[Milsurplus] hp8601a Question Yes mine has stickers to prove it was in the military }

[John Hutchins]

Group -

I have owned this unit for about 1.5 years  never had the thing 
calibrated.  Have not had the chance to use it.
Anyone have this unit?  If so I have some questions about setting.  I 
let it warm up for 2 hours. I noticed that
the REF, LO frequency was.
  1: touchie to set
  2: would slow drift about +/- 20hz up down as indicated by 2 frequency 
counters.  One connected to the
    REF or Lo output the other connected to the normal output.

Questions
  1. Is this normal to be so touchie to set.
  2. So for a setting of 590Khz KLBJ AM, wwv 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 MHz  
for reference signal to beat aginst I  noticed the drift about  ~ +/- 20Hz
  on the Master Reference or Un doubled output or 0.0002% is this normal?
  3. Setting to 590Khz local AM station with the tweeker set to center, 
ended adjusted to abit over the 590 location with in audio range < 
1000Khz or so;
   is this normal?


   My biggest problem is this seems touchie  to set is this normal?
   How accurate is the Left dial markings supposed to be?

To bad there was not an audio marker  like the BC221 or LM frequency 
generators.   There is a "reference" Oscillator seems a simple mixer takeoff
would have been handy, to provide audio feed back.  May be the unit 
needs to be calibrated.

Thanks
Hutch