[time-nuts] Modern Rb atomic reference vs classic Cs

[Peter Membrey]

Hi guys,

Potentially a bit of a loaded topic, but I'm really curious as to what the consensus is on this. For the research I've been doing over the past few years, I've been predominantly using an SRS FS-725 (which uses the PRS-10) disciplined by a Microsemi S650 (with the Rb option, though it never went into holdover).

Modern Caesium references are expensive compared to the FS-725, but now and then more classic Caesium references become available such as the HP 5061A. These still aren't cheap (actually, not far off a brand new PRS-10) so I was wondering how do they generally compare with a modern Rb?

If I have a PRS-10 that's being disciplined by a good GPS source, would I see any benefit if I replaced the PRS-10 with an HP5061A (particularly in terms of stability)?

Thanks in advance!

Kind Regards,


Peter Membrey