And make sure the CRT has life left. On a lot of older units, either the faceplate is burned with the graticule and noise floor, or they're so dim that you have a hard time reading it. I suspect that replacement CRTs cost more than the whole used analyzer.
On 2/20/10 11:27 AM, "life speed" <[email protected]> wrote: > Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:38:50 -0700 > Subject: [time-nuts] OT: HP 8590A > > Since the list members are familiar with lots of test equipment, I'd > like to ask what the folks here think about the HP 8590A Spectrum > Analyzer. Is this model ok? Are there any particular failures I should > be aware of in this 20+ year old equipment? > > I have a chance to buy one locally. The only option is has is GPIB. I > took a preliminary look at it and it passes the simple test/cal > procedure from chapter 1 of the Ops manual. This model only goes to > 1.5GHz, but would still be useful for Amateur use. I do wish it would > go up to 3GHz, however. I have never owned a spec an, but am somewhat > familiar with their usage. > > Thanks for the input. > > Joe > KA5ZEC > > I personally do not like these low-end spectrum analyzers. They have poor > dynamic range and phase noise performance. However, I design microwave > circuits for a living and can be a test equipment snob. > > If you think it is adequate for your purposes, I would at least connect it to > a calibrated signal generator and verify amplitude accuracy is within 3 dB. > Most old spec ans I have seen are way off, even broken. Still show a signal > on the display, but not very helpful. Also check for spurious across many > frequencies. > > Clay > > > > > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.
