Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Brumby]

Forget about supporting a metre long lens, then.

[Mr. Scram]

Just plonk him on the head first.

[BU508A]

Just plonk him on the head first.

Do you think this will make any difference?     

[med6753]

Rain or not I am so jealous. I've never seen a BUFF up close like that. 

One time, about 30 years ago, saw a B-52H that was perhaps 1500 feet up fly by.

[Mr. Scram]

Do you think this will make any difference?     

Only if you do it hard enough. If not you at least had fun.

[bd139]

Well I’ve been rained out. Bailing out 

Got some EF typhoon, E3 and A400 action and SFA else.

[tggzzz]

One time, about 30 years ago, saw a B-52H that was perhaps 1500 feet up fly by.

My fetish, a few decades ago, was SR71s.

I very occasionally saw them flying over, then was surprised to be able to get within 10m of one (armed guard "in the way"), and watched them leaking fuel as they roared down the runway.

Finally I got to touch them in a museum; they still look gorgeous, almost as gorgeous as a high performance glider.

Other fun was regularly watching Concorde cruise overhead at noon, shortly before it started accelerating to mach 2.

[PA0PBZ]

Other fun was regularly watching Concorde cruise overhead at noon, shortly before it started accelerating to mach 2.

I once stood at the end of the runway when one took off, it's kind of special
That was the last time one visited Amsterdam
(and also the first time? Not sure, but they were not a regular)

[med6753]

One time, about 30 years ago, saw a B-52H that was perhaps 1500 feet up fly by.

My fetish, a few decades ago, was SR71s.

I very occasionally saw them flying over, then was surprised to be able to get within 10m of one (armed guard "in the way"), and watched them leaking fuel as they roared down the runway.

Finally I got to touch them in a museum; they still look gorgeous, almost as gorgeous as a high performance glider.

Other fun was regularly watching Concorde cruise overhead at noon, shortly before it started accelerating to mach 2.

I've been to the USS Interpid in Manhattan and it has an earlier variant A12 on the flight deck. Very impression aircraft.

[mnementh]

One time, about 30 years ago, saw a B-52H that was perhaps 1500 feet up fly by.

My fetish, a few decades ago, was SR71s.

I very occasionally saw them flying over, then was surprised to be able to get within 10m of one (armed guard "in the way"), and watched them leaking fuel as they roared down the runway.

Finally I got to touch them in a museum; they still look gorgeous, almost as gorgeous as a high performance glider.

Other fun was regularly watching Concorde cruise overhead at noon, shortly before it started accelerating to mach 2.

www.habu.org

mnem
Yes, those links are from memory.

[0culus]

No discussion of the SR-71 is complete without the ground speed check story from Los Angeles ARTCC ("Center"):

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/sr-71-blackbird-pilot-tells-story-behind-famed-ground-speed-check/

"I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its ground speed.
’90 knots’ Center replied.

Moments later,a Twin Beech required the same.
‘120 knots,’ Center answered.

We weren’t the only ones proud of our ground speed that day…as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted, ‘Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests ground speed readout.’
There was a slight pause, then the response, ‘620 knots on the ground, Dusty.’

Another silent pause.

As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my back-seater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I had become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison.
‘Center, Aspen 20, you got a ground speed readout for us?’
There was a longer than normal pause … ‘Aspen, I show 1,942 knots.’

No further inquiries were heard on that frequency."

[battlecoder]

Well because of you guys I may... (or may not, depending on my luck) return in a couple of days with a frequency counter.

May the TEA gods bless you with a good find like I was just blessed. 


I fixed the broken case on the Fluke 1912A and it's a little rough but OK. Even the bail handle adjusts with no issues and locks properly in place. 

A Fluke 1912A ? Now that's the stuff.

Thanks for the good wishes. It's really hard to find decent gear here in my country, unfortunately, let alone at a decent price.
I think I'll eventually bite the bullet and just score something nice off of eBay and pay hell in taxes to bring it here.

[med6753]

Got both the 1912A and 7260A powered up and going to let them cook for at least 18-24 hours and stabilize. Then do some comparative readings. I figure the Type 191 is an excellent source for that. If they agree within reasonable amount (yet to be determined) then I'm cool. If they don't then I'm sure the anal in me will rear it's ugly head and the next thing you know I'm a time-nut.  Now if that happens I blame you guys.  After all, I can't possibly be held responsible for my own actions....I have to blame SOMEONE.   

[kj7e]

So two GPSDO's (modified with better GNSS RX's and OCXO's) and a third on the way and 8 very good OCXO's on the bench 

[Specmaster]

One time, about 30 years ago, saw a B-52H that was perhaps 1500 feet up fly by.

My fetish, a few decades ago, was SR71s.

I very occasionally saw them flying over, then was surprised to be able to get within 10m of one (armed guard "in the way"), and watched them leaking fuel as they roared down the runway.

Finally I got to touch them in a museum; they still look gorgeous, almost as gorgeous as a high performance glider.

Other fun was regularly watching Concorde cruise overhead at noon, shortly before it started accelerating to mach 2.

I've been to the USS Interpid in Manhattan and it has an earlier variant A12 on the flight deck. Very impression aircraft.

Sunday I'll be up close and personal with a Buffy and they usually have one on static display and another doing a flight display with a Lancer as well. There is a SR71 up in the American museum at Duxford and you can actually touch it as well. I also saw one flying at RAF Mildenhall at one of their air shows when they used to host one annually a few years a go.

[Specmaster]

Well I’ve been rained out. Bailing out 

Got some EF typhoon, E3 and A400 action and SFA else.

So, how are your webbed feet then  I remember one year that all the off base car parks got flooded and they had to get in tractors to pull cars onto the road and another year it was cancelled due to flooding, then they introduced a limited amount of on base parking to help reduce the problems. Did you see the Spanish Harrier, there was supposed to be 2, 1 at each half of the runway but only one was serviceable I understand. Hopefully there will be 2 up on Sunday and the weather is supposed to good as well. I also understand that the F35 did a single slow flypast and beat its way back to RAF Marham because it was so wet today. Thats the problem with air shows these days, they always advance tickets only so you can't take a view on the weather and then go or not accordingly on the day 

[Specmaster]

I want one of them now.

Away from TE until tomorrow evening. Currently lurking in a shit hotel. Air tattoo tomorrow. Pissing it down all day though so will be shite. Will post any photos if I get any.  Saw red arrows practicing on the way.

I'm going Sunday, it's supposed to be the day weather wise. I'm only going because one of the planes from North Weald is on static display (black L39) and the pilot has offered a pair discounted tickets to us.

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

That’s a good win 

Not raining on Sunday as well 

Not supposed to rain on Sunday, hence why I've got tickets for then. Did you take your camera? Photos please.

Just phone as that’s waterproof :

Starter. I’ll link gallery when home

Got to love a typical Pommie Summers Day 

Yep, but then you Aussies can get your share of rain as well I'm told by niece and judging by some the programs we have over here about your land trains, the roads in the outback become no go areas at times of the year.

[tggzzz]

There is a SR71 up in the American museum at Duxford and you can actually touch it as well. I also saw one flying at RAF Mildenhall at one of their air shows when they used to host one annually a few years a go.

Yes and yes, in my case

The only time I've been to Duxford, I arrived in a DC3

[Specmaster]

There is a SR71 up in the American museum at Duxford and you can actually touch it as well. I also saw one flying at RAF Mildenhall at one of their air shows when they used to host one annually a few years a go.

Yes and yes, in my case

The only time I've been to Duxford, I arrived in a DC3

Was that recently as part of the Dakotas over Normandy event.

[tggzzz]

There is a SR71 up in the American museum at Duxford and you can actually touch it as well. I also saw one flying at RAF Mildenhall at one of their air shows when they used to host one annually a few years a go.

Yes and yes, in my case

The only time I've been to Duxford, I arrived in a DC3

Was that recently as part of the Dakotas over Normandy event.

T'was in 2007; the gliding club chartered it for an outing. I don't think you can do that anymore due to more stringent avionics requirements.

[bd139]

Well I’ve been rained out. Bailing out 

Got some EF typhoon, E3 and A400 action and SFA else.

So, how are your webbed feet then  I remember one year that all the off base car parks got flooded and they had to get in tractors to pull cars onto the road and another year it was cancelled due to flooding, then they introduced a limited amount of on base parking to help reduce the problems. Did you see the Spanish Harrier, there was supposed to be 2, 1 at each half of the runway but only one was serviceable I understand. Hopefully there will be 2 up on Sunday and the weather is supposed to good as well. I also understand that the F35 did a single slow flypast and beat its way back to RAF Marham because it was so wet today. Thats the problem with air shows these days, they always advance tickets only so you can't take a view on the weather and then go or not accordingly on the day 

Just got home. Annoyingly my left shoe has a hole in it so I basically have one foot larger than the other one now  .  It was proper hammering it down.  I had full berghaus waterproofs on top and bottom, sun hat and hood up and only got slightly damp fortunately. Perched on the blue zone grandstand most of it.

I bailed before the F35 did a pass. My colleague buggered off before I did (we both drove separately). He did stills I did video so I’ll spend some time in resolve tomorrow and throw something up on YouTube. Got to see some hardware I worked on years ago as well which was weird.

Discovered where I went wrong in life though. Turns out lots of middle aged Eastern European women appreciate a chinook too

[bsudbrink]

Rain or not I am so jealous. I've never seen a BUFF up close like that. 

One time, about 30 years ago, saw a B-52H that was perhaps 1500 feet up fly by.

My father was career Air Force.  When I was 5 to 7 years old, we were at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina.  It was a BUFF base.  There was a Tasty Freeze just off the base at the end of the runway.  We'd go and have ice cream and watch them take off and land.  Their wings "flap" when they take off you know.  I remember that my dad used it as a "teaching moment" to introduce me to the idea that sometimes in engineering "if it don't bend, it will break".

[tggzzz]

Rain or not I am so jealous. I've never seen a BUFF up close like that. 

One time, about 30 years ago, saw a B-52H that was perhaps 1500 feet up fly by.

My father was career Air Force.  When I was 5 to 7 years old, we were at Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina.  It was a BUFF base.  There was a Tasty Freeze just off the base at the end of the runway.  We'd go and have ice cream and watch them take off and land.  Their wings "flap" when they take off you know.  I remember that my dad used it as a "teaching moment" to introduce me to the idea that sometimes in engineering "if it don't bend, it will break".

Bet they don't bend as much as the wings in this 30s video

[med6753]

Worked on the Heath S-3 Electronic Switch and I pretty much identified the issue.

The first trace shows the square wave output of the switch that the signals ride on. Those 2 large negative spikes are the culprit. See schematic. That .001uf cap on the output was missing on my unit. It wasn't there when I first opened it up and I suspect it was never there. I don't have that exact value so I played around with what I have. It gets rid of the spikes but also attenuates the signals applied. So I have to order a .001uf/200v tubular.





I also found that the one .05uf cap that I was short is leaky. So I have to order a .0.047uf/400V tubular.

If I play around with the rate on the switch plus the trigger on the scope I can get a real decent trace. So I'm pretty sure once I get those replacement caps this guy will be a wrap.



 

[bd139]

That actually looks surprisingly good. Nice one