Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[tautech]

Me: Hi Mom, did you get my flowers?

Mom: No, I didn't.

Me: They were supposed to be delivered Thursday.

Mom: Sorry, no flowers.

After I get off the phone with her I'm loaded for bear to call the flower place and bitch them out and get a refund. So I pull up my order. Look at it. Uh-oh. I screwed up. I put down May 16th delivery rather than May 9th delivery. DO'H 

I think I'll crawl back into my hole. 

In your defense, didn't you have a not so easily overlooked distraction visiting ? 

Nope, no distractions so no defense other then a plain old screw-up. 

I'll leave you to dig yourself out of that hole then. 

[med6753]

Me: Hi Mom, did you get my flowers?

Mom: No, I didn't.

Me: They were supposed to be delivered Thursday.

Mom: Sorry, no flowers.

After I get off the phone with her I'm loaded for bear to call the flower place and bitch them out and get a refund. So I pull up my order. Look at it. Uh-oh. I screwed up. I put down May 16th delivery rather than May 9th delivery. DO'H 

I think I'll crawl back into my hole. 

In your defense, didn't you have a not so easily overlooked distraction visiting ? 

Nope, no distractions so no defense other then a plain old screw-up. 

I'll leave you to dig yourself out of that hole then. 

You know how Mothers are. Always forgiving. She said that when the flowers from my other brother die she'll have mine to appreciate. Can't beat that logic....and it gets me out of the doghouse. 

[tautech]

Me: Hi Mom, did you get my flowers?

Mom: No, I didn't.

Me: They were supposed to be delivered Thursday.

Mom: Sorry, no flowers.

After I get off the phone with her I'm loaded for bear to call the flower place and bitch them out and get a refund. So I pull up my order. Look at it. Uh-oh. I screwed up. I put down May 16th delivery rather than May 9th delivery. DO'H 

I think I'll crawl back into my hole. 

In your defense, didn't you have a not so easily overlooked distraction visiting ? 

Nope, no distractions so no defense other then a plain old screw-up. 

I'll leave you to dig yourself out of that hole then. 

You know how Mothers are. Always forgiving. She said that when the flowers from my other brother die she'll have mine to appreciate. Can't beat that logic....and it gets me out of the doghouse. 

Wise old thing she is, my gran was like that and could always see the good in things.
My mom not so much.........we don't speak.

[bitseeker]

Thanks for confirming my sanity. It's an odd architecture since they do bring out the first and second IF. Had they brought out the LO with them, you'd have all the source signals for a straightforward tracking gen. Must've been intentional.

I'll try using max hold with a sweeping sig gen before modding. Who knows, an SA with TG might be just around the corner (or a VNA).

I wouldn't go THAT far...    ESPECIALLY after that statement.   

LOL! There's general public sanity, engineering sanity, and TEA sanity. Very different things.

[bitseeker]

It's an odd architecture since they do bring out the first and second IF. Had they brought out the LO with them, you'd have all the source signals for a straightforward tracking gen. ... I'll try using max hold with a sweeping sig gen before modding.

Also the mod will be harder if the instrument is all PCB and SMD components. You would have to modify the pcb somehow to put 2 connectors (sma) in order to insert your directional coupler. I guess older SA are easier to mod.

Yeah, I'm not that keen on making major mods. I got a good deal on it, so if a TG becomes a pain point, I can always sell it on to fund a different model (bd139-style).

I should've checked for an LO output, but when there's a good deal on the table, you go TEA BLIND (Buying Low Is Never Detrimental).

[bitseeker]

Checking again because bitseeker mentioned probes, looks like scopewa has got some more of the older ones in stock now. At least by the pics, these look like the same as the ones I bought years ago: https://www.ebay.com/itm/182595327054

Looks like he's also got some 200MHz P2200s in again... but the rise time seems a little high, IIRC. https://www.ebay.com/itm/182547468622

Anybody here got any intel on these?

About cheap probes, I just did some really non scientific tests, and the cheap Kuman p6100 probes are holding on up to 300Mhz easy. At 350Mhz they are just bellow the -3db mark.

They perform clearly better that the Tek P6054A and P6106 I have here. The Tek probes start dropping fast just after their rated bandwidth.

Also got a pair of Jinhao p6100, even if they look identical to the Kuman p6100, they don't perform as good.

Interesting. How flat are they, though? I'm less concerned about them going beyond rated 3dB and more concerned about significant peaks and valleys within the operating range.

[Kosmic]

Interesting. How flat are they, though? I'm less concerned about them going beyond rated 3dB and more concerned about significant peaks and valleys within the operating range.

Ok Ok, will improve my setup and produce some proper results with screenshot and everything 

[bitseeker]

Don't worry, I'm not completely set up to do it right away, either. For signal generation, I currently have coverage from DC to 50 MHz and 137 MHz to 4.4 GHz. So, I need to get something to fill the 50–137 MHz gap.

[mnementh]

   Yeah, I don't have anything even marginally trustworthy signal-gen wise; my "Good luck" with the scopewa P6100s is based entirely on side-by-side use with my last intact original Tek probe. Construction seems half-decent though.

Thanks for confirming my sanity. It's an odd architecture since they do bring out the first and second IF. Had they brought out the LO with them, you'd have all the source signals for a straightforward tracking gen. Must've been intentional.

I'll try using max hold with a sweeping sig gen before modding. Who knows, an SA with TG might be just around the corner (or a VNA).

I wouldn't go THAT far...    ESPECIALLY after that statement.   

LOL! There's general public sanity, engineering sanity, and TEA sanity. Very different things.

Agreed! In principle, at least.  In practice, however, only one of those three actually has any presence in our prime material plane of existence. 

mnem
*out of practice*

[0culus]

Huh, it even kinda looks like a Tek mini probe.

I recently got a pair of brand new in  the package P6106A probes to go with the 7A26 amplifier I have in my 7904A. Nice to finally have some that have all the accessories.  They work very nicely too.

[tggzzz]

Me: Hi Mom, did you get my flowers?

Mom: No, I didn't.

Me: They were supposed to be delivered Thursday.

Mom: Sorry, no flowers.

After I get off the phone with her I'm loaded for bear to call the flower place and bitch them out and get a refund. So I pull up my order. Look at it. Uh-oh. I screwed up. I put down May 16th delivery rather than May 9th delivery. DO'H 

I think I'll crawl back into my hole. 

In your defense, didn't you have a not so easily overlooked distraction visiting ? 

Nope, no distractions so no defense other then a plain old screw-up. 

I'll leave you to dig yourself out of that hole then. 

You know how Mothers are. Always forgiving. She said that when the flowers from my other brother die she'll have mine to appreciate. Can't beat that logic....and it gets me out of the doghouse. 

At big birthday parties where there a likely to be many flowers, I give an Amaryllis bulb in a pot, so it can be "started" later after the others have wilted.

[tggzzz]

Interesting. How flat are they, though? I'm less concerned about them going beyond rated 3dB and more concerned about significant peaks and valleys within the operating range.

Ok Ok, will improve my setup and produce some proper results with screenshot and everything 

Scopes are about how waveforms look, so a good test is simply  a voltage step (not impulse). That also takes other probing issues into account.

[Specmaster]

   Yeah, I don't have anything even marginally trustworthy signal-gen wise; my "Good luck" with the scopewa P6100s is based entirely on side-by-side use with my last intact original Tek probe. Construction seems half-decent though.

Thanks for confirming my sanity. It's an odd architecture since they do bring out the first and second IF. Had they brought out the LO with them, you'd have all the source signals for a straightforward tracking gen. Must've been intentional.

I'll try using max hold with a sweeping sig gen before modding. Who knows, an SA with TG might be just around the corner (or a VNA).

I wouldn't go THAT far...    ESPECIALLY after that statement.   

LOL! There's general public sanity, engineering sanity, and TEA sanity. Very different things.

Agreed! In principle, at least.  In practice, however, only one of those three actually has any presence in our prime material plane of existence. 

mnem
*out of practice*

I have some of those probes as well that I got of an Ebay seller who seems to deal with probes in the main. They look and work like the genuine article IMO, I have gotten other probes that came with scopes and by comparison for build quality and feel, are far better then those, if I ever need more I'll happy to get them from the same seller. [emoji106]

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

[Specmaster]

Me: Hi Mom, did you get my flowers?

Mom: No, I didn't.

Me: They were supposed to be delivered Thursday.

Mom: Sorry, no flowers.

After I get off the phone with her I'm loaded for bear to call the flower place and bitch them out and get a refund. So I pull up my order. Look at it. Uh-oh. I screwed up. I put down May 16th delivery rather than May 9th delivery. DO'H 

I think I'll crawl back into my hole. 

In your defense, didn't you have a not so easily overlooked distraction visiting ? 

Nope, no distractions so no defense other then a plain old screw-up. 

I'll leave you to dig yourself out of that hole then. 

You know how Mothers are. Always forgiving. She said that when the flowers from my other brother die she'll have mine to appreciate. Can't beat that logic....and it gets me out of the doghouse. 

Are both the 9th and 16th significant dates for Mom then? If so then that's reason why she is so forgiving. [emoji849]

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

[med6753]

Me: Hi Mom, did you get my flowers?

Mom: No, I didn't.

Me: They were supposed to be delivered Thursday.

Mom: Sorry, no flowers.

After I get off the phone with her I'm loaded for bear to call the flower place and bitch them out and get a refund. So I pull up my order. Look at it. Uh-oh. I screwed up. I put down May 16th delivery rather than May 9th delivery. DO'H 

I think I'll crawl back into my hole. 

In your defense, didn't you have a not so easily overlooked distraction visiting ? 

Nope, no distractions so no defense other then a plain old screw-up. 

I'll leave you to dig yourself out of that hole then. 

You know how Mothers are. Always forgiving. She said that when the flowers from my other brother die she'll have mine to appreciate. Can't beat that logic....and it gets me out of the doghouse. 

Are both the 9th and 16th significant dates for Mom then? If so then that's reason why she is so forgiving. [emoji849]

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

Sunday was "Mother's Day" here in the US. Was it not also Mother's Day in the UK?

[bd139]

No different dates. This causes us much panic every year whenever you lot go mother's day crazy.

Edit: I'm happy with my mother. She complains that it is a commercialised extension of a religious holiday (lent) here and refuses to acknowledge its existence or accept any gifts as she's a raving anti-capitalist and atheist.

[Brumby]

Sunday was "Mother's Day" here in the US. Was it not also Mother's Day in the UK?

... but it WAS here in Oz.

[tautech]

Sunday was "Mother's Day" here in the US. Was it not also Mother's Day in the UK?

... but it WAS here in Oz.

Here in NZ too.
Unlike Portugal where a certain member I chat with is where their Mothers day was last weekend. 

'Twould never do in NZ as it conflicts with the start of our gamebird shooting season. 

[Brumby]

 

[Specmaster]

No different dates. This causes us much panic every year whenever you lot go mother's day crazy.

Edit: I'm happy with my mother. She complains that it is a commercialised extension of a religious holiday (lent) here and refuses to acknowledge its existence or accept any gifts as she's a raving anti-capitalist and atheist.

And of course she is right, it is indeed just another trick the commercial world has devised to separate us from our hard earned cash. I'd used to my Mum little gifts at various occasions throughout the year when the mode took me, just as I do SWMBO, its the small things that matter.

[tautech]

Another hobby ? 

[med6753]

The package from the Great White North (Canada) finally cleared JFK Customs last night and currently at NY Metro distribution center. So it won't be delivered today. Possible tomorrow but I'm figuring Wednesday.

[bd139]

At least yours entered the postal system. My toy hasn't even been dispatched yet 

Apparently today. Will see what happens. I expect better service for a stack of cash. Once it has been received and checked I'll bitch about it on their mailing list.

[BravoV]

The mighty Texan eagle just dropped this, thanks Mnementh ! 

Clue, it will help my "handicapped/crippled" scope (literally). 

[Brumby]

Another hobby ? 

Just a passing thought connecting the two events.  Think "in-law".