[time-nuts] Lucent KS-24361, HP/Symmetricom Z3809A, Z3810A, Z3811A, Z3812...

Bob Camp kb8tq at n1k.org
Wed Nov 19 19:33:16 EST 2014


Hi

Looking at the 58503 auctions on eBay, I think that a number of them are simply Z3801’s out of cell tower scrap operations that have had the 58503 front panel bits and pieces added to them. Some of the cases have a fairly odd look to them.

Bob

> On Nov 17, 2014, at 7:48 PM, Charles Steinmetz <csteinmetz at yandex.com> wrote:
> 
> Bob wrote:
> 
>> The 58503 is a Z3801 with a pretty instrument style package put around it - right?
>> 
>> If so, it might / should  have a 10811 in it rather than an MTI OCXO.
> 
> I think there may be other minor differences between the 58503 and the Z3801, including a newer GPS engine, but I'm not positive what they all are.  They are clearly very similar.
> 
> The 58503 should have either a dual-oven 10811 or the Symmetricom look-alike.  (The Symmetricom has a 5MHz crystal and a doubler -- it looks exactly like a DO 10811 except for lacking an HP sticker.)  I bought a 58503 from one of the usual far-eastern suspects, which was advertised expressly as having a 10811.  When it arrived, I saw that it had the Symmetricom OCXO.  I fired off a message to the supplier complaining that I did not receive the promised 10811, and he offered to part-refund the purchase price or exchange the oscillator.  Because of the high transaction cost of exchanging, I elected to take the part refund thinking I would swap in one of the DO 10811s I had on hand.  But after only a week of running, the Symmetricom was better than all of the 10811s I own!  (Interestingly, my best 10811 is not a DO unit -- it is a SO 10811 that came out of an HP5345A that was originally part of a 5390A frequency stability analyzer.)
> 
> Note:  My experience should NOT be read as a claim that the Symmetricom oscillators are better than 10811s.  My sample of the Symmetricoms is way too limited to make any claims.  But this particular Symmetricom happens to be a very fine OCXO.
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Charles
> 
> 
> 
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