[ARC5] Signal generator selection

[jphutch60bj]

The HP8559A

website a bit disorganized...
try : https://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/hpparts.html
.
You may be a member of this group. ported fromYahoo groups:
https://groups.io/g/HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment/topics

Hutch


On 5/7/2021 11:24 AM, MICHAEL ST ANGELO wrote:
> Besides some Tek scopes the test equipment that gets the most usage is 
> a Singer/ Gertsch FM-10 FrequencyMeter and an HP HP853A/HP8559A 
> Spectrum Analyzer. These were both "portable" sets in their day and 
> have carrying handles. The FM-10 (weight 34 pounds) also operates from 
> 12 VDC as well as line voltage. I also have an HP355D attenuator which 
> I always use one front end of the Spectrum Analyzer and to get a lower 
> level out of the FM-10.
> The HP8559A plugin stopped working. I tried troubleshooting but 
> probably cannot get the parts so I picked up a Siglent Spectrum 
> Analyzer with tracking generator. I picked up a couple of TinySA's 
> once they were introduced. I use one as a Spectrum Analyzer, the 
> second as a signal generator.
> As others have mentioned the TinySA performance is impressive for the 
> price and has excellent support. While you cannot measure Transmitter 
> IMD performance. I do use it to characterize filters and check for 
> harmonics.
> The FM-10 is still working but I will probably sell of the HP SA and 
> eventually the FM10.
> The one piece of legacy equipment I will NOT dispose of is the HP355D 
> attenuator. It has a 0-120dB range up to 1Ghz. I religiously use it a 
> front end to all of my spectrum analyzers and  to decrease signal 
> generator output once I have calibrated my signal generators against 
> my SA.
> Whatever you choose pick up a quality attenuator.
> Mike N2MS
> /06/2021 4:20 PM Tom Lee <tomlee at ee.stanford.edu> wrote
>> 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
>
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