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Thu Feb 21 18:29:28 2008, John, Summary, General, HP Network Analyser Analyzer
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Thu Feb 21 19:55:46 2008, rana, Update, Electronics, 2 BNC Cables, 1 Tee
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Fri Feb 22 16:47:54 2008, rob, Update, Electronics, Baloney
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Message ID: 337
Entry time: Fri Feb 22 16:47:54 2008
In reply to: 329
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Author: |
rob |
Type: |
Update |
Category: |
Electronics |
Subject: |
Baloney |
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Well I guess Rana didn't study too hard at Professor School, either. If he'd even bothered to actually read John's entry, he might have looked at the RF Out from the HP Analyzer. As it is, this experience so far has been like taking your car to a highly respected mechanic, telling him it's having acceleration problems, and then he takes a rag and wipes some dirt off the hood and then tells you "It's running fine. That'll be 500 bucks."
I make the current score:
Snarkiness: 2
Education: 0
I did RTFM, and it doesn't mention anything about crazy behaviour on the RF Output. So, I set up the analyzer to do a sweep from 500MHz to 1MHz, with output power of 0dBm, and plugged the output directly into the 300MHz scope with the input set to 50 Ohm impedance. The swept sine output looks totally normal from 500Mhz to 150MHz (measuring ~220mVrms below 300MHz -- 0dBm), where it abruptly transitions to a distorted waveform which the scope measures as having a frequency of ~25MHz and with 450mVrms (+6dBm). It then transitions again at some other part of the sweep to a cleaner-looking 25MHz waveform with ~1.2Vrms (+15dBm). See the attached Quicktime movie. The screeching in the background is the PSL door.
With this bizarre behaviour, it's actually possible that even someone who does everything carefully and correctly could break sensitive electronics with this machine. Let's get it fixed or get a new one.
Don't use the HP4195A anymore unless you want broken electronics.
Quote: | I'm not sure where Ward and Miller went to Analyzer school, but it was probably uncredited.
I turned it on and used 2 BNC cables and a T to hook up the source to the 2 inputs and measured the always-exciting TF of cable.
Score: HP Analyzer 1
Rob & John 0
I have left the analyzer on in this complicated configuration. RTFM boys.
Quote: | The HP 4195A network analyser may be broken, measurements below 150MHz are not reliable. Above 150MHz everything looks normal. This may be caused by a problem with its output (the one you'd use as an excitation) which is varying in amplitude in a strange way.
Analyzer |
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