Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

...  And a UHF connector rather than BNC? 

Must be for HAMs, That's the connector they're most comfortable with. 

True. Should probably call it the "Hobo connector" 

Rumour has it that ARRL lifetime members have to have their nipples surgically replaced with PL259s.

Now I can't excise that image out of my mind. Thanks pal. 

Brain bleach required.

[kleiner Rainer]

PL259? Thats a shielded banana plug. At least the japanese makers of ham gear are sensible enough to use N for VHF/UHF gear for the european market - US hams still get SO259 for that. 

Greetings,

Rainer

[bd139]

...  And a UHF connector rather than BNC? 

Must be for HAMs, That's the connector they're most comfortable with. 

True. Should probably call it the "Hobo connector" 

Rumour has it that ARRL lifetime members have to have their nipples surgically replaced with PL259s.

Now I can't excise that image out of my mind. Thanks pal. 

Brain bleach required.

 

[xrunner]

PL259? Thats a shielded banana plug. At least the japanese makers of ham gear are sensible enough to use N for VHF/UHF gear for the european market - US hams still get SO259 for that. 

Greetings,

Rainer

Greetings. Some HAM radios that operated in the 2 meter band and 70 cm band used to ship with a pigtail N connector. There still may be some that ship with an N - I don't know. But it does little good because they will just have an adapter used or be cut off and converted to PL-259. I've never known a single HAM that would make up an RF cable with an N connector (I'm sure a few have though). They don't know how to, they don't have any on-hand, and they wouldn't buy any even if they didn't. 



By the way I'm a HAM so any humor I use in that regard is self-deprecating. 

[kleiner Rainer]

Well, our local radio club consists mainly of (mostly) retired members of our telecom authority who ran TV transmitters 24/7 as a job. So I have been exposed to high quality standards from the beginning. Some members have developed the custom to rip out all PL connectors and replace them with N or better. Even for HF work, and even in new transceivers. Measurement equipment is mostly Wandel und Goltermann and Rohde und Schwarz. Operated by people who know what they are doing.

BTW for you Americans: its "Rohde" not "Rhode"!!!

Greetings,

Rainer

[bd139]

Here it’s all ex CB trolls, gremlins and muggles

Edit: got to say that the foundation test here was great. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together could ace it in 5 minutes. That was shockingly good at filtering out undesirable folk at the same time. I was surprised as most of the questions were like: if you find a ham lying on the ground do you (a) poke him with a stick (b) turn off the power and call an ambulance (c) get a shovel and dig a shallow grave in the garden and eBay all his kit.

[xrunner]

... Operated by people who know what they are doing.

Anymore, people can study the answers to all the test questions, get through all the tests, and get an extra class in one sitting. Does that mean they know much of anything? Nope. But they are an "extra class". Means little these days. 

BTW for you Americans: its "Rohde" not "Rhode"!!!

I knew that, aren't you proud of me? 

[bd139]

Puke 87V anyone? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203376748247

[xrunner]

Puke 87V anyone? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203376748247

That brings back bad memories of which I related in my little story a few pages back. 

[FransW]

Ok, PE1542 on the bench today. These are three channel units, 2x 20V/1A & 1x 7V/3A. Nice and compact. I have two. One was acting dicky so I figured swap them. Swapped them, started inspecting #1. Hmm, current regulation is dicky on the two 20V channels, oscillates at ~450kHz. Inspected presumably good #2 just for fun - one of the 20V channels does it as well . Oh joy! Now these have been recapped, and there is not much more in there then a µA723 and a diff pair to adjust current limiting. Reasonably to suspect the ceramic 1nF caps that look like they are there to calm the diff pair? Funny enough, the older manual ('82) specs a 4.7nF and a 1nF, the newer ('85) specs two 1nF. Should I suspect beancounters at work trimming the BOM?

There were two types, the 1542/00 and the PE1542/60.
The difference is the DC adjustment range: /00 0-20V and the /60 0-32V.
Max current went from 1,0 A to 1,4 A.
See attachment.

[mansaxel]

...  And a UHF connector rather than BNC? 

Must be for HAMs, That's the connector they're most comfortable with. 

This HAM plans to excise it in exchange for N jacks on everything he can. Shit plug, shit performance. My OK list holds TNC, BNC, N, SMA, and C. Not 7/16 yet because I haven't played with them. And a tentative "maybe" for DIN 1.0/2.3, because it is on some things I have to work with.

Regarding DIN 1.0/2.3 I have the following story to offer: Work has a bunch of Cisco ASR9001 routers. Fairly competent box, pretty expensive. It has a GNSS receiver, with SMA antenna jack. Also has timing I/O, BITS on a modular jack, and 10Mhz / 1PPS on some small coax jacks that the manual said was SMB. So I expensed a 10-pack of 50Ω SMB on a Mouser order, and started building cables. Did they fit? No, absolutely not! The manual was wrong, and it so turned out they'd fitted 1.0/2.3 jacks instead.  I dutifully opened a TAC case, and I think the manual's been changed now.

[BU508A]

I've just made good on my basic addict's duty and ordered the 34401 missing on the desk.
There was no excuse, wasn't it? 
Will report to the group after drug arrival.

Did you have bought the Agilent one from Wetzlar in the ebay Kleinanzeigen?

 

[Kosmic]

There is a Fluke 750A reference divider available in the USA (untested, for parts only):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254953661480

I also spotted it this morning. But since it's one of the early model (serial # 250 ?) and there's trace of leakage in the battery compartment, I decided to pass.

[mnementh]

Perhaps an update/tip for UK resisdents buying on eBay.

eBay has taken it up on themselves (probably because they have to...) to charge UK VAT. The problem is that is you don't go through their global shipping program (which I think is only available inside the US and UK itself) there's not really a way to ensure UK customs is aware and doesn't charge VAT a second time. I experimented a bit with it and fixed the eBay invoice to the box, together with my own, highlighted the UK VAT and put in large letters on the box (arrow poining and all) "UK VAT already charged by eBay. Had two shipments like this, both arrived withour additional charges. Might be handy to tell a seller in the future, even though YMMV.

That said, it's still a huge pain for me: say, I sell something to Israel:

500€ (eBay list price)
This includes 21% VAT (87€)
35€ shipping cost

Now obviously, shipping to Israel is a lot more expensive than to the EU. However, I get 21% VAT while I don't have to pay it to the taxman because I'm exporting it outside the EU. So, the VAT offsetst the shipping cost.

Not so with the UK

500€ (eBay list price)
eBay does not charge the 21% VAT (so I end up with 413€)
eBay does charge UK VAT directly (directly on the taxmans account I presume)
35€ shipping cost

So, I have to pay considerably more for shipping but I don't have the VAT to offset it. Same for the US, by the way. Not too horrible for UK residents, expensive for me...

In most countries doing that would be considered tax fraud. You should reduce the price or refund non EU sales (except UK) by the amount of your local tax and charge the correct shipping.

Yup. Even Amazon does this; I got refunded $7 last week for the difference in the Duty/HGST on my wife's new smartPwn. Took almost a month for 'em to get around to it, but they did make the refund.

Never mind; I misunderstood. If you're advertising it as a single all-inclusive surcharge to cover excess shipping/duty/VAT, then quite right. Carry on. I will admit I was quite surprised to get the refund from Amazon. 



mnem

[mnementh]

Steak Tartare presumably?

Of course!    Please bear in mind I am the person who, whilst my wife was having a pretty rough emergency c-section of the "blood everywhere sort" and the doctors were edging around me waiting for me to fall of my chair, said "I quite fancy a cornish pasty at the moment".

    PROBABLY NSFW...

Here's your dessert. 

mnem

[bd139]

I’ve dined on worse 

[FransW]

This HAM plans to excise it in exchange for N jacks on everything he can. Shit plug, shit performance. My OK list holds TNC, BNC, N, SMA, and C. Not 7/16 yet because I haven't played with them. And a tentative "maybe" for DIN 1.0/2.3, because it is on some things I have to work with.
[/quote]

Most of my 3/16 is from the "Silberschrott" era.
Some of the BNC & N- male & female adapters I made myself, from residual sub-parts.
This was necessary because the bi-directional couplers I am using were with 3/16 connectors (Siemens & Spinner).

To date my couplers and attenuators are Narda, Diconex (20 - 60W) & HP.
Needless to say none of these has PL plug/jacks or alike.

Frans

[mnementh]

...  And a UHF connector rather than BNC? 

Must be for HAMs, That's the connector they're most comfortable with. 

True. Should probably call it the "Hobo connector" 

Rumour has it that ARRL lifetime members have like to have their nipples surgically replaced with PL259s.

There, FTFY... 

Now I can't excise that image out of my mind. Thanks pal.     

Brain bleach required.

Ehhhh.... you've got a lot of Karma to burn off yet, after some of the stuff you've inflicted upon this wholesome, innocent, family-friendly thread... 

No.

mnem
yeah, I know... I can't believe I said that with a straight face either...

[mnementh]

This HAM plans to excise it in exchange for N jacks on everything he can. Shit plug, shit performance. My OK list holds TNC, BNC, N, SMA, and C. Not 7/16 yet because I haven't played with them. And a tentative "maybe" for DIN 1.0/2.3, because it is on some things I have to work with.

Most of my 3/16 is from the "Silberschrott" era. Some of the BNC & N- male & female adapters I made myself, from residual sub-parts. This was necessary because the bi-directional couplers I am using were with 3/16 connectors (Siemens & Spinner).

To date my couplers and attenuators are Narda, Diconex (20 - 60W) & HP. Needless to say none of these has PL plug/jacks or alike.   Frans

Yeah, this is why I prefer to stay below what you RF nerds jokingly say is "essentially DC".   

mnem
Except for my Personal Confuser;  that has to have lots of giggle-hurrtz...

[mnementh]

   Puke 87V anyone? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203376748247

That brings back bad memories of which I related in my little story a few pages back. 

In all honesty... I'd prolly gamble 40 bucks on that, just to see what I find when I open it up. 

mnem
 

[Ice-Tea]

   Puke 87V anyone? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203376748247

That brings back bad memories of which I related in my little story a few pages back. 

In all honesty... I'd prolly gamble 40 bucks on that, just to see what I find when I open it up. 

mnem
 

A note with "SUCKER!!!" on it?

[med6753]

   Puke 87V anyone? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203376748247

That brings back bad memories of which I related in my little story a few pages back. 

In all honesty... I'd prolly gamble 40 bucks on that, just to see what I find when I open it up. 

mnem
 

I wouldn't bet YOUR $40 on it. It looks like it's been dipped in cow shit. 

[mnementh]

Here it’s all ex CB trolls, gremlins and muggles

Edit: got to say that the foundation test here was great. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together could ace it in 5 minutes. That was shockingly good at filtering out undesirable folk at the same time. I was surprised as most of the questions were like: if you find a ham lying on the ground do you (a) poke him with a stick (b) turn off the power and call an ambulance (c) get a shovel and dig a shallow grave in the garden and eBay all his kit.

A followed by C, obviously. Preferably with a CAT III rated DMM's probe on the end of the stick. You have no idea if he's still carrying a dangerous charge. 

mnem
 

[Cerebus]

Puke 87V anyone? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203376748247

"May smell a little of rotting corpse of dead ham left in shallow grave."

Now, if that was an old 25 or 27 I'd jump at it. With one of those if you pressure washed the gunk off and stuck new batteries in it'd probably work and be in cal.

[mnementh]

Hey... dinner and a show...

   Puke 87V anyone? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203376748247

That brings back bad memories of which I related in my little story a few pages back. 

In all honesty... I'd prolly gamble 40 bucks on that, just to see what I find when I open it up. 

mnem
 

A note with "SUCKER!!!" on it?

Ooooh... the "personal touch". I like that.

I wouldn't bet YOUR $40 on it. It looks like it's been dipped in cow shit.

I grew up on a farm; I've been dipped in cow shit. More than once. 

Thinking aboot it, I'd be a lot more worried aboot the organic matter being a vector for COVID than it being cowshit. Once it's been a occupational hazard, cowshit kindof loses its terror quotient. 

Besides... I've wasted more than $40 on crappy beer with so-called friends and had nothing to show for it except vomit on the car seats. At least I'd get the thrill of some forensic science with this one.

mnem
"No wonder Frannie threw up... Choky Joe's Chili and Hawaiian pizza...? ewwwww...."