[time-nuts] NLTL comb generators going away...

[Chuck Harris]

John Miles wrote:

> Unfortunately, when I called Picosecond Pulse Labs to order my first choice
> (the 7103 model), they told me they'd shut down their fab in Oregon and were
> no longer producing NLTL multipliers.  They have a few left in stock and are
> selling them for $975 each regardless of the part number.  The connectorized
> 7103s were gone when I called, so I bought their last connectorized 7123,
> which is one of the higher-spec parts (input=+29 dBm at 800 MHz-1.5 GHz,
> output=0 dBm at 50 GHz).  It works fine with inputs down to 640 MHz, so
> it'll be OK in the 11729C, although it has a 2.4-mm output connector rather
> than SMA.
> 
> So this really sucks... hopefully somebody will buy that fab and continue
> production, but it sounds like they just didn't sell enough of the comb
> generators to be worthwhile.  I haven't been able to find any other
> off-the-shelf multipliers with additive jitter specs anywhere close.  If
> this sort of thing is your sort of thing, get 'em while you can.

Not to worry!  I'm sure that the Chinese have taken over production, like
they have done with the US shoe, textile, appliance, TV, computer, telephone,
machine tool, hand tool, yard tool, furniture, food, sports equipment, toy,
semiconductor, test equipment... and soon automobile, and airplane industries.

I'm learning a new line: "Do you want fries with that?"... only because of the
shifting demographics, I will have to learn to say it in Chinese and Spanish.

-Chuck Harris