[Test-Equipment] HP 8569 Info On-line ????

[Marco Bruno]

At 00.13 22/02/2004, you wrote:
>  Whether this unit is good
>or not remains to be seen.

Hello Skip and all,

I don't know about your particular unit, but I'm used to recondition and 
sell 8569B's, and it's a very good analyzer. There is not much online about 
it. Good sensitivity, narrow filters down to 100 Hz, clean LO, good level 
accuracy and flatness. NOT portable, HI. It drives a plotter directly on 
the HPIB (7470A or 7475A -like). May drive the 8444A-059 tracking generator 
up to 1.5 (1.7...) GHz. Built-in preselector from 1.8 to 22 GHz; direct 
support of external waveguide mixers up to 115 GHz. Those for 18-26 and 
26-40 GHz bands are easy to find (11971K and 11971A). Has a 
first-generation digital display, unfortunately without markers, but with 
two memories and peak-hold function. The display may operate in analogic 
mode, very good to see pulses (radar or your Wi-Fi link). The LO is not 
synthesized, but frequency accuracy for a well maintained machine is around 
a couple of MHz at UHF, rising to abt 5 MHz a 10 GHz. Get the service 
manuals (3 binders), definitively worth having. Easy to repair, very good 
accessibility to inside. Classical problems: stuck (or defective) input 
relay, easy to replace. Quite long to calibrate if somebody messed up the 
trimmers... expecially the band level adjust trimmer bank. Delicate front 
panel mechanics, like all the HP 8558B-8559A-8565A... rotary switch wipers 
and clutches are quite difficult to fix if damaged. If you need performance 
data I may scan the relevant pages from the HP catalog.

Moe or less it is similar to the Tektronix 492P opt. 1-2-3, but I prefer 
the 8569B. More bulky, but easier to operate, and far better LO. The 8565A 
is very similar, but has a storage CRT insted of the digital memory; HP 
says it is less sensitive too, but I never verified it is true, or was a 
commercial issue - the RF section is so similar...

Vy 73s - Marco IK1ODO