[ARC5] Signal generator selection

[Tom Lee]

The tinySA probably gives you the biggest bang for the buck, per unit 
volume. It's a spectrum analyzer and signal generator in a handheld form 
factor. It covers 100kHz on the low end, so it covers most IFs you'll 
encounter. We've shipped a bunch of these to students during the 
lockdown so that they can do lab projects at home.

There are tradeoffs, of course. For one, you'll need to provide your own 
attenuator if you plan to do any serious testing. For another, it's much 
easier to kill these things than, say, a 606. :) But they cost next to 
nothing and they can be stashed away in a desk drawer when not in use. 
The screens are a bit of a challenge for my eyeballs, but that kind of 
comes with small.

We also shipped the kids some nanoVNAs, which allowed them to do antenna 
testing, filter and amplifier design, etc. I think we spent more on 
doodads (fixed attenuators, cables, BNC cal kits, and adaptors) than we 
did on the instruments.

-- Cheers,
Tom

-- 
Prof. Thomas H. Lee
Allen Ctr., Rm. 205
350 Jane Stanford Way
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-4070
http://www-smirc.stanford.edu

On 5/6/2021 12:12, MICHAEL ST ANGELO wrote:
> One consideration is downsizing in the future. I have built a good 
> selection of test equipment dating from the 1970's to the present. I 
> am now retired and we plan on downsizing in a couple of years. Any 
> test equipment purchased in the future will have to use a lot less space.
> Mike N2MS
>> On 05/06/2021 2:23 PM Craig via ARC5 <arc5 at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>>
>> J: I'm essentially setting up the bench from scratch. I haven't had 
>> to do any bench work with anything more than a multimeter since about 
>> 1983. I managed to come up with a Motorola 0-40 VDC/ 0-40 amp power 
>> supply  and a Tex 485 scope over the last year and half. I already 
>> had a couple of DMM's and have a Simpson 260 Series 7 that needs a 
>> set of battery leads to be functional. I did a power needs survey 
>> this morning and hit a temporary roadblock... I'm out of power in the 
>> office as soon as the scope is powered up with all the normal office 
>> stuff running. Going to have to relocate the bench to the garage and 
>> pop in a couple of 120 circuits and another 240 one for the power supply.
>>
>> I don't mind buying equipment that has better capabilities than I 
>> need or foresee, but I do need to limit how much better the equipment 
>> is, so as to not overspend on too much overkill.
>>
>> Craig
>>
>> KF5JOT
>>
>> On 5/6/21 9:33 AM, J Mcvey wrote:
>>> The best thing you can do is make a list of YOUR requirements . 
>>> Depending on what you work on and what type of tests you run, 
>>> determines what kind of generator will fit the bill. Run down the 
>>> list against the generator features and match them up. If it has a 
>>> buss, that's just a bonus that you won't need..
>>> Don't reject the model because it has more than you  need.
>>> What works for me or someone else might not work for you!
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