Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

I hate it when that happens. Sometimes you win though. I bought an HP5315A counter a couple of years ago which was poorly listed as "ham radio". Think I paid about £35 for it. Front photo only. Had option C (1GHz input) to start with. When it arrived I cracked it open and had a look. Right there staring at me was the battery option and the best thing of all, the OCXO option! Battery had leaked a bit but not damaged anything so I removed that and unplugged in, cleaned it up and good as new 

This nearly got me into time nuttery as I was worried about how much it had drifted.

I recently sold that thinking "hey the DG1022 I bought has a decent counter on it and doesn't take up as much space". Stupid stupid idea. It's shit. It does have 10MHz ref input though.

[VK5RC]

I fear that I'm heading towards the slippery slope of time nuttery.   



-Pat

Ah Pat,
You are well down that rabbit hole!
HiHi
Rob

[AF6LJ]

The pull is strong, so far I have been able to resist....
But I don't know for how long.

[khs]

I fear that I'm heading towards the slippery slope of time nuttery.   



-Pat

Ah, nice! 
Does it work?
Now you will need a multi-output amplifier to distribute the 10MHz clock to your instruments accepting that as an external reference.. 

No..

As I understand TEA, it is NOT important to use gear.
It is essential to OWN gear.
To own gear causes the NEED to calibrate gear.

So there is the NEED for a CAESIUM CLOCK - NOW.

This is the real danger of TEA.

[AF6LJ]

I fear that I'm heading towards the slippery slope of time nuttery.   



-Pat

Ah, nice! 
Does it work?
Now you will need a multi-output amplifier to distribute the 10MHz clock to your instruments accepting that as an external reference.. 

No..

As I understand TEA, it is NOT important to use gear.
It is essential to OWN gear.
To own gear causes the NEED to calibrate gear.

So there is the NEED for a CAESIUM CLOCK - NOW.

This is the real danger of TEA.

[bitseeker]

The pull is strong, so far I have been able to resist....
But I don't know for how long.

That is amazing. All that cool gear with 10 MHz ref input and no GPSDO. Your resistance is strong.

[AF6LJ]

The pull is strong, so far I have been able to resist....
But I don't know for how long.

That is amazing. All that cool gear with 10 MHz ref input and no GPSDO. Your resistance is strong.

Well right now my life has a measure of entropy in it that requires me to be cautious with spending money. Unless I find one at the San Diego Hamfest this weekend for less than $160.00 I will be out of luck.

[Cubdriver]

Ah, nice! 
Does it work?
Now you will need a multi-output amplifier to distribute the 10MHz clock to your instruments accepting that as an external reference.. 

No..

As I understand TEA, it is NOT important to use gear.
It is essential to OWN gear.
To own gear causes the NEED to calibrate gear.

So there is the NEED for a CAESIUM CLOCK - NOW.

This is the real danger of TEA.

I'm not sure yet if it works.  I need to fix the power supply I was planning to operate it with first.  The question is will I fix the Tek PS503A or the HP 6024A first?  I think I'll take a crack at the HP to start, as I have a paper manual for it here...

...somewhere...

Owning the gear necessitates repairing the gear, which prompts the acquisition of new gear with which to fix the other gear, which may itself require repair...      It's an insidious, endless feedback loop!!

-Pat

[bd139]

That loop is ending for me. I bought loads of new stuff and it isn’t broken

So I keep buying broken stuff to fix and it’s not broken

[tautech]

It's an insidious, endless feedback loop!!

Negative or positive loop ?

If you think it's negative you don't belong here. 

[Cubdriver]

It's an insidious, endless feedback loop!!

Negative or positive loop ?

If you think it's negative you don't belong here. 

Both - positive in that it gives me excuses to buy more stuff.  Negative in that it makes my credit card cry and I need to find space to squirrel it all away.

-Pat

[URI]

I'm not sure yet if it works.  I need to fix the power supply I was planning to operate it with first.  The question is will I fix the Tek PS503A or the HP 6024A first?  I think I'll take a crack at the HP to start, as I have a paper manual for it here...

Buying another (but working) power supply first to operate the reference clock would be a solution, too. IMHO
You still can repair the other supplies later... 

[Cubdriver]

I'm not sure yet if it works.  I need to fix the power supply I was planning to operate it with first.  The question is will I fix the Tek PS503A or the HP 6024A first?  I think I'll take a crack at the HP to start, as I have a paper manual for it here...

Buying another (but working) power supply first to operate the reference clock would be a solution, too. IMHO
You still can repair the other supplies later... 

Quite true, but this forces me to work on the 6024A, which has been in the repair queue for about a year now.  Damn, I need to start buying some power supplies!!  The HP 621X series I have are nice, but the current output is too low.  The 6284As can push enough current, but are only good for 20V.  Might be able to series them, or just crank them up and try to coax 24V out of one of them...

Naah, first I'll look at the 6024A.  (And the 'bay, of course, for other options.    )

-Pat

[bitseeker]

Well right now my life has a measure of entropy in it that requires me to be cautious with spending money. Unless I find one at the San Diego Hamfest this weekend for less than $160.00 I will be out of luck.

No worries. That's how things go sometimes. I'm on a bit of an acquisition hiatus, too.

[Specmaster]

That loop is ending for me. I bought loads of new stuff and it isn’t broken

So I keep buying broken stuff to fix and it’s not broken

Wanna fix my HP1740A then? 

[neo]

That loop is ending for me. I bought loads of new stuff and it isn’t broken

So I keep buying broken stuff to fix and it’s not broken

Well if you really long for stuff to fix i have three tough cookies i can't get working that you could fix for me. Shipping to and back from england would be murder though.

[tggzzz]

Wanna fix my HP1740A then? 

Wanna swap my hp1740a for yours plus £500?

[Specmaster]

Wanna fix my HP1740A then? 

Wanna swap my hp1740a for yours plus £500?

Why would you want to give me £500?

[tggzzz]

Wanna fix my HP1740A then? 

Wanna swap my hp1740a for yours plus £500?

Why would you want to give me £500?

Nice try, but no cigar

[Specmaster]

Wanna fix my HP1740A then? 

Wanna swap my hp1740a for yours plus £500?

Why would you want to give me £500?

Nice try, but no cigar

I don't smoke anyway

[Berni]

I don't smoke anyway

But id guess you smoked plenty of electronics judging by your forum signature saying "Who let Murphy in?"

[bd139]

I'm going to wait until you're all dead and then visit your silent key sales. Then I shall pay what you told your other half it cost 

Talking of dead, no TEA for me for a few days. My cousin rode his motorbike into a tree so I've got to drive to the other end of the bloody country tonight and hang around for two days while the chuck him in a hole. The guy was an absolute dick to everyone so this obligation irks me a bit. Also my Heathkit VTVM is supposed to be arriving tomorrow so that's going to get chucked over the fence 

[Specmaster]

I don't smoke anyway

But id guess you smoked plenty of electronics judging by your forum signature saying "Who let Murphy in?"

Sorry but you guess wrong, I have however many moons a go blown a capacitor up, a bigger bugger as well, and all the electrolyte etc ended all over my Mums newly decorated ceiling  and wallpaper. The Murphy is a a twist on Dave's catch phrase 

[Specmaster]

I'm going to wait until you're all dead and then visit your silent key sales. Then I shall pay what you told your other half it cost 

Talking of dead, no TEA for me for a few days. My cousin rode his motorbike into a tree so I've got to drive to the other end of the bloody country tonight and hang around for two days while the chuck him in a hole. The guy was an absolute dick to everyone so this obligation irks me a bit. Also my Heathkit VTVM is supposed to be arriving tomorrow so that's going to get chucked over the fence 

If you're going to wait that long, whatever we have in the silent sales will be knackered or well out of date 

Sorry to hear your bad news and long drive, but they can't chuck him in the hole til Monday, so why not postpone your drive by a few hours?

[bd139]

Most of our stuff already is

Unfortunately my job for the weekend involves ferrying people around because I’m the only member of the family who owns a car with more than two seats and a driving license and insurance and hasn’t been banned from driving or is medically unfit to drive and the car isn’t stolen. My daughter managed to get out of it because her foot is still bandaged up. I’m trying to persuade her to hang around for the package.

I’m secretly hoping the wheels fall off the car in the night.