In many ways the 5065A is the probably the most repairable of all the units
(closely followed by the FRK family and the M100). They all use parts that
are mostly still available and the circuitry is accessible. You can assume
that the lamp (and maybe some of the microwave parts) in any Rb oscillator is
unobtainium.
Most failures seen in these systems tend to be in the power related parts
(electrolytic caps and heater / lamp driver transistors). Total rubidium lamp
failures are rare. Lamps with degraded output due to rubidium depositing on
the lamp walls can usually be refurbished with a heat gun.
If you don't need the ultimate in performance the telecom Rb's are a very good
value. They can be had for prices where repair is not an issue... just
replace them. At one time LPROs could be had for less than $50 and they were
usually in good operating condition. The bulk packs of the TEMIC units on
Ebay approach that level today. As time has passed the availability has gone
down, prices have gone up, and the quality what is available had gone down.
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