Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mansaxel]

Also WWI is more embarrassing to remember our own countries' part in, whatever side of it our countries were on, because it was a stupid mess all around, from how it started all the way through to how it was fought. No nation involved can honestly feel that its own part in WWI was in any way creditable if they are realistic with themselves.

I think Italy does deserve some mentioning here, not going into the war until they'd established which side would be most fruitful to their ambitions and desires.

The alpine war in the eastern part of the front is fascinating. Competition level alpinism. With guns. Entire regiments disappeared in avalanches. Blowing entire mountaintops off the map because they're full of Austrians. Or Italians.  The French learned the lesson, and planned the obliteration of Chaberton a good 10 years before Mussolini saw it fit to invade.  Alpine warfare has a tendency to be very channelizing so, for once, fixed fortifications worked. Because there's no other way to go at it.

[0culus]

Found this neat 1950s Tektronix oscilloscope pamphlet for sale while searching for more vintage -hp- catalogs and couldn't pass it up.

I scanned the document, and while I waiting to hear back from the TekWiki admin, I uploaded it to TekScopes. Thread here

[Specmaster]

I've never had a problem with the GSP, as a buyer or a seller, it takes the hassle factor out as far as I'm concerned.

The GSP creates issues. Things are sometimes repackaged in terrible ways and subsequently get damaged, leaving seller and purchaser in an awkward position, shipping can take ages and reclaiming VAT as a business is flat out impossible. I've never been able to figure it out but I have a feeling they're somehow making money on some kind of VAT scheme.

Disagree about the awkward bit, if something arrives via GSP and its damaged, GSP are liable and will normally payout without any problems. The whole point of GSP is that once you get  the item to their agent intact, they then take full responsibility for ensuring that the packing is done right and that it arrives safely undamaged. Any problems, you just report it to them along with photos, and they resolve  it, normally, by giving the buyer a full refund and buyer gets to keep the item and the seller keeps his money and his selling status etc remains unchanged. It GSP who do the customs paperwork, sort out any import duty and pay it, all of which is already calculated and costed into their fee.

[Specmaster]

Just a quick point about the Americans claiming that they won WWII, is that genuinely what they think or is it just something that the American Movies try to convey? I do agree though that they most likely would not have come to our aid if it was not for the attack on Pearl Harbour, but any suggestion either way is futile because it cannot be decisively proven either way. 

[tggzzz]

Also WWI is more embarrassing to remember our own countries' part in, whatever side of it our countries were on, because it was a stupid mess all around, from how it started all the way through to how it was fought. No nation involved can honestly feel that its own part in WWI was in any way creditable if they are realistic with themselves.

I think Italy does deserve some mentioning here, not going into the war until they'd established which side would be most fruitful to their ambitions and desires.

The alpine war in the eastern part of the front is fascinating. Competition level alpinism. With guns. Entire regiments disappeared in avalanches. Blowing entire mountaintops off the map because they're full of Austrians. Or Italians.  The French learned the lesson, and planned the obliteration of Chaberton a good 10 years before Mussolini saw it fit to invade.  Alpine warfare has a tendency to be very channelizing so, for once, fixed fortifications worked. Because there's no other way to go at it.

The Dolomites are beautiful and, thanks to the Via Ferrata / Klettersteige, very accessible. I believe many of the paths and climbs were first done in WW1.

[mnementh]

Well, it does look like mission accomplished......

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/newbie-with-tek-465/

Well done, ya cantankerous old galoot. 

mnem
keep the faith. *chest thump*

Well, not so fast. There's more. Read the latest. But we are close. 

Dude... you offered help, and he didn't run off screaming into the woods. That's a win in my book.

mnem

[mnementh]

...Had to keep them somewhere isolated because, for the life of them, they couldn't brew a proper cup of tea and we had to protect the natives from being offended by the sacrilege - you do not boil the tea leaves in a billy can and you don't put the milk in from a live sheep!

Ummmm... so the correct way would be milk from... a... dead sheep...? 

One buys a bottle of milk from the shops like a civilised person; sheep's milk if that is one's fancy. One does not dangle the poor sheep, bleating, over one's billy can full of hot tea and squeeze the poor thing in places a lady should not be squeezed, at least not until one has been properly introduced and most certainly not in public over a cup of tea. There are also the employment effects to be considered - it would have been ungentlemanly to deny the dairy maids of 1940s Wales their living.

Just what kind of pervy tea clubs do you hang out in, earth-pig? 

I drink coffee, beer, or red wine, not tea.   

I'm pretty sure everybody here knows how I feel about blerk beer; I do still like a nice sweet, jammy red wine. Dry wines are for dried up old prudes who can't stand to be reminded that they're drinking the souls of grapes. 

mnem
"Whatever you drink; it tastes better the more you drink." is still no good excuse for Margaritas. A blend of battery acid and condensed evil, the concoction has to hide behind salt to disguise its true nature. They are sin against Dionysus.

[vk6zgo]

I'm not going to banter back and forth with you but I will make a few points....

No, I'm not saying that we Americans take all the credit for winning WW2. It was a joint Allied effort. But I think I can claim with certainty that if we weren't kicked in the ass at Pearl Harbor and forced to join in Europe today would be a totally different place. Despite winning the Battle of Brittan in the air which squashed German invasion plans at SOME point they would have tried again. And it would have been a blood bath.

And...even though we were officially neutral up until 12/07/41 where were most of those supply ships coming from and going to and being decimated by the U boats? Gee, lemme think.     

A lot were from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc---- who do you think fed the Brits, supplied armed forces to the conflict all whom had to travel in ships, etc, before you entered the War?

That said, the USA "saved Australia's bacon" in the "Pacific War".

The UK was "up to their armpits" fighting the Nazis & their European allies, & were very much immersed in Burma, so Oz & NZ were otherwise pretty much thrust on our own resources, with most of our troops in Northern Africa or the Middle East, & not available.

It wasn't all one way, though, if the "ANZAC" countries had folded up & effectively become "neutralised", the USA would have had a much harder job.
As it was, they had the benefit, in Australia's case, of a 3 million square mile "aircraft carrier", with a not inconsiderable industrial capacity, as well as  a large Agricultural sector, plus a small but effective Military.

The Kiwis more than "pulled their weight" as well!

[SilverSolder]

I'm not going to banter back and forth with you but I will make a few points....

No, I'm not saying that we Americans take all the credit for winning WW2. It was a joint Allied effort. But I think I can claim with certainty that if we weren't kicked in the ass at Pearl Harbor and forced to join in Europe today would be a totally different place. Despite winning the Battle of Brittan in the air which squashed German invasion plans at SOME point they would have tried again. And it would have been a blood bath.

And...even though we were officially neutral up until 12/07/41 where were most of those supply ships coming from and going to and being decimated by the U boats? Gee, lemme think.     

A lot were from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, etc---- who do you think fed the Brits, supplied armed forces to the conflict all whom had to travel in ships, etc, before you entered the War?

That said, the USA "saved Australia's bacon" in the "Pacific War".

The UK was "up to their armpits" fighting the Nazis & their European allies, & were very much immersed in Burma, so Oz & NZ were otherwise pretty much thrust on our own resources, with most of our troops in Northern Africa or the Middle East, & not available.

It wasn't all one way, though, if the "ANZAC" countries had folded up & effectively become "neutralised", the USA would have had a much harder job.
As it was, they had the benefit, in Australia's case, of a 3 million square mile "aircraft carrier", with a not inconsiderable industrial capacity, as well as  a large Agricultural sector, plus a small but effective Military.

The Kiwis more than "pulled their weight" as well!

...and of course we can't forget Russia's contribution - USA sent a lot of military supplies to Russia to help them fight the Nazis...  funny old world.

[BravoV]

So guys n gals, as an enthusiast and RF noob, in order to protect my spectrum analyzer (9kHz-3Ghz) input , with just DC Block series with the manual adjustable step attenuator I just bought, and just put them permanently both, this should be enough, fine and dandy right ?   CMIIW

Especially I tend to be clumsy  when connecting RF stuffs.

Also which first ? Attenuator then DC block ? Or the other way around ?

[Fungus]

...and of course we can't forget Russia's contribution - USA sent a lot of military supplies to Russia to help them fight the Nazis...  funny old world.

You mean "sent", as in "lend-leased"?

The USA didn't give it for free: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend-Lease

[Ice-Tea]

Radio silence after I sent this:

I'm sorry, but I must insist to handle this through eBay. All the information you require will be available through eBay once you make the purchase. Please also make sure that the correct shipping address is listed on your account.

Think I'll report him a suggested...

[VK5RC]

So guys n gals, as an enthusiast and RF noob, in order to protect my spectrum analyzer (9kHz-3Ghz) input , with just DC Block series with the manual adjustable step attenuator I just bought, and just put them permanently both, this should be enough, fine and dandy right ?   CMIIW

Especially I tend to be clumsy  when connecting RF stuffs.

Also which first ? Attenuator then DC block ? Or the other way around ?

I don't think it matters either way, before you power up, check the specs of the attenuator, dc block and spec An. then go and have a cup of warm caffeinated beverage, then check again - some wise words from an old Ham colleague.
As a lot of gear doesn't have the specs printed on the device - eg frequency range of the attenuator and power limits - I will often have a label attached with them to save search time.

[Robert763]

So guys n gals, as an enthusiast and RF noob, in order to protect my spectrum analyzer (9kHz-3Ghz) input , with just DC Block series with the manual adjustable step attenuator I just bought, and just put them permanently both, this should be enough, fine and dandy right ?   CMIIW

Especially I tend to be clumsy  when connecting RF stuffs.

Also which first ? Attenuator then DC block ? Or the other way around ?

It depends on what you are measuring and why.
Generally a fixed attenuator, capable of handling the power you might apply, is a better choice than a step attenuator. This is because A: you might have it turned down too low to provide protection and B:Step attenuators are generally rated at low power so if you make a mistake you will blow up your step attenuator.
Assuming the attenuator power rating can take the voltage you might apply (required power rating is V2/50 or withstand voltage is SQR Vx50) e.g. a  5 W attenuator is good for 15 Volts DC. It is best to put the DC block between the attenuator and the spectrum analyser. This is because the attenuator will provide a better 50 ohm match to the source.
 
Note that anything you put between the source and spectrum analyser will affect the accuracy and fidelity of the measurement.

[kleiner Rainer]

For our EMC measurements at work, i use one of these:

https://doc.xdevs.com/doc/HP_Agilent_Keysight/HP%2011947%20Operations%20&%20Service.pdf

Homebrew version:

https://hackaday.com/2019/12/15/a-modern-take-on-a-piece-of-old-test-equipment/

Greetings,

Rainer

[Zucca]

I have one seller that owes me a mainboard since April, unfortunately this was not paid via paypal.
This will go to the fraud folks at the local prosecutor's office.

If the bastard is German, going to the police it will cause him trouble and get a fine for that. To get the money back you still need to hire a lawyer and sue him.
If the bastard is outside Germany, going to the police will just help the crime database.

This was my personal experience, and yes I lost a lot of money in the www. It's a bad world out there.

[tggzzz]

So guys n gals, as an enthusiast and RF noob, in order to protect my spectrum analyzer (9kHz-3Ghz) input , with just DC Block series with the manual adjustable step attenuator I just bought, and just put them permanently both, this should be enough, fine and dandy right ?   CMIIW

Especially I tend to be clumsy  when connecting RF stuffs.

Also which first ? Attenuator then DC block ? Or the other way around ?

Check what the attenuation is when changing steps; infinite is fine, 0dB less so.

Applying DC to an RC lowpass filter will let a spike through of course.

Sometimes directional couplers are appropriate.

[bd139]

Found a weird one. Spot what’s weird about this philips scope:

Prize is a picture of a gerbil.

[med6753]

Well, the auction site lists it as "2 canal scope" but other than that I have no clue. 

I've never even seen a Philips scope in the flesh.

[Robert763]

Found a weird one. Spot what’s weird about this philips scope:

Prize is a picture of a gerbil.

It's a Hameg. They didn't even change the colour of the cover.

Specifically a HM205

[mnementh]

Umm... okay. Guess that doesn't seem very weird to me.

Weird would be... I dunno... a temporal phase adjustment? Borg implants? Tentacles...?

mnem
"Listen, three eyes..." he said, "Don't you try to out-weird me; I get stranger things than you free with my breakfast cereal." ~Zaphod Beeblebrox

[Robert763]

There is one other thing, While it looks like an analog scope it has digital storage.

[bd139]

Found a weird one. Spot what’s weird about this philips scope:

Prize is a picture of a gerbil.

It's a Hameg. They didn't even change the colour of the cover.

Specifically a HM205

Winner.

Have a gerbil at the local art gallery

[mnementh]

There is one other thing, While it looks like an analog scope it has digital storage.

What... the PLOT buttons? I thought that was just output to a plotter.

mnem
 

[FransW]

Found this neat 1950s Tektronix oscilloscope pamphlet for sale while searching for more vintage -hp- catalogs and couldn't pass it up.

I scanned the document, and while I waiting to hear back from the TekWiki admin, I uploaded it to TekScopes. Thread here

Why not here as well?