03-07-2015, 08:21 AM
For a simple signal generator the Tech 20D and Heathkit RF1U, both originally aimed at hobbyists, take some beating.
Simple valved generators, nice and compact. They often come up on e-bay and at swapmeets, usually for about £25 - £30.
The much larger Advance Generators have painted front panels with screen printed lettering which deteriorates over the years, so they often look the worse for wear externally. However, internally they usually look pristine, just as they did when they left the factory. Quite hard to get the case off as the RF shielding of the front and back is a very tight fit. Much larger than say the RF1 or TE20D, but excellent gennies often available quite cheaply.
The manuals for the TE20D and RF1 are here:
http://golbornevintageradio.co.uk/forum/...p?aid=9581
http://golbornevintageradio.co.uk/forum/...p?tid=2772
There are some pics of a TE20D that I used to have below.
For an analogue scope, the Hameg range take some beating. Something like a 203-7 which I have is ideal for hobbyists. It has a built-in component tester, and in its day was the largest selling scope in Europe, used extensively in colleges, schools and universities, so they often come up, for around £50. The manuals are freely available for download at Hameg's website. I'm a simple soul, and hence, have an aversion to complex equipment which goes far beyond my needs, often has irreplaceable parts such as custom chips and may have had a hard life in a workshop setting.
(The scope in the pics are of my Hameg 203-7 - the 1 GHz frequency counter was home built: the PW 'Robin' by the late Mike Rowe of 'Sussex' valve tester fame).
The item of test gear that I sent you Nick wasn't a signal generator (used for RF/IF alignment) - it was a signal injector/tracer that I'd made for you for fault tracing, based on a Velleman K7000 Signal Injector/Tracer kit. You use the injector to check if a signal is getting through the various stages of the set, and the tracer (basically, a small amplifier), to check for stations. e.g., if you inject a signal at the volume control slider of a radio and here nothing from the speaker, the audio stages are suspect. If you then apply the tracer to the slider of the volume control and can hear and tune in stations, that confirms that the RF/IF stages are working. Conversely, if you inject a signal at the V.C and get a loud tome from the speaker, but hear nothing on the tracer, that indicates that the audio stages are working, but there's a fault in the IF/RF stages.
No doubt it's packed away for the house move Nick, along with the instructions on how to use it.
Your day will come - when you unpack it, to remind you what it looks like, it's the last pic below!:-)
Have fun
Simple valved generators, nice and compact. They often come up on e-bay and at swapmeets, usually for about £25 - £30.
The much larger Advance Generators have painted front panels with screen printed lettering which deteriorates over the years, so they often look the worse for wear externally. However, internally they usually look pristine, just as they did when they left the factory. Quite hard to get the case off as the RF shielding of the front and back is a very tight fit. Much larger than say the RF1 or TE20D, but excellent gennies often available quite cheaply.
The manuals for the TE20D and RF1 are here:
http://golbornevintageradio.co.uk/forum/...p?aid=9581
http://golbornevintageradio.co.uk/forum/...p?tid=2772
There are some pics of a TE20D that I used to have below.
For an analogue scope, the Hameg range take some beating. Something like a 203-7 which I have is ideal for hobbyists. It has a built-in component tester, and in its day was the largest selling scope in Europe, used extensively in colleges, schools and universities, so they often come up, for around £50. The manuals are freely available for download at Hameg's website. I'm a simple soul, and hence, have an aversion to complex equipment which goes far beyond my needs, often has irreplaceable parts such as custom chips and may have had a hard life in a workshop setting.
(The scope in the pics are of my Hameg 203-7 - the 1 GHz frequency counter was home built: the PW 'Robin' by the late Mike Rowe of 'Sussex' valve tester fame).
The item of test gear that I sent you Nick wasn't a signal generator (used for RF/IF alignment) - it was a signal injector/tracer that I'd made for you for fault tracing, based on a Velleman K7000 Signal Injector/Tracer kit. You use the injector to check if a signal is getting through the various stages of the set, and the tracer (basically, a small amplifier), to check for stations. e.g., if you inject a signal at the volume control slider of a radio and here nothing from the speaker, the audio stages are suspect. If you then apply the tracer to the slider of the volume control and can hear and tune in stations, that confirms that the RF/IF stages are working. Conversely, if you inject a signal at the V.C and get a loud tome from the speaker, but hear nothing on the tracer, that indicates that the audio stages are working, but there's a fault in the IF/RF stages.
No doubt it's packed away for the house move Nick, along with the instructions on how to use it.
Your day will come - when you unpack it, to remind you what it looks like, it's the last pic below!:-)
Have fun
Regards, David.
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
