Hello Chris,
You are on the right track.
I have had the Trimble Thunderbolts (3 each) for about 5 years now.
Just to be sure everything compares favorably....
I use Lady Heather PC software to monitor their performance (de KE5FX
website)
Stay tuned to this reflector, lotsa interesting discussions.
For me, it all started when I needed better than 1 Hz accuracy to monitor
the 137 KHz band for local experimental activity.
the 10 MHz from the GPS/DO was the external reference to the HP-3336B
synthesizer
as a RF test signal to calibrate my RX (IC-706MK2 and a IC-703+) and PC
soundcard.
Spectrum Lab PC software has a provision to calibrate the PC soundcard,
for greater accuracy,
but you have to have a very accurate signal source.
Then there are the FMT-Nuts, frequency measuring contest nuts, who are
getting better than 1 milliHz
frequency measurement accuracies on intercontinental (US) HF
communications !!
I was also doing LORAN-C receiving and could achieve Cesium accuracy,
at least 2 orders of magnitude greater accuracy than a GPS/DO.
But US/Canadian based LORAN went off the air, but it is still available
in Europe.
I do not know where you are located, so maybe LORAN has potential for you.
AUSTRON made a variety of LORAN-C receivers, 2100F, 2100(R), 2000, etc
Stanford Research Systems (SRS) also made the FS-700
Because they are useless in the US, pricing on Ebay has dropped.
Stan, W1LE Cape Cod FN41sr
On 6/3/2012 2:19 PM, Chris Wilson wrote:
03/06/2012 19:09
Thanks for the great replies! My immediate need is to check some used
test equipment I have bought, a Racal dana 9908 counter and a Marconi
2019A signal generator. They don't agree with one another! I was going
to get a Thunderbolt unit and PS, but my friend mentioning noise got
me worried. I may have a play with some SDR gear and I know they can
be locked to a standard i you have one. Longer term my aim is to have
a play with microwaves, which is what this friend is into, and maybe
he has a particular issue with noise with sort of multiplication he is
using? The fact that a GPS reference can be always on and locked to a
reference that someone else maintains, if I understand things correctly,
if simplistically, appeals. I am happy to be guided though, and I
suppose I could always get a different type later if the specific need
arose, although I am not made of money ;)
Thanks!
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