[time-nuts] Prescalers ?

Bob kb8tq kb8tq at n1k.org
Thu Jan 24 13:17:24 UTC 2019


Hi

If you have a one time need to get to 1.3 GHz then some sort of cobbled together dead bug chip solution 
would be my pick of how to get it done. Cost wise it wold be hard to beat. There are also cooled up approaches
with signal generators and mixers ( no don’t go there …). 

If you will be doing this a lot and handling a variety of signals, get a real instrument prescaler (or a counter
with one built in). There are a lot of weird things a good design will address that makes it a more pleasant 
thing to use. If I was shopping, I’d go a bit higher than 1.3 GHz. You never know what you might need next year :)

The good news TimeNut wise is that all of the approaches are just simple dividers. Sensitivity, modulation acceptance, 
and immunity to going off into freerun modes matter. If they lock up, all the approaches I’m aware of are equally accurate. 

Bob



> On Jan 24, 2019, at 12:06 AM, Mark Spencer <mark at alignedsolutions.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi:
> 
> I'm pondering ways I can use my  collection of time interval counters (most of which also have frequency counter modes) to measure the frequency of signals at frequencies up to 1.3 GHz.   None these units will deal with frequencies higher than 512 MHz.
> 
> Does anyone have any suggestions for off the shelf time nut quality Prescalers ?  Or would I be better off just buying something along the lines of a suitably equipped 53131A or 53132A ?  (If I end up buying another counter I would rather buy another universal counter I could use for time nuts stuff, vs simply buying a frequency counter for this application.)
> 
> Thanks in advance for any suggestions. 
> 
> Mark Spencer
> 
> mark at alignedsolutions.com
> 
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