[time-nuts] Frequency Counter Choice

[Mark Spencer]

I am just curious how viable would it be to use a 531xx series counter with Timelab if the counter display has failed ?  

Thanks in advance

Mark Spencer
mark at alignedsolutions.com
604 762 4099

> On Oct 22, 2020, at 6:36 AM, Bob kb8tq <kb8tq at n1k.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi
> 
>> On Oct 22, 2020, at 7:50 AM, Giorgio Barinetti <giorgio at barinetti.it> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> As a newbie in the field, I've collected, by chance, some frequency standards.
>> 
>> Now is the time to measure them, and see how they perform.
>> 
>> I've inherited a 5371, but something tells me that is not the right instrument - and maybe is even faulty.
>> 
>> So, I'm in the need to buy a counter to use togheter with TimeLab.
>> 
>> Choices are many, but I'll try to avoid the "older" machines lile 5370 or 5335. The 531xx series seems nice ( money apart )
>> But again : which one between the 3 ? 53131, 53132 or 53181 ?
> 
> 53181 = single channel 400 ps counter
> 53131 = dual channel 400 ps counter
> 53132 = dual channel 100 ps counter
> 
> 5370 (when working) = dual channel 20 ps counter 
> 
> The gotcha is that none of them are good enough to properly measure 1 
> second ADEV on a good ( but still could be cheap ) OCXO. A mixer based
> setup is a cheap way to get things done, even with a 5335.
> 
> The 531xx counters all share a couple of issues:
> 
> 1) The power supply was made by who knows who and their quality is not 
> the best. Good news is that the power supply out of a (cheap) 53181 will 
> swap over to revive an expensive 53132.
> 
> 2) They have a fan, it plugs with dust. When that happens it gets hot inside
> the cabinet. Things (like the power supply) die as a result.
> 
> 3) They have a VFD display. It’s a nice one, but they do wear out. Replacing
> them is problematic.
> 
> 4) They have a fancy setup to add digits to a frequency measurement. It
> can lead you astray. It also tends to go deaf right at 10 MHz. There are app
> notes out there that explain the details. 
> 
> 5) With *any* counter, a good external reference is the way to go for “Time Nut”
> grade measurements. 
> 
> None of that is to say they are a bad counter, far from it. I have a number
> of them and have been using them here and at work for decades. The 532xx
> counters are the latest and greatest. They are on eBay, but not cheap. 
> 
> Bob
> 
> 
> 
>> 
>> Can somebody shed some light, and maybe help even to found a baseline for us beginners ?
>> 
>> Regards,
>> IZ2JGB
>> Giorgio
>> 
>> My NTP servers: (ntpd on FreeBSD - PPS in via Serial)
>> 
>> HP/Symmetricom 55300A  https://www.ntppool.org/scores/93.41.196.243
>> 
>> Efratom Rb/Xc GPSDO https://www.ntppool.org/scores/95.255.136.126
>> 
>> 
>> 
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> 
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