Yup. Newer equipment is just not fixable. I have a HP 8753D VNA with the 6 GHz option. The 3-6 GHz band is sick and I cannot get any response out of Agilent for anything more than a simplified block diagram from the manual. They want me to send the module back for a $7500 fix. I can buy a used module on eBay for about $4300.
Neither are in the budget. I think the thing is fixable, but not w/o the info. FWIW, -John ================== > Jim, > > It might appear on the 2nd user market sooner, but the odds are you won't > be able to either repair it or calibrate it as the manufacturer will have > been the only supplier of either of these services, and no service manuals > will exist. > > If it is still in support, the mfr will calibrate/fix it for you if your > pockets are deep enough (probably as much or more than you pay for it). > If (as is likely), it is out of support, then it will only be good for > re-cycling or land-fill :-( > > Hmmmm does anyone but us old fogies see anything wrong with a business > model where stuff can't be fixed and has a support lifetime of 5 years or > so ????? > > Regards, > David Partridge > > > -----Original Message----- > From: time-nuts-boun...@febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On > Behalf Of jimlux > Sent: 25 July 2010 14:16 > To: j...@quik.com > Cc: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement > Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Basic question regarding comparing two > frequencies > > J. Forster wrote: >> Probably yes. >> >> There are also a number of lower cost instruments (just above consumer >> grade)like HF-VHF VNAs that implement much of the smarts in a PC on >> the market. >> >> As to high end instruments w/ USB or Ethernet, I'm not so sure. The >> USA is doing less and less hardware development, so instruments are >> not being bought in anything like the quantity as in the past. >> > A lot of the new Agilent and Tek gear (at all price points) seem to have > Ethernet, especially if it has a LCD front panel. (there's that LXI > interface thing, too) Even power supplies. Not much USB (at least for > control.. these days, using a USB stick for data transfer seems > ubiquitous.. they've replaced the floppy drive on scopes, etc.), except > for RF power meters.. There's a whole raft of power meter heads that are > USB, which makes sense.. the "hard part" is in the actual sensor, not in > the meter which displays the power reading. > > Mind you, because they do this by using single board PCs instead of the > dedicated instrument controller inside, they're subject to all the ills of > PCs (e.g. expectation of patch cycles, etc.) > > It also seems that there's a more rapid turnover of equipment these days > (probably because accounting rules allow 3 or 5 year depreciation) and so > the idea of a place hanging onto a signal generator for 20 years is less > common. So that newer gear will show up used sooner (I hope!) > > > _______________________________________________ > 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.