Service Monitor Help

[firestick]

Im looking at purchasing my first service monitor to test, align, service radios. The ability to tune diplexers would be nice but not essential.

Ive seen a few Aeroflex (IFR) ones around and lately a few Rhode ones within my price range.

Any sugestions?

[tvsjr]

As long as you don't need anything above 1GHz, I'm a big fan of the HP8921. Make sure it has the 60-watt power option in it (you can upgrade it later from an eBay seller if you want 100-watt), but they come with spec-an/TG/OCXO/etc. by default, and they are usually reasonably priced. The UI is very intuitive and they don't have the looooong buffer of the IFR1600/1900.

[Wowbagger]

The UI is very intuitive and they don't have the looooong buffer of the IFR1600/1900.

Could I ask you to elaborate on what you mean by "long buffer"?

[tvsjr]

The UI is very intuitive and they don't have the looooong buffer of the IFR1600/1900.

Could I ask you to elaborate on what you mean by "long buffer"?

Typically observed when tuning a duplexer. The lag between tweaking the can and seeing it on the screen is on the order of a second or two - makes it very easy to overshoot. The HP is a few hundred milliseconds.

[Wowbagger]

The UI is very intuitive and they don't have the looooong buffer of the IFR1600/1900.

Could I ask you to elaborate on what you mean by "long buffer"?

Typically observed when tuning a duplexer. The lag between tweaking the can and seeing it on the screen is on the order of a second or two - makes it very easy to overshoot. The HP is a few hundred milliseconds.

That's why I spend a few late nights (much like this one) optimizing the digitizer path on the COM-120B, so the interrupt service routine from the digitizer could move the data directly to the graphics processor, and the trace got drawn on the next vertical blank. 80Hz update rate.

[tvsjr]

Yep, the COM120B is great in that regard.

[firestick]

Well...looks decided then...ill be getting a COM120B then and with the Aussie $ going so well things are looking even better.