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Old 13th Jul 2019, 6:14 pm   #21
jhockridge
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Default Re: AM FM alignment

I guess it is ott but I am hoping to progress with the hobby and maybe even use it to find alternate employment in the future depending on how things go. I am interested in all sorts of electronics, mainly audio at the moment but I would like to try other things as well. If they turn out to be too much in a few years time, I can sell them again for a small loss. I am also interested in amateur radio, antenna design etc.
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Old 13th Jul 2019, 6:16 pm   #22
jhockridge
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Default Re: AM FM alignment

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Originally Posted by Sinewave View Post
Quote:
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Thanks again guys I have requested prices from two companies for the Phillips. What do you think of this HP ending tomorrow on ebay. Looks like it would need an external modulator? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HP-8165A-...AAAOSwAz1dD~pk
It's big! Can get something smaller and cheaper with internal modulation.
Can you suggest what other models to search for other than the Phillips mentioned previously ?
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Old 13th Jul 2019, 9:54 pm   #23
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Default Re: AM FM alignment

Something like an Advance type 63a or one of those Taylor generators. Can pick them up for about £10.
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Old 13th Jul 2019, 10:32 pm   #24
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Default Re: AM FM alignment

Oh and they're valve driven, so even more in keeping with the vintage of our hobby.
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Old 15th Jul 2019, 9:37 pm   #25
jhockridge
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Default Re: AM FM alignment

I have purchased a generator today made by Phillips/Fluke. It seems to do everything I want. I will grab a photo of it when it arrives. I am still going to keep an eye out for some vintage test equipment but the prices seem very high for what you are getting.
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Old 15th Jul 2019, 9:45 pm   #26
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Default Re: AM FM alignment

Unless the generator has recent calibration it would be wise to test as much as possible against known frequency standards and radio stations.
Zero beating against MW/LW/SW station of know frequency.
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Old 16th Jul 2019, 6:27 am   #27
Bazz4CQJ
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Default Re: AM FM alignment

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Oh and they're valve driven, so even more in keeping with the vintage of our hobby.
Well, when you recall the kind of "signal generators" we had in the 1940's to use to align the HRO's and AR88's, it's quite unbelievable that those receivers were of any use at all, or that they could in any way help Alan Turing get his picture on the new £50 note .

B
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Old 16th Jul 2019, 7:35 am   #28
Argus25
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Default Re: AM FM alignment

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Originally Posted by Nuvistor View Post
Unless the generator has recent calibration it would be wise to test as much as possible against known frequency standards and radio stations.
Zero beating against MW/LW/SW station of know frequency.
This of course is the great advantage of buying a generator with its own internal frequency meter/counter (like the PM5326). Its meter, for practical purposes, is as accurate as the quartz crystal oscillator that is its time-base, and that is dead easy to calibrate & check, just the ONE frequency.

Then your entire RF generator is calibrated accurately at ALL frequencies, because what you get out, is what you see on the counter/meter, not some other frequency "suggested" by a dial pointer. So the whole calibration issue over the entire range of frequencies from the generator is automatically dealt with and in use you can be confident that its accurate.
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Old 16th Jul 2019, 8:54 am   #29
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Default Re: AM FM alignment

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Originally Posted by Bazz4CQJ View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinewave View Post
Oh and they're valve driven, so even more in keeping with the vintage of our hobby.
Well, when you recall the kind of "signal generators" we had in the 1940's to use to align the HRO's and AR88's, it's quite unbelievable that those receivers were of any use at all, or that they could in any way help Alan Turing get his picture of the new £50 note .

B
Somehow, they managed.

They had some rather rough sig gens which worked well enough to fix sets with something dead along the signal path. They had no hope on frequency accuracy

Then they had the gorgeous BC221 frequency meter. An ultra-precision VFO with hundreds of pages of automatically typed individual calibration chart, a crystal reference oscillator giving accurate harmonics right up the band, and then a mixer/headphone amp so you could tune to the reference or an input to correct the table. The tuning knob turned 50 revs across its basic band the knob had a vernier to 1/1000 of a rev.

The BC221 did not do low level sensitivity tests, it did not do modulation. It did frequency accuracy and it did it amazingly well. Other sig gens did mod or were screened well enough to go to low levels. The BC221 could monitor them or calibrate them, but it might be wasted effort if they weren't stabe and repeatable.

They had the means, but it was tedious and took skill

Good modern digital stuff is a walk in the park by comparison.

Poor modern digital stuff can be crap, leaking big amounts of signal, drifting, noisy.

Whichever era you opt for, there is good stuff to be sought and junk to be avoided.

David
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