[time-nuts] Recommendations for a newbie?

[Azelio Boriani]

Welcome aboard,
yes, there is no FAQ about how to start in this hobby... should I try to
implement one? Anyway, start with a Trimble Thunderbolt (aka TBolt), later
you will know why it is highly recommended (direct OCXO disciplining and LH
software support, mainly). I have a Z3815A with the famous (or infamous)
E1938A "hockey puck" OCXO. They are all GPSDOs and there should not be any
difference among them but, yes, there are differences in their performance
and being a time-nut means test and find out. Then there are GPS
disciplined Rubidiums, but take this step after the first GPSDO is
correctly installed and stabilized. Start with the antenna: find a suitable
place, with a 360 deg clear view of the sky, a satellite TV cable (sounds
unusual, but works great).

On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 8:52 PM, Robert Darlington <rdarlington at gmail.com>wrote:

> 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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