[Elecraft] Newbie needs frequency counter advice, please...

[George, W5YR]

Dave, you asked for opinions and everybody has one!

I have three counters in my shack right now, one Optoelectronics M1
handheld; a Ballantine 5500B lab instrument; and an HP counter whose
designation I forget at the moment.

Connected to the same signal source, they will all give "about" the same
result and any one of them is accurate enough for your purpose: am I
transmitting where the dial says I am?

But, good counters are not cheap and unless you can see a need for one
around the shack in the future, you can postpone buying one by simply
working someone with your new K1 who has a well-calibrated receiver and
getting them to check your frequency. If you already have such a receiver,
you can do it yourself.

I have a K2, not a K1, but a couple of friends do, and I have never heard of
them having any problems with being "off frequency." Frankly neither the K1
or the K2 should be counted on to be correct in its dial frequency to closer
than about +/- 10-20 Hz. But, for the usual QSOing that is close enough.

Sounds to me like a careful builder who is concerned with doing it right and
wanting to be sure of his equipment before hitting the airways. Good on you!

But, if you stay away from any band edges associated with your license by a
few KHz, I think that you will find absolutely no reason for concern over
your new K1.

But, for your own peace of mind, check with a friend or with another
receiver in your shack.

Again, a good counter is going to cost some $$$. There are much cheaper
units available but their accuracy will always be suspect unless you
calibrate them prior to each use. I have to do that with my M1 and it cost
$300 several years ago!  I would wait until you have a firm need for a
counter and then shop around the used test equipment places - lots of great
equipment out there for pennies on the dollar of original cost. Also keep an
eye on Ebay for used test equipment - lots of good buys show up there.

73/72, George
Amateur Radio W5YR -  the Yellow Rose of Texas
Fairview, TX 30 mi NE of Dallas in Collin county EM13QE
"In the 57th year and it just keeps getting better!"
<mailto:w5yr@att.net>






----- Original Message -----
From: "David Steere" <dls_1946@hotmail.com>
To: <elecraft@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2003 12:10 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] Newbie needs frequency counter advice, please...


> Elecrafters,
>
> I'm a brand new ham with a brand new K1, about to fill the air with
> beautifully handcrafted 5 wpm CW (I wish...).  But, before I transmit
> anything, I would dearly love to assure myself that all my careful
alignment
> has indeed resulted in an accurate transmit frequency for each of the K1's
4
> bands.  It's probably safe to assume that a properly built and aligned K1
> will be accurate, but I would like to make sure.  And, it only seems
> reasonable that an accurate instrument for transmit frequency measurement
> might also be useful in further amateur radio work.  To that end, I have
the
> following questions:
>
> - What other procedures besides transmit frequency measurement
>    might a frequency counter be useful for?
> - What accuracy/stability/resolution/sensitivity should I look for?
> - What additonal features, if any, should I look for?
> - Will I need to refinance my house to afford a useful instrument?
> - Can anyone offer specific brand/model recommendations?
>
> I've read through the Elecraft archives and found one encouraging
> recommendation for the handheld Elenco F-2800, together with some helpful
> techniques for using it, but this seems to be all I can find.  With such a
> dearth of frequency counter discussion, I wonder if I'm about to buy an
> instrument that I might not really ever use enough to justify its cost.
>
> Thanks for any advice.
>
>
>   - Dave Steere, KG6OSK