Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[tggzzz]

Anritsu MS610C Spectrum Analyzer 9 kHz - 2 GHz, Good Condition hs

Hmm, the RF in is at the wrong side 

It is only 2GHz; that's not much more than DC 

[tonyalbus]

Anritsu MS610C Spectrum Analyzer 9 kHz - 2 GHz, Good Condition hs

Hmm, the RF in is at the wrong side 

uhh. yeah.....uhhh..
Oh ..wait i will put it on the right of my marconi... then both RF are close together ;-)

[tonyalbus]

Anritsu MS610C Spectrum Analyzer 9 kHz - 2 GHz, Good Condition hs

Hmm, the RF in is at the wrong side 

It is only 2GHz; that's not much more than DC 

at least from this one, proper service manuals are available.... i was so happy i did not get that AVCOM.... and that was 1Ghz... and on top of that i would have paid the same... and this is a working unit.

[tonyalbus]

He has still one availabe..
https://www.ebay.nl/itm/Anritsu-MS610B-Spectrum-Analyzer-10-kHz-2-GHz-Good-Condition-hs/283915084566

He will prob take a $240,- deal.... i think

[AVGresponding]

Ugh... hate posting from my phone...

Today's fun job: disable all the hand dryers in all the toilets in one of our office buildings.
Apparently hand dryers cause covid.


Got a strange one on ebay this morning, Hakko FX951 station with 3 extra tips in very good condition for £30 BIN.
Needless to say, I didn't wait around for anyone else to get it.
Remains to be seen if it's genuine. Could be a covid or SK sale I guess.

This item would presumably come under the heading of "barn find":
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264772254041

[McBryce]

Ugh... hate posting from my phone...
This item would presumably come under the heading of "barn find":
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264772254041

Possibly, but at least you won't need to calibrate it... It says so on the sticker!

McBryce.

[Specmaster]

Ugh... hate posting from my phone...

Today's fun job: disable all the hand dryers in all the toilets in one of our office buildings.
Apparently hand dryers cause covid.


Got a strange one on ebay this morning, Hakko FX951 station with 3 extra tips in very good condition for £30 BIN.
Needless to say, I didn't wait around for anyone else to get it.
Remains to be seen if it's genuine. Could be a covid or SK sale I guess.

This item would presumably come under the heading of "barn find":
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264772254041

Apparently there might be a grain of truth about the hand driers. Moreover that it cannot cause Covid-19 but it could possibly help to spread it, this sky news report explains why. https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-turn-off-hand-dryers-to-prevent-spread-of-covid-19-doctor-warns-11965900

With that barn find, it looks like it might clean up very nicely, but if it goes towards the BIN price then the risk of it turning into real lemon increases at an alarming rate. 

[AVGresponding]

I wouldn't believe anything on Sky News on general principle.
Some doctor giving his opinion is just that; an opinion. It's not evidence based research.

Yes you could argue it could blow water droplets with covid in them into the air, but you could also argue it heats them up to the point where the virus is denatured.
Also in my experience,  hand dryers tend to blow downwards, maybe Australian ones are different, idk.
Frankly if you've washed your hands properly it's a non issue, and if you haven't, you're gonna be spreading virus (if you're infected and shedding) to everything you touch afterwards including the door handles etc.

If hand dryers were at all more likely to spread airborne diseases than towel dispensers they'd already be banned. I see this as just one of those "common sense" knee jerk reactions that don't bear up well under logical examination.
I've not seen any reliable non contact towel dispensers yet. The ones we have are unreliable because people are stupid and can't figure out how to use them properly.

[PA0PBZ]

He has still one availabe..
https://www.ebay.nl/itm/Anritsu-MS610B-Spectrum-Analyzer-10-kHz-2-GHz-Good-Condition-hs/283915084566

He will prob take a $240,- deal.... i think

No RBW control but it has line triggering - are you sure it's not a scope?

[Ice-Tea]

DMM integration done right 

[med6753]

Yep, but those VFD's have their own issues. Like getting dim and unreadable. But I did see a utube video once where someone was able to boost the filament voltage and make it more readable but obviously that's not a permanent solution as it just shortens it's life even more.

Equivalent to those old TV CRT "boosters" which raised the filament voltage to overcome low emission.

[med6753]

At last....the Type 3B3 plug-in is out for delivery. I just hope the seller packed it well from all the banging around I'm sure it got. 

[Ice-Tea]

Yep, but those VFD's have their own issues. Like getting dim and unreadable. But I did see a utube video once where someone was able to boost the filament voltage and make it more readable but obviously that's not a permanent solution as it just shortens it's life even more.

Equivalent to those old TV CRT "boosters" which raised the filament voltage to overcome low emission.

Yup. You can see the leftmost digit getting dim already.

[mansaxel]

He has still one availabe..
https://www.ebay.nl/itm/Anritsu-MS610B-Spectrum-Analyzer-10-kHz-2-GHz-Good-Condition-hs/283915084566

He will prob take a $240,- deal.... i think

Oh, that seller. They're quite eager to accept offers, IME. Got a PM 6662 (IIRC) from them, via a truly low-ball offer. It arrived with a broken LCD, and they tried to talk me out of complaining to Ebay (the photos were of the same, albeit undamaged unit). Slightly apprehensive is my verdict.

[tonyalbus]

He has still one availabe..
https://www.ebay.nl/itm/Anritsu-MS610B-Spectrum-Analyzer-10-kHz-2-GHz-Good-Condition-hs/283915084566

He will prob take a $240,- deal.... i think

Oh, that seller. They're quite eager to accept offers, IME. Got a PM 6662 (IIRC) from them, via a truly low-ball offer. It arrived with a broken LCD, and they tried to talk me out of complaining to Ebay (the photos were of the same, albeit undamaged unit). Slightly apprehensive is my verdict.

Have not heared any good reactions on my buy.......lets hope for the best then... 

[med6753]

Under the category of "Dummy" 

The Type 561B failed the extended burn-in cycles. Every once in a while upon power up it would pop the 125ma HV fuse. Checked things over and found nothing wrong. Install new 125ma fuse and it would be fine for another few cycles and pop again. 

Found the problem. The schematic shows 150ma fuse. The parts list show 150ma fuse. Where the hell did I get 125ma from?   

The correct fuses will arrive tomorrow. 

[worsthorse]

Discovered in today's mail. I am a complete sucker for a good deal on dual gate MOSFETS…



I know, still living in the 80s I am.   

What are dual gate MOSFETS good for?

A whole class of RF circuits, especially mixers and amplifiers.  Amateur radio builders and experimenters of a certain age, schooled in the mysteries of RF design by books like SSDRA and EMRFD, have an unreasonable fondness for them. 

[edavid]

Discovered in today's mail. I am a complete sucker for a good deal on dual gate MOSFETS…

What is a good deal these days?

[PA0PBZ]

Discovered in today's mail. I am a complete sucker for a good deal on dual gate MOSFETS…

Oh nice, 40673's perhaps?

[Specmaster]

I wouldn't believe anything on Sky News on general principle.
Some doctor giving his opinion is just that; an opinion. It's not evidence based research.

Yes you could argue it could blow water droplets with covid in them into the air, but you could also argue it heats them up to the point where the virus is denatured.
Also in my experience,  hand dryers tend to blow downwards, maybe Australian ones are different, idk.
Frankly if you've washed your hands properly it's a non issue, and if you haven't, you're gonna be spreading virus (if you're infected and shedding) to everything you touch afterwards including the door handles etc.

If hand dryers were at all more likely to spread airborne diseases than towel dispensers they'd already be banned. I see this as just one of those "common sense" knee jerk reactions that don't bear up well under logical examination.
I've not seen any reliable non contact towel dispensers yet. The ones we have are unreliable because people are stupid and can't figure out how to use them properly.

Yep, hence why I said might be a grain of truth.

[mansaxel]

Have not heard any good reactions on my buy.......lets hope for the best then... 

Well, Anritsu is AFAICT a good brand, and while few people argue against /hp/ as the thing to have in spectrum analysers, I'd expect Anritsu to do well.  Be prepared to discuss afterwards, and since as buyer you've got Ebay on your side, you're powerful.  I wish you luck!

On a related note, a /hp/ 19" DC VTVM escaped me for silly low money 26 minutes ago. I was in the car and could not bid. (I don't trust the available sniping s/w for that site..) Still upset. Need to go out and look at the 427 (hi, BD139!) and the temperamental Marconi to calm down.

Further, the Solartron Nixie Volt meter apparently is awaiting my pickup at the local DB Schenker storefront.. Still no sign of a manual for it, so will be treading it carefully.

[SilverSolder]

[...]

Have not heared any good reactions on my buy.......lets hope for the best then... 

That is what happens when you do something "different" - you are more alone! 

It probably isn't a super popular / widely used unit?  Anritsu as a brand has a half decent reputation...

Looking forward to your tests / impressions!

[Ice-Tea]

I've only ever seen *very* well engineered machines from Anritsu. Can't comment on a spec/spec basis, but their machines don't cut corners.

[tonyalbus]

I've only ever seen *very* well engineered machines from Anritsu. Can't comment on a spec/spec basis, but their machines don't cut corners.

That is what happens when you do something "different" - you are more alone!
It probably isn't a super popular / widely used unit?  Anritsu as a brand has a half decent reputation...
Looking forward to your tests / impressions!

Well, Anritsu is AFAICT a good brand, and while few people argue against /hp/ as the thing to have in spectrum analysers, I'd expect Anritsu to do well.  Be prepared to discuss afterwards, and since as buyer you've got Ebay on your side, you're powerful.  I wish you luck!

-----
Thank you guys!!! that makes me feel a lot better!!
yes will keep you posted..

[Wolfgang]

I've only ever seen *very* well engineered machines from Anritsu. Can't comment on a spec/spec basis, but their machines don't cut corners.

For the hardware, very true. Built by the book, quality components, sturdy, ... OK.
Software: Different story. Encountered a *lot* of bugs even with new machines. And they are *not* good in fixing them (MS2036A, e.g.)