[time-nuts] Recommendations for a newbie?

Robert Darlington rdarlington at gmail.com
Fri Sep 7 18:52:21 UTC 2012


You want to start with a GPSDO.  I like the Trimble Thunderbolt.  The
price is right and they're readily available.  I have no experience
with the HP units but they seem to be highly regarded.

Rb oscillators are great for some things, but need to be calibrated.
That's where the GPSDO comes in.

Also, don't forget the antenna.   You'll want something along these
lines: http://www.ebay.com/itm/lucent-GPS-Timing-Reference-Antenna-antenne-40db-N-/230848464732?pt=GPS_Antennas&hash=item35bfa4075c#ht_2199wt_1404

Welcome aboard, and I'm apologizing in advance for how much money
you'll be spending on new toys.

-Bob

On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 11:34 AM, Robert Liesenfeld <xunil at xunil.net> wrote:
> Hello-
>
> My name is Robert Liesenfeld, I discovered this mailing list via the
> fascinating website leapsecond.com.  I'm an amateur radio operator (AK6L)
> and builder, and my interest in precise timekeeping initially stemmed from
> simply wanting a very accurate clock source to which I could reference my
> test equipment (counter, spectrum analyzer, etc), but has expanded to a
> desire to perform timekeeping experiments.  I have several questions; I
> looked for a FAQ but couldn't find one, so I hope it's alright to ask here.
>
> I'm considering the purchase of a GPS receiver to serve as my workbench
> 10MHz source.  Since learning about precise timekeeping, I've also become
> interested in some experiments, such as measuring the stability of the
> mains, the effect of the ionosphere on WWV/WWVH signals, and so on.  So far
> I've looked at various HP "Z-boxes" (Z3816, Z3815, Z3801, Z3805) and the
> Trimble Thunderbolt receiver.  All of these seem to be in the $200-$500
> range I'm targeting, but it's not clear what the differences are.  I've
> read the Thunderbolt is an older design with fewer channels, but I don't
> know if that's really a problem for my intended use.
>
> I've also seen many rubidium devices on eBay, most seem to have been
> removed from CDMA cell tower service.  Does anyone here have any experience
> with such devices, are the ex-cell-tower units any good?  I have read that
> a rubidium standard's short-term stability is not as good as a GPSDO, and
> that they're mainly used for holdover - is my understanding correct?  My
> thought is to (eventually) use a rubidium device to stabilize a GPSDO
> should the receiver lose satellite signal.
>
> Thank you in advance for any advice!
>
> -Robert
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