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This is from a web-site that is replaying Usenet, including
net.ham-radio, from 30 years ago (currently early 1986). The site is:

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If you prefer to use your own newsreader, the site also supports an NNTP
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From net.ham-radio Sat Feb 13 12:13:34 2016
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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!se
From: (Bob Clements)
Newsgroups: net.ham-radio
Subject: Freq counter recommendations
Message-ID:
Date: Tue, 11-Feb-86 15:35:37 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.844
Posted: Tue Feb 11 15:35:37 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Feb-86 17:37:04 EST
Sender:
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From: (Jim Rees)
Subject: Need freq counter recommendations
Date: Mon, 10-Feb-86 17:49:18 EST
Organization: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford, Mass.

I'm in the market for a frequency counter. I don't want to spend more
than $150. Ideally it should cover 50 Hz to 500 MHz.

Are the counters you see advertised in the back of Ham Radio and similar
magazines any good? What should I look for, and look out for? Will
I be sorry if I don't get 9 digits?

Typical uses would be setting the markers on my sweep generator (4.5 Mhz,
26 MHz, 42 Mhz), setting the LO frequency in my ATV receiver (~450 MHz),
adjusting touchtone pads (remember the old ones with the big inductors?),
and similar home jobs.

I've owned two Heathkit counters and one el-cheapo back of the magazine
brand counter. Surprisingly, the Heathkits have been pretty good. I took
top place in the W1AW freq measuring tests a few times with the simpler
of the Heathkits. [Anyone wanna buy it? No, that's misuse of the net.
Forget I said that.]

The el-cheapo kind has very bad temperature and time stability. Usually
just a cheap crystal sitting in the middle of an ordinary PC board.

It seems to take a lot of bucks to get 500 MHz coverage. I would advise
a 50 or 100 MHz unit and an external prescaler, which is fairly cheap.

For the jobs you mention, you don't seem to need nine digits. And for the
price you're looking for, you wouldn't be accurate to the last digit anyway.

Disclaimer: My info is a few years old. There may be a wonderful and
inexpensive unit out there now that I don't know about.

73,
Bob, K1BC


{ihnp4, decvax, ...}!bbncca!clements


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