[MRCA] FR-114 Digital Frequency Counter

[Ray Fantini]

Has nothing to do with functionality or use, between work and shop at home have tons of test equipment that’s wider range, more accurate and smaller.  At the end of the day looking at this in terms of functionality proves it’s pointless! The problem is we collect this stuff because the way it makes us feel or for some weird reason about it bringing back our youth or for its technical historical significance (that may be a bit of a stretch!) but there is some intangible quality that drives us to spend hundrets of hours and lots of money on projects that others may consider pointless, or perhaps it’s a form of mental illness?

Ray F/KA3EKH

From: Peter Gottlieb [mailto:kb2vtl at gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2017 10:14 AM
To: W2HX <w2hx at w2hx.com>
Cc: Ray Fantini <RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu>; Mrca Mailing List <MRCA at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [MRCA] FR-114 Digital Frequency Counter

A prescaler can fix that.

Peter

On Apr 13, 2017, at 9:56 AM, W2HX <w2hx at w2hx.com<mailto:w2hx at w2hx.com>> wrote:
I know exactly what you mean. I saw one of these on ebay a while ago. The low frequency ultimately was what stopped me from buying one. I love anything with nixies.

From: Milsurplus [mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Ray Fantini
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2017 9:54 AM
To: Mrca Mailing List; milsurplus at mailman.qth.net<mailto:milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>; R-1051 Discussion Group
Subject: [Milsurplus] FR-114 Digital Frequency Counter

Quite often it turns out that you want something just because you want it, not for any good reason or practical purpose but just because you want it. For some unknown reason I have now decided that I want a FR-114U Digital Frequency Meter.
For those unfamiliar with this device it’s a first generation vacuum tube digital frequency counter that counts up to about 1 MHz, it uses something called a Trochotron beam-switch counters controlled by a 100 KHz time base firing a 6D4 thyratron.
Think I posted something in the past about the HP-524 family of counters but for now have given up on trying to locate a 524 thinking that the size and space requirements may be a bit too much for the current shop, keep in mind that this is being posted by someone who already has a couple full size PDP-11 systems along with a ton of other radios currently in the shop. Although I did sell off a broadcast transmitter that I had on 160 so that provided a hole.
But there it is, insanity has no limits. I want a first generation huge digital frequency counter.
Nothing happens in a vacuum, this weird desire to want a FR-114U stems from seeing one on EBay at:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-Military-Sentinel-FR-114A-U-Digital-Nixie-Tube-Frequency-Meter-TESTED-/122368130037?hash=item1c7db57bf5:g:Xc8AAOSw2gxYrgPT

Just don’t want to pay that much money plus shipping!


Ray F/KA3EKH
______________________________________________________________
MRCA mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/mrca
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:MRCA at mailman.qth.net

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/mrca/attachments/20170413/8b8536df/attachment-0001.html>