[time-nuts] HP-5065a advise and purchase decision

Don Latham djl at montana.com
Sat Jun 30 08:05:46 UTC 2012


Edgardo: For the asking price, you can do a LOT better than this Hp.
There will be more opinions from more knowledgeable time-nuts regarding
your choices, I would consider them carefully. Again, you do not need to
spend anything like $1k US to get what you need.
Don

Edgardo Molina
> Dear Group,
>
> Good morning. I wish you well. This is my first post to the Time-Nuts
> group. Please be gentle with the newbie ;)
>
> I have been offered an HP 5065a Rubidium Frequency Standard recently
> in what I feel, a bad operational condition. I need a reliable
> rubidium standard for my time/frequency experiments, still I am in
> doubt to invest in buying such and old beast. The general situation of
> the instrument (for what I have been able to see from the first
> inspection) is:
>
> 100 Khz output: Not working, noise coming out of it.
>
> 1Mhz output: Working, sine wave clean and not distorted, a couple of
> frequency meters showing 1.0000030 Mhz in frequency, the oscilloscope
> shows a transient pulse on top of the sine wave signal and affecting
> the frequency readout instantly and then returning to the value
> previously mentioned. Last digits vary sporadically.
>
> 5Mhz output: Working. sine wave clean but a little bit distorted when
> ramping up. A couple of frequency counters showing 5.0000014 Mhz in
> frequency. No transient pulses or other glitches around the output
> signal. Last digits vary sporadically.
>
> No lights coming up when the instrument turned on. No physical damage
> of abuse on case or internal components. No options installed . A
> couple of electrolytic caps replaced on some boards, no trace of burnt
> PCB traces or visible damage to electronic components or physics
> package. Haven't got the manual until today and was unable to check on
> the front panel voltages to check on general health. As turning the
> voltage test selector knob, voltage is shown for most positions,
> except of course battery and the 100 Khz oscillator output. Some
> voltage test positions get the instrument needle to go full scale and
> out of range, other appear to be within scale.
>
> I can perform a second visual and operational inspection today, this
> time with a copy of the instrument manual. I will take my own trusted
> frequency counter and portable digital storage oscilloscope. Would
> really appreciate if I could receive comments from you experts to
> evaluate if such a unit could be worth buying. The asking price is $1K
> USD. Should I consider it an instrument that can be repaired and
> serviced to show some decent performance? Or should I look somewhere
> else to get a decent rubidium frequency standard.
>
> Thank you beforehand for all your kind and expert comments.
>
>
> Respectfully,
>
>
>
> Edgardo Molina
> Mexico City, Mexico
>
>
>
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-- 
"Neither the voice of authority nor the weight of reason and argument
are as significant as experiment, for thence comes quiet to the mind."
R. Bacon
"If you don't know what it is, don't poke it."
Ghost in the Shell


Dr. Don Latham AJ7LL
Six Mile Systems LLP
17850 Six Mile Road
POB 134
Huson, MT, 59846
VOX 406-626-4304
www.lightningforensics.com
www.sixmilesystems.com






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