[R-390] OT: Wavetek function generators

[2002tii]

Barry wrote:

>Looking for comments on Wavetek function generators.  Are they a 
>relatevely good build quality, etc.

Most of their stuff is decent but nothing to get excited about -- 
maybe a half notch better than Leader and B&K/Dynascan, or maybe 
not.  The 114 and its non-sweep brethren are basic function 
generators familiar to thousands of engineering students (their 
primary mission was as low-cost generators for university engineering 
and science labs).

What do you want to use it for?  As a source of audio signals to feed 
into circuits you are building or to modulate an RF generator, it 
should do fine.  If you hope to feed an IF or HF signal into a radio 
for testing and alignment, you will find that *all* general-purpose 
generators have way too much FM and drift to make you very 
happy.  For that, you need a proper RF generator, where money has 
been spent on careful frequency control (particularly the mechanical 
and thermal design).  You'd like your RF generator to exhibit 
stability and freedom from drift that are better than the VFO in the 
radio you are working on.  General-purpose function generators are 
several orders of magnitude worse than an R-390/A PTO in this regard.

Best regards,

Don