[time-nuts] Recommendations for a newbie?

Sat Sep 8 00:12:34 UTC 2012

Dear Azelio,

Do you know how the Z3805A compares to the 58503A? 

Cheers!

Edgardo Molina
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www.iptel.net.mx

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On Sep 7, 2012, at 3:58 PM, Azelio Boriani <azelio.boriani at screen.it> wrote:

> Good one, the HP58503A, actually it is my reference at work.
> 
> On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 10:37 PM, <SAIDJACK at aol.com> wrote:
> 
>> Hello Robert,
>> 
>> your question is like asking which car you should buy, or which airline you
>> should fly :)
>> 
>> Everyone will have a different answer.
>> 
>> But I do not recommend the Thunderbolts, it's a crab-shoot with them
>> (different versions have different performance, the new ones are  actually
>> worse
>> than older versions because of the temperature chip  issue, the GPS is
>> known
>> to have lock issues, they don't work well until you  spend a lot of time
>> fine-tuning the parameters, etc etc) - that has all  been discussed here
>> ad-infinitum and you can find it in the archives.
>> 
>> I recommend you search Ebay for HP 58503A. I just bought a number of them
>> from a very well known seller in China, and they are absolutely  superb,
>> much better than any Rubidium unit I have tested. Much better  than the
>> Thunderbolt I have, and just slightly more expensive. He sells an  entire
>> kit for
>> around $500, and it arrived here in less than a week (Northern
>> California).
>> 
>> This seller starts those units at around $260 I think. Performance you can
>> get from these if you get a good one is: phase noise floor of  around
>> -163dBc, ADEV of 7E-013 to about 1E-012 to over 100s. Leapsecond.com  has a
>> number of test papers on these units. Caveat-emptor: there are significant
>> unit-to-unit variations as with all GPSDO, Tom on leapsecond.comdiscusses this
>> in detail. BTW: these are essentially the same unit as the Z3801A, just
>> different software (ID string).
>> 
>> I also have a Z3815A, and it is not even in the same class as the
>> Z3801A/58503A. It is very noisy compared to the 58503A unit. I do not
>> recommend the
>> Z3815A, but it is a unique oscillator design,and some folks  collect it for
>> that oscillator. The 58503A uses a double oven version of the HP  10811A,
>> which is a fantastic oscillator if you get a well-working one.
>> 
>> If you want something low-cost with reasonable performance, brand new  with
>> warranty, antenna, and accessories, Jackson Labs Technologies, Inc.  has
>> the GPSTCXO eval kit for Time-Nuts special academic pricing of $300, which
>> we
>> believe is the lowest-cost true GPSDO (not NCO) in current  production.
>> Disclaimer: I work for them.
>> 
>> bye,
>> Said
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> In a message dated 9/7/2012 13:09:24 Pacific Daylight Time,
>> azelio.boriani at screen.it writes:
>> 
>> 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
>> 
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