Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mnementh]

Oi... all this terror for the sake of a couple of handlebar-condoms.     Ifni help us if there was something important to blow up with compressed air... 

mnem
Dumber than advertised...

[mnementh]

[...]
Back in the day, RS used to carry a ni-cd version as well; but I fear that little gem is lost to the echoes of time... 
[...]

Look for X500NH, that should be the one?

Sadly, there doesn't appear to be any available on amazon.ca.

mnem
 

[mindcrime]

OK, I gave in to temptation and bought one of these off an ebay seller just now.



And that's it. I'm done. That's the LAST piece of test equipment I need, for now and ever. I'm out. No more. Really. I mean it this time. I am not an addict. I can stop any time...

[xrunner]

And that's it. I'm done. That's the LAST piece of test equipment I need, for now and ever. I'm out. No more. Really. I mean it this time. I am not an addict. I can stop any time...

 

[Kosmic]

OK, I gave in to temptation and bought one of these off an ebay seller just now.



And that's it. I'm done. That's the LAST piece of test equipment I need, for now and ever. I'm out. No more. Really. I mean it this time. I am not an addict. I can stop any time...

Nice counter. You would need channel 3 for sure. Goes to 3GHz you know.

[mindcrime]

OK, I gave in to temptation and bought one of these off an ebay seller just now.



And that's it. I'm done. That's the LAST piece of test equipment I need, for now and ever. I'm out. No more. Really. I mean it this time. I am not an addict. I can stop any time...

Nice counter. You would need channel 3 for sure. Goes to 3GHz you know.

Yeah, that's one reason I went with a 53132A instead of the 5335A I was looking at earlier - it seems to be easier to find upgrade boards for the C channel for this guy. I've even seen some listed that go beyond 3ghz, but as aftermarket / clone parts, I'm not sure how reliable they would be. Anyway, these seem to be fairly highly recommended and upgradable, so here we are.


There's also the high stability time-base option to look at as an upgrade as well.

Note: I said I wasn't buying any more gear... I didn't say anything about upgrading kit I already own. 

[vk6zgo]

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. 

It's hardly rocket science, with crimp connectors------ "clamp" type "N" & BNC connectors are an abomination, however!

Unfortunately, crimp PL259 style connectors are pretty much unobtainium at the usual Oz "bricks n' mortar" Electronics retailers, but there are plenty of "N" & BNC connectors in stock.
I'm not modifying all my ham gear to "N", though, ---------adaptors are still fairly readily available.

I remember years ago, seeing ham radio projects using (blecchh!) "Belling Lee" connectors----------PL259s are a quantum leap beyond that!

[xrunner]

It's hardly rocket science, with crimp connectors------ "clamp" type "N" & BNC connectors are an abomination, however!

Unfortunately, crimp PL259 style connectors are pretty much unobtainium at the usual Oz "bricks n' mortar" Electronics retailers, but there are plenty of "N" & BNC connectors in stock.
I'm not modifying all my ham gear to "N", though, ---------adaptors are still fairly readily available.

I remember years ago, seeing ham radio projects using (blecchh!) "Belling Lee" connectors----------PL259s are a quantum leap beyond that!

I got a bunch of crimp PL-259 I use. I think they are fine but the hardcore hams want to be manly and get out the BIG megawatt soldering iron and solder the old style. They claim they don't trust crimp-on. 

A lot of the old skills are going away though. For example if you wanted to do an alignment of your ham radio (very few I know would attempt it), you'd get the service manual and go through it step-by-step tweaking and measuring whatever the manual said. Going in and finding test points, hooking up your test equip. and setting it up.

Now the new ...

I recently got an hp 437B power meter with sensor. I used it to check the power output of my IC-7300 at 100% RF and I got 90W (should have been 105 W according to the manual). So I decided to get into the service menu and go through it all. Well it's so automated I could almost train a monkey to do it. All you do is provide the stated input at the RF connector (for example -73 dBm) and after that you just push "SET" for each step. The internal controller does all the adjustments itself.

Same for output power. Just get ready to measure it and press "SET" and each time, you turn the main dial and make the power meter read what the controller tells you it should. That's about it. You don't open it and you don't touch it inside. Hell, it's an SDR after the RF is digitized it's all mathematics. Well yea there is an output amp ...

 

[mnementh]

     https://xkcd.com/699/

mnem
*impairing productivity since nineteen-mumblety-mumble*

[mindcrime]

Why yes, yes I did know that. In fact..



Just call me, Dr. Mindcrime.   

[DC1MC]

In the (unlikely) event that someone is interested :

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/schaffner-netzentstoerfilter-fn9233s-3-06-85-stueck-neu-emc-emi/1744259587-168-8255

[mansaxel]

It's hardly rocket science, with crimp connectors------ "clamp" type "N" & BNC connectors are an abomination, however!

Naah, it is a bit fiddly, but I actually prefer being given a second chance on bodging things. As you've got a history in broadcast, you might be familiar with the fischer and LEMO triaxial connectors used to connect studio cameras.

(for those without a history in broadcast engineering, it's a multiplex system where bi-directional video, audio and telemetry gets superimposed on 200+ VDC on a triaxial cable that's connected with submersible connectors and allows for perhaps 1300 meters of cable between camera and base station.)

I used to build such cables. My personal record was 15 minutes for one connector. The fitting instructions were demanding, with stripping instructions to fractions of a mm. Took razor blade, calipers and IIRC 3 special tools, mostly extra thin spanners.  Now it's all optical, but a special cable that's got a couple of copper strands for power and also is ruggedised.  (No, broadcast engineers don't inspect/assess/clean-if-necessary/inspect/assess/connect-if-OK-else-repeat, they clean and connect, regardless. Lots of prayers there. )

Compared to those, a solder-and-clamp N plug for RG213 or the more modern foam dielectric variants is a piece of cake. I've got a stash of 90° RG213 TNC from Rosenberger, which are a bit fiddly though, mostly because the "manhole" for soldering the centre conductor is so narrow.  One of the things that make me do it is that the swedish milspec soldering qualification test, FSD 5115 goes to some detail in describing how an acceptable clamp/solder connection is made. It must be hard, then, and that makes it worth doing! 

Unfortunately, crimp PL259 style connectors are pretty much unobtainium at the usual Oz "bricks n' mortar" Electronics retailers, but there are plenty of "N" & BNC connectors in stock.
I'm not modifying all my ham gear to "N", though, ---------adaptors are still fairly readily available.

Where I can't swap jacks (yet) I tend to make a special cable that will take that radio's RF connection to the antenna patch bay where it is all BNC today.

I remember years ago, seeing ham radio projects using (blecchh!) "Belling Lee" connectors----------PL259s are a quantum leap beyond that!

That is a special kind of bad. Given that even a tolerable Chinesium BNC is cheap these days, I'm astonished that people even consider such stupidity. They really must like transmission losses.

[Ice-Tea]

I go through a lot of them. If they are, in fact, new and fairly recent that is a killer deal. Would even consider to buy it but the ones I mostly encounter are a different series (ie with a voltage selector).

[FransW]

I still do not see the use of ill-defined impedance connectors.
There is something valuable in using fit-for-purpose equipment and components.

However, as long as it is not understood, it does not matter.
The difference will be lost.

[Robert763]

Oi... all this terror for the sake of a couple of handlebar-condoms.     Ifni help us if there was something important to blow up with compressed air... 

mnem
Dumber than advertised...

Well I suffered a traumatic amputation in a pneumatic powered accident (classic trifecta, dormant fault in equipment, not following instructions (someone else) and being tired and distracted (me)) so maybe I'm biased.
Even a bike hand grip could blind someone apart from injection injuries.

[beanflying]

You can also overplay the risks to the point of Hysteria. To advise against doing this task initially under discussion on the basis of 'extreme' risk is completely OTT.

In my former mid life crisis part of what I did for a $ was hire bikes. Hand grips with a air duster gun into the middle of the molding and push gently. Look at a heap of regripping applications in sport in particular and this is how it is done from Cricket Bats to Golf Clubs and on.

[Robert763]

On awkward connectors a #8 (approx 1/4") Quadrax 100 contact with starquad cable in a 38999 shell is up there.
https://cdn.glenair.com/mightymouse/series-80/pdf/k/854-001-and-854-002-a.pdf

[Robert763]

You can also overplay the risks to the point of Hysteria. To advise against doing this task initially under discussion on the basis of 'extreme' risk is completely OTT.

In my former mid life crisis part of what I did for a $ was hire bikes. Hand grips with a air duster gun into the middle of the molding and push gently. Look at a heap of regripping applications in sport in particular and this is how it is done from Cricket Bats to Golf Clubs and on.

I don't think anyone was saying don't do it, just pointing out that there are hazards that may not be immediately apparent. For example a child watching on the oeter side if the bike could be blinded by the grip or debris coming off/out of the other side.

[beanflying]

Seriously stop spouting 'maybes' as 'reasons. Life has risks so on this application get over the 

[McBryce]

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

A Fluke 87V for a tenner? I'd buy that, but he doesn't post to Germany. I'm sure it would look and work fine after a bit of "spit and polish".

McBryce.

[tggzzz]

Seriously stop spouting 'maybes' as 'reasons. Life has risks so on this application get over the 

Q1: is it a risk to yourself (->I don't care) or a risk to others (->I do care)?

Q2: is the benefit worth the possible penalty?

Q3: is there another way of avoiding the penalty?

The answer to the first question is the most important, since it trumps Q2 and Q3.

[AVGresponding]

Ah, things to do at work while you're sitting around waiting...

Bagged myself an HP 8570A spec an, mostly appears intact.
Listed as not powering on, and a glance at the label on the top left tells the likely reason. I bet some muppet shoved 240V up its clacker and blew the input fuse.

[beanflying]

Seriously stop spouting 'maybes' as 'reasons. Life has risks so on this application get over the 

Q1: is it a risk to yourself (->I don't care) or a risk to others (->I do care)?

Q2: is the benefit worth the possible penalty?

Q3: is there another way of avoiding the penalty?

The answer to the first question is the most important, since it trumps Q2 and Q3.

And spouting more  when it is NORMAL industry practice to use this method? Irrational spouting of ambit non specified risks without 'evidence' is just crap.

[med6753]

What's that red glow in the sky? 

Must be missiles flying back and forth between UK and OZ.   

[BU508A]

on other more TEA-related notes:

The Defpom about the Siglent oscilloscope SDS1104X-E: