[Boatanchors] Spectrum Analyzer ??

[Ian]

I am thinking of test equipment for use with the boatanchors and newer gear.

I recently bought a Tektronix 7000 series oscilloscope with 4 plug-ins from
an ad on Craigslist.

One of the plug-ins with the scope is a transistor curve tracer which might
be handy but I actually think a spectrum analyzer might be something I'd use
more often.

Among the plug-ins that were made for that series scope are 3 different
spectrum analyzers.  They consume varying numbers of plug-in space depending
on complexity and features.

*** Does anybody have experience with plug-in spectrum analyzers they can
share about those items, good/bad/indifferent?

Is this an option worth investigating?  However I'd suspect they may be
rarer than hen's teeth or new in the box unopened vacuum tube receivers and
transmitters.

Your thoughts and experience?

Thank you.

Ian, K6SDE




-----Original Message-----
From: boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Mike WE0H
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2008 5:43 AM
To: boatanchors at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Check out this radio on Ebay

Patchwork final product & the eBay suckers are bidding it up...There are 
audiofools these days, now is there such thing as hamfools also?  hi hi...

Mike
WE0H


jeremy-ca wrote:
> Oh yeah, the NCX-1000. Nationals final lemon.
>
> I was on the design team for that but left National before it was 
> finished.
>
> It was the final example of Nationals big is better boatanchor 
> mentality at a time when the market wanted smaller packages.
>
> Solid state, complicated to work on, and no optional filters to at 
> least make it useable on CW.
>
> Poor dial calibration at a time when 1 Kc readout was expected in the 
> higher price range gear. Digital readout was planned but the NCX-5 
> assembly was "too expensive" and the cheap National 200 dial was used 
> as well as the flimsy 200 style cabinet.
>
> Transistor sockets made them easy to swap but gave the same 
> intermittent problems as the HRO-500.
>
> If only management had listened to the market surveys that were done, 
> listened to the engineering staff, hadnt been on the edge of 
> bankruptcy, etc, etc, it might have been a great rig. But chaos ruled, 
> engineers were bailing out regularly in frustration and it was a 
> patchwork final product.
>
> Carl
> KM1H

_______________________________________________