Re: [time-nuts] DDS module
Hi Joe, It is good that they are that stable, but what is the phase noise like? If a ham across town is using them for WSPR and QRSS they are most probably OK in that regard, but not all DDS modules are. Best 73's Nic VK2KXN / VK5ZAT -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Joseph Gray Sent: Sunday, 21 July 2013 2:04 PM To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: [time-nuts] DDS module I have a few of those $5 AD9850 DDS modules from China. I'm going to use one to replace a crystal in a transmitter. I attached it to a TI MSP430 Launchpad and programmed a fixed frequency. Just out of curiosity, I wanted to see how stable this thing is. Using cellophane tape, I put a few pieces of foam around the oscillator can. Then I hooked it up to my HP counter, which is locked to my GPSDO. I'm not logging, but I have kept an eye on the setup for well over 24 hours now. So far, the frequency has held to within 0.01-0.08 of the programmed value. The house thermostat is set at 75 F, but this room gets somewhat warmer due to the equipment in it. Also, this room gets the morning sun. Considering the cost, I am impressed with how well this little module works and how stable it is. There is an Amateur in town who has been using several of these modules to drive WSPR and QRSS transmitters. He has done up a poor man's oven to keep his transmitters on frequency. Joe Gray W5JG ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] inch/mm conversion
I get error 404 page not found on that link. Nic VK2KXN -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Stephen Tompsett Sent: Wednesday, 26 June 2013 6:20 PM To: time-nuts@febo.com Subject: [time-nuts] inch/mm conversion FYI http://www.npl.co.uk/reference/faqs/on-what-basis-is-one-inch-exactly-equal- to-25.4-mm-has-the-imperial-inch-been-adjusted-to-give-this-exact-fit-and-if -so-when-%28faq-length%29 -- Stephen Tompsett ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Fwd: inch/mm conversion
Thanks, Nic -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Erno Peres Sent: Wednesday, 26 June 2013 11:27 PM To: time-nuts@febo.com Subject: [time-nuts] Fwd: inch/mm conversion http://www.npl.co.uk/reference/faqs/on-what-basis-is-one-inch-exactly-equal- to-25.4-mm-has-the-imperial-inch-been-adjusted-to-give-this-exact-fit-and-if -so-when-(faq-length) ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
[time-nuts] FW: The GPS navigation is the weakest point,
Jim, Are you sure that wasn't the April edition of that mag? Nic Arriving this week, IEEE Magazine this months issue has an article about pilot-less commercial airliners, comparing the UAV drone technology as being readily available to fly paying passengers from here to there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Ebay FE-5680A Rb: Are they that good?
Hi Bob, Can you direct us to the commands that these units respond to please? Nic Sydney Australia. Hi They are adjustable via the RS-232 port. You type commands at them and they change frequency. Type another command and they save the setting in permanent memory. They are still pretty close to 10 MHz (like less than 2x10^-10). Bob ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
[time-nuts] Serial to Excel utility.
Sorry folks for the slightly OT post. Does anybody know of a utility that will import and parse the serial bit stream from a GPS and put values into a couple of cells in an Excel spreadsheet? Regards, Nic VK2KXN / VK5ZAT ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Serial to Excel utility.
Thanks Graham, Nic Try poking around here: http://www.windmillsoft.com/index.html They have a variety of serial apps and much info on importing to excel. There might just be something here that is close to what you want. cheers, Graham ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Fwd: Atomic Clock on a chip, only $1500
What more could a time-nut ask for? Except for a sample to experiment with! Nic VK2KXN / VK5ZAT Hi Dan, the CSAC has been discussed here a couple of months ago. I will use your post as a shameless plug of our CSAC GPSDO that we did in cooperation with Symmetricom, as we are now allowed to talk about the product. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] RADAR
I am currently reading Technical and Military Imperatives. A Radar History of World War II by Louis Brown and think it is one of the most balanced work on the subject around. It looks at the English, American, German and Japaneese contribution. Is seems many groups were working on the same thing but because it was kept so secret they didn't gain from the other's research. Best 73's Nic VK2KXN / VK5ZAT Hm, I suspect, Rob, much though it might distress national pride, that RADAR a la WWII has probably to qualify as an Anglo American product. The Cousins did, after all, send us those nice klystrons they managed to get up and running. Would've been a bugger to do it without those. Mind you, there was quite a bit done by a number of countries in getting the idea, basic tech and proof of concept going before long before that. Do like those old HOME CHAIN towers you see spotted around here and there, though. Anyone else have anything to add to this? Lee ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Trimble Thunderbolt off freq?
Bob, Mine3 did that once, I power cycled it and since then it has been fine. It also stopped communicating with my PC via RS232 at the same time, so I presume it is a microprocessor lock-up of some sort. Regards, Nic On 9/12/2010 3:00 AM, Bob DeVarney W1ICW wrote: Anyone have problems with a Trimble Thunderbolt being off frequency? GPS has been locked for months, so it's not a GPS lock problem. I compared it to another standard borrowed from work, and it appears to be 22.0 HZ high. When I use this same standard as a reference for my HP 3586C Selective Level Meter, it reads WWV on 15 MHZ as being 22 HZ high as well, so I tend to believe the borrowed reference is accurate; not the Trimble. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Measuring power supply noise
Kewl idea, I have used TIMS's for 30 years or so and owned one for the last 10 years. Inever thought of using one to measure power supply noise. Well done. Nic VK2KXN / VK5ZAT There was a thread about power supply noise a while ago and the difficulty of measurement. I've just got hold of a piece of test equipment that I've been after for a while that is good for comparative checks. It's an HP 3552A Transmission Test Set. Designed for testing telephone lines, its basically an AF signal generator, level meter, frequency meter, monitor amplifier and line iterface in a portable box. Ignoring the generator, the line interface will allow direct connection to supplies of up to 75V and the level meter measures noise down to -90dBm (600ohm) with low pass filters available. The frequency meter is PLL based and locks on to the predominent frequency. Its specified for 40Hz to 60kHz but responds down to 10Hz. The line interface also has a switchable constant current hold circuit that lets you add a 28mA load. The speaker allows you to listen to the noise. A quick check of a switching supply gave -42dBm at 450Hz off load and -45dBm at 1.5KHz at 28mA. A nice general purpose audio tester that is not well known. Cost was less than $40. Robert G8RPI. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
[time-nuts] FW: URL GPS Satellite Launch
http://www.livestream.com/spaceflightnow ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] (no subject)
Lady Heather is free and a good start.(Just do a google search) Nic VK2KXN / VK5ZAT Hi, I just purchased a Z3805A at the Dayton hamfest this past weekend. How do I get it to work? Do I need software to run this, or can it run stand alone. I have turned it on, but only the power light comes on, the GPS lock, and more importantly, the enable light is not on. There is an 10MHz output, but the holdover light is not on. Is there any freeware available? Any recommendations? Any opinions on this one: ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Strange event on my Z3805A
Steve, I can only see the first screenshot, all the rest ask for a username and password. Best 73's Nic VK2KXN / VK5ZAT Trace 1 is 72 hour period. http://homepages.slingshot.co.nz/~sar10538/GPSCon_export_72h.png Trace 2 is the 36h before the event. ftp://homepages.slingshot.co.nz/GPSCon_export_previous_36h.png Trace 3 covers the event. ftp://homepages.slingshot.co.nz/GPSCon_export_event.png Trace 4 covers the period after the event. ftp://homepages.slingshot.co.nz/GPSCon_export_subsequent_32h.png It's not easy for me to accurately select start and stop parts of the graphs as my GPSCon window is quite small running under Wine in Linux. Steve -- Steve Rooke - ZL3TUV G8KVD A man with one clock knows what time it is; A man with two clocks is never quite sure. -- Steve Rooke - ZL3TUV G8KVD A man with one clock knows what time it is; A man with two clocks is never quite sure. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Question for Mark Sims
Ray, I think you need to join the Time Nuts group and troll back through the archives. Just do a google search. Best 73's Nic VK2KXN -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Ray Hudson Sent: Monday, 18 January 2010 4:06 PM To: time-nuts@febo.com Subject: [time-nuts] Question for Mark Sims Mark would you know how to tell the positional accuracy of a GPSDO after it has completed it's self survey? Where can I download Lady Heather from? And can I compare two GPSTM at the same time using lady heather? Thanks Ray VK4TFT. __ See what's on at the movies in your area. Find out now: http://au.movies.yahoo.com/session-times/ ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Question for Mark Sims
Whoops, Can I take that back. I thought I was replying to someone in an APRS group! Sorry Mark would you know how to tell the positional accuracy of a GPSDO after it has completed it's self survey? Where can I download Lady Heather from? And can I compare two GPSTM at the same time using lady heather? Thanks Ray VK4TFT. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] FW: HeyWhatsThat: January 15 Solar Eclipse
Works OK here in Windoze explorer running on XP. Nic Sydney Australia The link doesn't play nice on my machine. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] I think I've become a Volt nut too.
Roy, The standard is based on the Analog Devices AD588 chip. http://www.analog.com/static/imported-files/data_sheets/AD588.pdf You can buy the magazine article at http://siliconchip.com.au/cms/A_111365/article.html Regards, Nic Hi Nick Is it possible to let us have the schematic/details of this SC Magazine Voltage Reference project, thanks Roy ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Gold plating on aluminum
Corby, If you wish to do it yourself have a look at the products from Spa Plating at http://www.goldn.co.uk/. I use their products they are really cool. I have no other interest in this company or their Australian subsidury other than being a satisfied customer. Best 73's Nic VK2KXN / VK5ZAT Hi, I am working on a project to plate the lamp reflector in an HP 5065A with gold. The existing reflector is aluminum. What little I can find suggests that in addition to some preliminary plating the layer just below the gold should be nickel as the mirror operates at a high temperature (100 deg C). Does anyone know of a company that can do this plating for me? Thanks, Corby Dawson ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Gold plating on aluminum
Yes Poul it works a treat! Nic Hmm, do you know if that is any good for goldplating homemade PCB's ? ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Any Time nuts in AU?
Yes Ray there are quite a few of us! Nic VK2KXN / VK5ZAT Sydney / Adelaide Hills; Australia. Just a test to see if I can send to the mailing list and to find out how many time nuts are in the land down under Thanks Ray. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Down under Time Nuts Tsunami's
I hope there aren't any timenuts in North Queensland. There is a Tsunami warning issued at 09:44 EDT today for the Great Barrier Reef and Bowen to St. Lawrence. Nic There are several of us down here on the list. I can think of several in AU and at least three or four in NZ. If they don't identify themselves to you, let me know. snip ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Down under Time Nuts Tsunami's
Yes Jim I am in Sydney Australia and we are UT+11. To me EDT and AEST mean the same thing. AEST is most probably more correct to use in a forum such as this. I work in Television and our media people use EDT. Regards Nic, PS the Tsunami warning has been withdrawn. Hmmm. I'm in a pedantic mood today, but I think this is worth raising. 09:44 EDT - what is that? I'm presuming Nic (emailing from bigpond and presumably in Australia) means Eastern Daylight Time which I assume he means Eastern Standard Time + 1 hour for daylight savings. I thought it was suppoed to be AEST for Australian Eastern Summer Time, but I also recall (a long time ago) it being said that there is no standard name for daylight savings time zones in Australia. We have EST, CST and WST - but no offical names for summer. Is this still correct? I always use 09:44 (UT+11) to remove all ambiguity. I would encourage all time-nuts to use the same system because it is completely unambiguous and can be used wordwide. Jim Palfreyman PS the Tsunami warning has been withdrawn. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] HP-IB to USB
I bought a softmark HP-IB to USB adaptor and it doesn't work with many of my HP pieces of test equipment. A complaint to softmark brought very little help. I even offered to lend them a piece of equipment so that they could test their product but they didn't accept. I can't afford LabView, so what are my options? Is there a preferable USB to GPIB converter? I am looking for a way to take readings and put them into a file for further processing. By far the cheapest option (other than an ISA card) is HP-IB to USB adapter made by Softmark in Australia. There have been a slow stream on ebay recently. http://www.ar.com.au/~softmark/ (I have no association other than possessing one of their products). Cb ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] GPSDO project - 66.667MHz from 10MHz
Hi Luis, Are kits available again for your design? 73's Nic VK2KXN / VK5ZAT Subject: Re: [time-nuts] GPSDO project - 66.667MHz from 10MHz Both for locking with a 10MHz or 1pps you have a single chip solution using one of my reflock designs. http://w3ref.cfn.ist.utl.pt/cupido/reflock.html For a 1pps lock of fractional 1/3 frequencies you have already a code. (check the list of files for reflock 1) For locking a 66.666(6) VCXO to 10MHz you can use the same reflock I design and the configuration is kind of trivial (but no one asked for it before) and I can make a file for you. Luis Cupido ct1dmk. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolts, time references, NTP etc.
Have a look at 300290607038. Regards, Nic It's fluke.l not flukel who I've dealt with quite recently, and many other more venerable folks on this list have commented on as well. Leigh. Is this good value, and a trusted seller? I went looking for Fluke1 as listed earlier on here for these devices (Thunderbolt GPS disciplined referenced sources) but though I (eventually) found the user, no activity was shown for some time. So, I went looking for the product instead, and found (among other things) this item 170344432395 (you know where to look.) ... Dave B. G0WBX. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
[time-nuts] Thunderbolt current drain.
Can anybody tell me what sort of current the power supply for a Thunderbolt needs to be able to supply. I'm at the salt mine and my thunderbolt is in the shack so I can't measure the draw. I intend to build a power supply to run all supply rails off of 12 v battery. Thanks Nic ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt serial port
Are you using a straight through or crossover serial cable? Nic -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Brooke Clarke Sent: Friday, 20 February 2009 2:35 PM To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt serial port Hi Brian: There have been a small number of problems related to poor solder joints on U9 (RS-232 chip) or the serial connector. see: http://www.prc68.com/I/ThunderBolt.shtml#Maint Have Fun, Brooke Clarke http://www.prc68.com bjon...@mindspring.com wrote: I'm tired of banging my head against the wall so I think it is time to ask.. Is there a way to test if the serial port on the Thunderbolt works? I know the Thunderbolt itself powers up and works (I get a 9.978 Mhz signal out of the 10Mhz output when it is on) but I have been unable to talk/listen to it in Windows (tboltmon or Lady Heather) or in Linux (even looking at the raw serial port state). I stuck my breakout box on the line but I get no lights on the Thunderbolt side. Thanks, Brian ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
[time-nuts] FW: Thunderbolt serial port
Are you using a straight or crossover serial cable? Nic -Original Message- From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of bjon...@mindspring.com Sent: Friday, 20 February 2009 2:04 PM To: time-nuts@febo.com Subject: [time-nuts] Thunderbolt serial port I'm tired of banging my head against the wall so I think it is time to ask.. Is there a way to test if the serial port on the Thunderbolt works? I know the Thunderbolt itself powers up and works (I get a 9.978 Mhz signal out of the 10Mhz output when it is on) but I have been unable to talk/listen to it in Windows (tboltmon or Lady Heather) or in Linux (even looking at the raw serial port state). I stuck my breakout box on the line but I get no lights on the Thunderbolt side. Thanks, Brian ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
[time-nuts] Tracor 895A
Hi all, Can anybody lead me to information on the Tracor 895A Linear Phase / Time Comparator? A simple google search doesn't turn up much. Regards, Nic ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
Re: [time-nuts] Tracor 895A
Thanks Alan, I'll give them a try. 73's Nic VK2KXN / VK5ZAT Hi Nic these are difficult to find for free but Ridge Electronics have one for Tracor 895 at $20. I just got a Montronics Freq Diff meter manual from them. Alan G3NYK ___ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
