs:

From this article:

(3) technical surveillance counter-measure (TSCM) or electronic surveillance equipment and counter electronic surveillance equipment (including spectrum analyzers) for the RF/microwave spectrum having all of the following:

(i) A sweep or scan speed exceeding 250 MHz per second;

(ii) a built-in signal analysis capability;

(iii) a volume of less than 1 cubic foot;

(iv) record time-domain or frequency-domain digital signals other than single trace spectral snapshots; and

(v) display time-vs-frequency domain (e.g., waterfall or rising raster).

This isn't the order that drove this requirement. The article quoted was for changes in ITAR items.  The rule changes that drove this pertain to export license requirements for equipment that has certain transient signal discovery and triggering capability.  Basically, exporting of equipment capable of viewing or triggering on transient RF events below a given duration now fall under a different license classification. Export to some countries requires a license, others do not.

[Dark Prognosis]

I've been trying to get tagged by them for a long time! I want somebody to ask for my lost files when I delete them by mistake...

I am tagged by the feds for 30 years now and they can stick it up their you know what.

I await them to come ask me anything and I will tell them where to go because I don't care why they show up this time if they show up they better be ready to arrest me on the spot or they can save the trip.  If they think they will simply drive up in their car and thump me over the head then drive off with me with everyone saying they never knew me or who was he like the old KGB did then they have a rude awakening for them because I am not who I was 30 years ago.

You catch my drift NSA?

edit: See, I play by the rules now but when the govt doesn't I get mad as hell and eventually someone will be the catalyst that brings them down by awakening the people.  It will probably not be me but it will be someone or some instance of the govt doing another wrong against its own citizens that will.

[Mr Simpleton]

  Basically, exporting of equipment capable of viewing or triggering on transient RF events below a given duration now fall under a different license classification. Export to some countries requires a license, others do not.

Ho-hum... what about non-US produced equipment, will they try to enforce similar restrictions for those? I.e. R&S got a similar product.
Guess to make these new rules have an inpact they really should get all friendly countries to stick to it.  No fun at all, remember when all signal generators only covered up to less than 1GHz due to export controls 

Not sure why they impose this type of retroactive regulations... not that the talibans are trying to crack US state-of-the-art spread spectrum signals  It got to be something else behind this 

[Dark Prognosis]

  Basically, exporting of equipment capable of viewing or triggering on transient RF events below a given duration now fall under a different license classification. Export to some countries requires a license, others do not.

Ho-hum... what about non-US produced equipment, will they try to enforce similar restrictions for those? I.e. R&S got a similar product.
Guess to make these new rules have an inpact they really should get all friendly countries to stick to it.  No fun at all, remember when all signal generators only covered up to less than 1GHz due to export controls 

Not sure why they impose this type of retroactive regulations... not that the talibans are trying to crack US state-of-the-art spread spectrum signals  It got to be something else behind this 

Black ops stuff that you will never know about but being able to home in on our drones and crap is a safe bet among the reasons of the change.  Like police scanners had to have frequencies removed many years ago due to people listening in on the police.  No, it wasn't a retroactive change but the reasoning is probably the same as this.

The govt fears everything because they are cowards but they act strong and like a bully in more instances than can be counted to cover up their fear.  I mean I am not afraid of these shadows we have been swatting at for 12 years now but they do make a good target to get all of the illegal, and unethical, laws passed now don't they?

[BravoV]

I've been trying to get tagged by them for a long time! I want somebody to ask for my lost files when I delete them by mistake...

Once you're sure you got it, delete that few hundreds of TBs of your pron files, since you will have unlimited and well maintained cloud storage at your disposal.    ... j/k

[echen1024]

Yep, I gone through this bullshit as well yesterday. I was trying to download TI CCS, and I had to fill out this bullshitty 'export control form'. Do the dumbasses think that al-Qaeda is going to use an MSP430 for a bomb? And will controlling the export of Open Source software stop them? NO! They'll just go download Energia or other stuff like that. And shortly after, I was asked "Will this be used for nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons?" Well what do you think! If I was going to do that I wouldn't say it. God. Because everyone just walks into the Pentagon saying "I used a MSP430 to detonate a nuclear bomb today!" Idiots!

[AndrejaKo]

One thing I find interesting is how little noise there was about this whole mess before the Snowden leaks. The same form was there on TI's site for ears, but I didn't see many complaints about that back then.