[time-nuts] Frequency counter recommendation

Mark Spencer mspencer12345 at yahoo.ca
Tue Dec 21 00:29:43 UTC 2010


FWIW my recent experience buying a 5370B resulted in me:

Paying a price closer to $700.00 than $200.00  (but still under $700.00)

Receiving signficantly better representations from the seller than "powers up 
unable to test."

There are still some good deals to be had on the bay..   I recently saw a lot of 
two 5334's go for less than $100.00   After buying the 5370 and another 5328 
with a high stab osilcator at a price that was to good to pass up I couldn't 
justify buying two more counters.   



 


----- Original Message ----
From: Dave M <dgminala at mediacombb.net>
To: time-nuts at febo.com
Sent: Mon, December 20, 2010 2:51:37 PM
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Frequency counter recommendation


> I don't believe anybody is speaking to perceived value as much as
> historical market cost at various times over the years.  I paid $200
> for my 5370B last year and it's in superb condition and well inside
> factory specs.  There is no way I'd sell it though.
> My guess is Bob C and most of us perceive the
> value to be much greater, never mind the actual cost.
> 
> -Bob
> 
> On Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 4:55 AM, Rex <rexa at sonic.net> wrote:
> 
>> Why worry, Just get Bob C to sell you one of his several $200
>> 5370A/B's for a reasonable $100 profit (plus shipping) and you'll
>> beat anything I've seen on eBay in the last year. Everyone should be
>> happy. Bob can can take the profit then (soon) easily get another to
>> replace it at his perceived value.
>> 


OK... you have piqued my interest.  Who is Bob C (is it Bob Camp?) and how can I 
contact him for one of those $200 HP 5370 counters?  I'd much rather spend 
$200-$300 on a unit that has a high probability of working than $700 on a 
"powers up, unable to test" unit from the 'Bay.
Hope he has at least one to sell.

As to whether I would rather have a dedicated purpose counter-timer strictly for 
these measurements... I can live with a used/surplus unit that I can get my 
hands on now (or in a short time) and wait until the designers in the group can 
design and make a project that we can buy (whether it be kit or preassembled) 
and put to good use.
I understand the issues of platform, connectivity, value, servicability, parts 
availability, etc., but any project, whether it be a commercial product or a 
dedicated, special purpose product, is going to be confronted with the same 
issues.  I've subscribed to the S.E.D. group when they have tried to design and 
build test instruments (a capacitor ESR meter, for one) that never got off the 
launchpad because of their inability to come to consensus on a set of features. 
I had to conclude that too many cooks spoiled the broth. Everyone that had input 
to the project was unwilling to yield on anyone else's ideas.  Hopefully, our 
project won't degrade into another such fiasco.
I would jump at a chance to be a small part in this project, and would do 
whatever I could (my limited engineering knowledge noted) to help it get 
realized.

My $0.02 USD worth...
Thanks,
David
dgminala at mediacombb dot net




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