[time-nuts] Re: Frequency counter recommendation wanted

[Ken Winterling]

John,

I've owned three of the Racal-Dana 1992 counters for years. The one
weakness I have noticed is that the keypad tactile switches.fail at a very
high rate. I got my counters very cheaply because they were advertised as
defective, for parts only.  If you encounter a switch problem I can send
you information on what I have done to fix the problem.

73,

*Ken*
*WA2LBI*




On Wed, Mar 15, 2023 at 12:15 PM John Miller via time-nuts <
time-nuts at lists.febo.com> wrote:

> Right now I think I have a line on some Racal-Dana 1992s from another
> member, but I have heard so much good about the 5334B I think I want to get
> one just on principle. Especially once I have these 1992s, I could pick up
> a faulty 5334B and repair it! I think that could be a lot of fun and save a
> good bit of money.
>
> I really appreciate all the feedback, folks, and hopefully in another 5-10
> years those I'll be able to get my hands on an  SR 620 or a multi-GHz model
> like the HP 53132A. I have an Agilent E4402B that needs some work....
>
> Thanks all,
> John
>
> > On Mar 14, 2023, at 4:39 PM, Stewart Cobb via time-nuts <
> time-nuts at lists.febo.com> wrote:
> >
> > I've bought perhaps a dozen HP 5334B counters off ePay for my company
> labs
> > over the last decade, at prices from about $75 to $225. I've never had a
> > problem with one. Rick built a good box. For various reasons, the B model
> > is a better bet than the A model.
> >
> > If it does everything you need it to do, the 5334B is the counter to get.
> > It's blessedly quiet because it doesn't have or need a fan.
> >
> > Pro tip: you will occasionally see one listed "as is" with the display
> > showing "no osc". Those counters are generally fine. All that message
> means
> > is that the timebase switch on the back is set to "external" rather than
> > "internal", and the seller doesn't know to flip it back. If you can see
> > that on the photos, don't be afraid.
> >
> > If it's an OCXO model (option 010), it's possible that someone harvested
> > the 10811 OCXO before selling the remainder. I've never seen that, but
> it's
> > possible. If so, it's a bit tedious to change back to the default
> internal
> > crystal, but these counters will always work with an external 10 MHz
> input.
> >
> > Cheers!
> > --Stu
> > _______________________________________________
> > time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts at lists.febo.com
> > To unsubscribe send an email to time-nuts-leave at lists.febo.com
> _______________________________________________
> time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts at lists.febo.com
> To unsubscribe send an email to time-nuts-leave at lists.febo.com
>