HP 5371A Frequency and Time Interval Analyzer w/ two 54003A from Fleabay for $200.00 + $49.74 Shipping. I've got some FE5680 Rb Standards, a NTBW50AA GPSTM, and (recently thanks to the forum), a Lucent RFTG-u REF0, REF1 package. When I started, it was easy - the Rb was correct
. But then I got a second Rb and suddenly I no longer knew what time it was
. So I picked up the NTBW50 to resolve the issue.... well that just made things worse
. Probably what I need is another GPSDO to finally clear all this up
. When the recent thread on precision timing references popped up I scored the Lucent RTFG setup for $100 (Shortly after they jumped up to $200 then a little while later they dropped it to $150.00. Glad I scored it @ $100). I finally concluded that the more precision clocks I have the less certain I am about what the correct time is. So, now I'm hoping that purchasing the 5371a will provide the ability to finally resolve my personal dilemma of what time is it
.
Special thanks to Ed Palmer for afflicting me with this nonsensical pursuit of determining when it's time to feed the cat aka Timenut
. You Voltnuts stay the hell away from me
.
Hi Marc,
I haven't been ignoring you. I haven't been following this thread so it's just plain luck that I saw your message.
You're more than welcome regarding the Time-Nuts infection. Happy to oblige!
![Evil >:D](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/evil.gif)
You really think that the 5371A will satisfy your growing lust for ever more precise measurement of time & frequency? How quaint. I remember back when my 5372A was the most sophisticated piece of equipment I had. I couldn't believe that I would ever need (or be able to afford!) anything better. Now I rarely turn the thing on. After all, it has a resolution of only 150 ps! Hardly worth mentioning.
I'm kidding, but only partially. Time-Nuts is something of an addiction. You're always pushing for a better source or better measurement capability. It's fascinating to realize that you can make measurements at the parts-per-trillion range in your basement, attic, or garage. Right now I'm doing a data run on a 10 MHz precision oscillator. It looks like it's daily aging rate will be around 4e-11 per day, i.e. 0.0004 Hz per day.
Regarding your 5371A, you might consider picking up one or two 54002A modules. They're 50 ohm which makes it an easy connection to most test equipment and oscillators. Just be patient and don't pay a lot of money for them. The only thing inside them is one little 5% resistor. Also, notice that the 54003A modules have an input capacitance of only 10 pf. Many scope probes can't compensate a value that low. Finally, open up all your pods and check the soldering between the external contacts and the circuit board. They tend to fail with age.
Ed
P.S. I see that you chose an appropriate avatar!