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Old March 19th 12, 10:01 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.boatanchors
Antonio I0JX Antonio I0JX is offline
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: Nov 2011
Posts: 27
Default Your experience with function generators

"Scott Dorsey" ha scritto nel messaggio
...

Antonio I0JX wrote:
The frequency stability of my HP3312A function generator is poor, very
annoying for any practical use. I am trying to determine whether that
behavior is fairly normal for function generators, or my particular unit
has
got a problem.

What is your experience on function generators frequency stability?


Most of them aren't terribly long-term stable, because they aren't designed
for that. But with the HP, there will be a specification for drift in the
back of the manual.

If you give it a half-hour warm-up, how much does it drift in the next
half-hour?
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Unfortunately the HP manual does not tell the frequency stability. No useful
information found searching the web.

Frequency measurement results:

- Just turned on. Frequency = 5.000 MHz Delta F = 0
- 15 minutes after. Delta F = -98 kHz
- 30 minutes after. Delta F = - 116 kHz
- 45 minutes after. Delta F = -132 kHz
- 60 minutes after. Delta F = -141 kHz
- 75 minutes after. Delta F = -147 kHz

Again the question is: is my generator faulty or all instruments based on
the same (analog) frequency generation principle (charging a capacitor at
constant current) behave more or less the same?

73

Tony I0JX