[time-nuts] Symmetricom 5071A

[Magnus Danielson]

From: "Poul-Henning Kamp" <phk at phk.freebsd.dk>
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Symmetricom 5071A 
Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2005 09:59:41 +0200
Message-ID: <148.1119686381 at critter.freebsd.dk>

> In message <000e01c5792a$fd1dc0a0$1812f204 at computer>, "Tom Van Baak" writes:
> >Symmetricom to Acquire Agilent Technologies' Frequency and Time Standards
> >Product Line
> >
> >http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050624/sff034.html?.v=13
> 
> So now we have a Cesium monopoly ?

Not a really big change, since they already made the tubes for the 5071A.
Also, there is still one Symmetricom independent (except for the tubes) vendor
in Oscilloquartz. Actually, this will be more buissness to them, since
Symmetricom again is remaking its mistake of bringing many small buissess to
one larger one, just to loose orders to the competition (Oscilloquartz) since
they removed the second-source orders. Now they are doing it again. Ah well.

I have long wondered where the Cesium line (sorry, no pun intended) of Agilent
is going to end up, since it is becomming more and more of an obscure product
in their reshaping/downsizing. They basically had two potential buyers,
Symmetricom and Oscilloquartz and they already sold their GPS clock buissness
to Symmetricom so I guess it was the easiest path.

There is also the Russian/English clockmaker (Cesium and Hydrogen) but they
have yeat to make a big impact on the western market as far as I've have
gathered their dealings.

In the western world, at least for commercial tubes, there have been only one
tube vendor for a long time now, so you could view that as a monopoly in
itself. On the other hand, considering that this is not really a mass-market
I guess it makes sense anyway. They also do tubes in Russia to the best of my
knowledge.

Cheers,
Magnus