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Sorry, no recommendations as all my stuff is ancient.
Looking for recommendations for a Grid Dip Meter built or a kit.
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news@netfront.net ---
In google (images) about 10 solutions.
You can build simple or you can build complicated. With semiconductors,Looking for recommendations for a Grid Dip Meter built or a kit.
Huh? VHF and UHF is where they really worked well, because at lowerOn Sun, 29 Nov 2015 16:16:27 -0800, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
Sorry, no recommendations as all my stuff is ancient.
So's a lot of my stuff. But there's nothing wrong with old gear IMO it's
the quality of it and whether it's in calibration that counts. The only
issues with GDOs IME are that they're not too bad for the lower frequency
RF stuff, but hopeless for anything higher.
Best one I ever used was the tube version of the Millen.On Mon, 30 Nov 2015, Cursitor Doom wrote:
On Sun, 29 Nov 2015 16:16:27 -0800, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
Sorry, no recommendations as all my stuff is ancient.
So's a lot of my stuff. But there's nothing wrong with old gear IMO it's
the quality of it and whether it's in calibration that counts. The only
issues with GDOs IME are that they're not too bad for the lower frequency
RF stuff, but hopeless for anything higher.
Huh? VHF and UHF is where they really worked well, because at lower
frequencies, a lot of the coils were shielded. There were GDOs that
worked well at VHF and UHF.
Michael
Looking for recommendations for a Grid Dip Meter built or a kit.
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news@netfront.net ---
Looking for recommendations for a Grid Dip Meter built or a kit.
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news@netfront.net ---
On 11/29/2015 6:03 PM, Michael Black wrote:
On Mon, 30 Nov 2015, Cursitor Doom wrote:
On Sun, 29 Nov 2015 16:16:27 -0800, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
Sorry, no recommendations as all my stuff is ancient.
So's a lot of my stuff. But there's nothing wrong with old gear IMO it's
the quality of it and whether it's in calibration that counts. The only
issues with GDOs IME are that they're not too bad for the lower
frequency
RF stuff, but hopeless for anything higher.
Huh? VHF and UHF is where they really worked well, because at lower
frequencies, a lot of the coils were shielded. There were GDOs that
worked well at VHF and UHF.
Michael
Best one I ever used was the tube version of the Millen.
I switched to the solid state version and regretted it.
Much less sensitive and more fiddly than the tube version.
Tunnel dipper was the worst for sensitivity.
It seemed like the Tunnel Diode got a lot of press in the sixties in the"mike" <ham789@netzero.net> wrote in message
news:n3gh47$5jl$1@dont-email.me...
On 11/29/2015 6:03 PM, Michael Black wrote:
On Mon, 30 Nov 2015, Cursitor Doom wrote:
On Sun, 29 Nov 2015 16:16:27 -0800, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
Sorry, no recommendations as all my stuff is ancient.
So's a lot of my stuff. But there's nothing wrong with old gear IMO it's
the quality of it and whether it's in calibration that counts. The only
issues with GDOs IME are that they're not too bad for the lower frequency
RF stuff, but hopeless for anything higher.
Huh? VHF and UHF is where they really worked well, because at lower
frequencies, a lot of the coils were shielded. There were GDOs that
worked well at VHF and UHF.
Michael
Best one I ever used was the tube version of the Millen.
I switched to the solid state version and regretted it.
Much less sensitive and more fiddly than the tube version.
Tunnel dipper was the worst for sensitivity.
A while back I acquired a small Tektronix component envelope containing very
tiny "top hat" style diodes that there's a faint possibility they could be
TDs.
Copying the Heathkit TD dipper had crossed my mind - now I probably won't.
It seemed like the Tunnel Diode got a lot of press in the sixties in the
hobby magazines, but much of it wsa novelty.
I can't remember anything
where some other device couldn't be used. I suppose when the Heathkit GDO
came out, the Tunnel Diode might have had better bandwidth, though I don't
remember that GDO has having great VHF and UHF coverage. But while neat
things were shown, that tunnel diode FM broadcast receiver was more unique
becuase of the low IF and pulse counting detector than that it used a
tunnel diode as a mixer/oscillator down to that low IF.
There were uses for tunnel diodes that hobbyists generally didn't see, and
those at least took advantage of the device at the time, but the time
passed pretty fast before other things didn't do most of what a tunnel
diode could do.
On Mon, 30 Nov 2015 19:05:02 -0500, Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca
wrote:
It seemed like the Tunnel Diode got a lot of press in the sixties
in the hobby magazines, but much of it wsa novelty.
For good reason. Tunnel diodes flew in most of the early satellites
up to about 1990 because it was the only reliable microwave device
available at the time.
I can't remember anything where some other device couldn't be
used. I suppose when the Heathkit GDO came out, the Tunnel Diode
might have had better bandwidth, though I don't remember that GDO
has having great VHF and UHF coverage. But while neat things were
shown, that tunnel diode FM broadcast receiver was more unique
becuase of the low IF and pulse counting detector than that it
used a tunnel diode as a mixer/oscillator down to that low IF.
I believe you're referring to the HW-10 GDO:
http://tubularelectronics.com/Heath_Manual_Collection/Heath_Manuals_H-HM/HM-10a/
http://tubularelectronics.com/Heath_Manual_Collection/Heath_Manuals_H-HM/HM-10a/HM-10A.gif
No pulse counting detector but rather a simple half wave RF rectifier
followed by 3 stages of DC amplification. As I vaguely recall, I had
difficulties getting a clean dip because the tunnel diode was
probably oscillating on multiple frequencies at the same time.
I may have an HW-10 GDO somewhere in my junk pile. I dropped it from
about 60ft up during an antenna raising party. It landed in some
bushes and did not appear to be damaged, but failed to function
afterwards. I also have a few new TEK tunnel diodes.
There were uses for tunnel diodes that hobbyists generally didn't
see, and those at least took advantage of the device at the time,
but the time passed pretty fast before other things didn't do most
of what a tunnel diode could do.
Tektronix also used tunnel diodes in their oscilloscope trigger
circuitry: <http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/Tunnel_diodes> I use one
testing scope rise time:
https://richardsears.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/tunnel-diode-pulser/
GE Tunnel Diode Manual (1961):
http://w140.com/Ge1961TunnelDiodeManual.pdf> Today,
Aeroflex/Cobham/Metelics currently sell tunnel diode detectors and
use them in their instruments:
http://ams.aeroflex.com/metelics/micro-metelics-prods-TD-MTD.cfm
http://ams.aeroflex.com/metelics/micro-metelics-prods-TD-MBD.cfm
Sorry, but tunnel diodes are not quite dead and obsolete.
So I think the Heathkit tunnel diode dipper was mostly for novelty
sake.
Nope. During the 1960's, the big draw for Heathkit was that kits
were much cheaper than labor intensive assembled products. Heathkit
had to do something to keep the price down on their products. Cheap
was the order of the day and tunnel diodes were CHEEEEEEP.
On Mon, 30 Nov 2015, Ian Field wrote:
"mike" <ham789@netzero.net> wrote in message
news:n3gh47$5jl$1@dont-email.me...
On 11/29/2015 6:03 PM, Michael Black wrote:
On Mon, 30 Nov 2015, Cursitor Doom wrote:
On Sun, 29 Nov 2015 16:16:27 -0800, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
Sorry, no recommendations as all my stuff is ancient.
So's a lot of my stuff. But there's nothing wrong with old gear IMO
it's
the quality of it and whether it's in calibration that counts. The
only
issues with GDOs IME are that they're not too bad for the lower
frequency
RF stuff, but hopeless for anything higher.
Huh? VHF and UHF is where they really worked well, because at lower
frequencies, a lot of the coils were shielded. There were GDOs that
worked well at VHF and UHF.
Michael
Best one I ever used was the tube version of the Millen.
I switched to the solid state version and regretted it.
Much less sensitive and more fiddly than the tube version.
Tunnel dipper was the worst for sensitivity.
A while back I acquired a small Tektronix component envelope containing
very tiny "top hat" style diodes that there's a faint possibility they
could be TDs.
Copying the Heathkit TD dipper had crossed my mind - now I probably
won't.
It seemed like the Tunnel Diode got a lot of press in the sixties in the
hobby magazines, but much of it wsa novelty. I can't remember anything
where some other device couldn't be used.
On 11/30/2015 08:05 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Mon, 30 Nov 2015 19:05:02 -0500, Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca
wrote:
It seemed like the Tunnel Diode got a lot of press in the sixties
in the hobby magazines, but much of it wsa novelty.
For good reason. Tunnel diodes flew in most of the early satellites
up to about 1990 because it was the only reliable microwave device
available at the time.
I can't remember anything where some other device couldn't be
used. I suppose when the Heathkit GDO came out, the Tunnel Diode
might have had better bandwidth, though I don't remember that GDO
has having great VHF and UHF coverage. But while neat things were
shown, that tunnel diode FM broadcast receiver was more unique
becuase of the low IF and pulse counting detector than that it
used a tunnel diode as a mixer/oscillator down to that low IF.
I believe you're referring to the HW-10 GDO:
http://tubularelectronics.com/Heath_Manual_Collection/Heath_Manuals_H-HM/HM-10a/
http://tubularelectronics.com/Heath_Manual_Collection/Heath_Manuals_H-HM/HM-10a/HM-10A.gif
No pulse counting detector but rather a simple half wave RF rectifier
followed by 3 stages of DC amplification. As I vaguely recall, I had
difficulties getting a clean dip because the tunnel diode was
probably oscillating on multiple frequencies at the same time.
I may have an HW-10 GDO somewhere in my junk pile. I dropped it from
about 60ft up during an antenna raising party. It landed in some
bushes and did not appear to be damaged, but failed to function
afterwards. I also have a few new TEK tunnel diodes.
There were uses for tunnel diodes that hobbyists generally didn't
see, and those at least took advantage of the device at the time,
but the time passed pretty fast before other things didn't do most
of what a tunnel diode could do.
Tektronix also used tunnel diodes in their oscilloscope trigger
circuitry: <http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/Tunnel_diodes> I use one
testing scope rise time:
https://richardsears.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/tunnel-diode-pulser/
GE Tunnel Diode Manual (1961):
http://w140.com/Ge1961TunnelDiodeManual.pdf> Today,
Aeroflex/Cobham/Metelics currently sell tunnel diode detectors and
use them in their instruments:
http://ams.aeroflex.com/metelics/micro-metelics-prods-TD-MTD.cfm
http://ams.aeroflex.com/metelics/micro-metelics-prods-TD-MBD.cfm
Sorry, but tunnel diodes are not quite dead and obsolete.
So I think the Heathkit tunnel diode dipper was mostly for novelty
sake.
Nope. During the 1960's, the big draw for Heathkit was that kits
were much cheaper than labor intensive assembled products. Heathkit
had to do something to keep the price down on their products. Cheap
was the order of the day and tunnel diodes were CHEEEEEEP.
I've never used one, but I suspect that part of the reason that tunnel
diode dippers are inferior is that you can't run a high-Z tank without
tapping the TD way way down, so that you need an impractically large split
variable capacitor.
Nuvistors are really good for that, over a pretty wide frequency range.
I'd forgotten about those. The only time I remember seeing them mentioned"Phil Hobbs" <pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote in message
news:yoSdnR6J8fwKZsHLnZ2dnUU7-IudnZ2d@supernews.com...
On 11/30/2015 08:05 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Mon, 30 Nov 2015 19:05:02 -0500, Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca
wrote:
It seemed like the Tunnel Diode got a lot of press in the sixties
in the hobby magazines, but much of it wsa novelty.
For good reason. Tunnel diodes flew in most of the early satellites
up to about 1990 because it was the only reliable microwave device
available at the time.
I can't remember anything where some other device couldn't be
used. I suppose when the Heathkit GDO came out, the Tunnel Diode
might have had better bandwidth, though I don't remember that GDO
has having great VHF and UHF coverage. But while neat things were
shown, that tunnel diode FM broadcast receiver was more unique
becuase of the low IF and pulse counting detector than that it
used a tunnel diode as a mixer/oscillator down to that low IF.
I believe you're referring to the HW-10 GDO:
http://tubularelectronics.com/Heath_Manual_Collection/Heath_Manuals_H-HM/HM-10a/
http://tubularelectronics.com/Heath_Manual_Collection/Heath_Manuals_H-HM/HM-10a/HM-10A.gif
No pulse counting detector but rather a simple half wave RF rectifier
followed by 3 stages of DC amplification. As I vaguely recall, I had
difficulties getting a clean dip because the tunnel diode was
probably oscillating on multiple frequencies at the same time.
I may have an HW-10 GDO somewhere in my junk pile. I dropped it from
about 60ft up during an antenna raising party. It landed in some
bushes and did not appear to be damaged, but failed to function
afterwards. I also have a few new TEK tunnel diodes.
There were uses for tunnel diodes that hobbyists generally didn't
see, and those at least took advantage of the device at the time,
but the time passed pretty fast before other things didn't do most
of what a tunnel diode could do.
Tektronix also used tunnel diodes in their oscilloscope trigger
circuitry: <http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/Tunnel_diodes> I use one
testing scope rise time:
https://richardsears.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/tunnel-diode-pulser/
GE Tunnel Diode Manual (1961):
http://w140.com/Ge1961TunnelDiodeManual.pdf> Today,
Aeroflex/Cobham/Metelics currently sell tunnel diode detectors and
use them in their instruments:
http://ams.aeroflex.com/metelics/micro-metelics-prods-TD-MTD.cfm
http://ams.aeroflex.com/metelics/micro-metelics-prods-TD-MBD.cfm
Sorry, but tunnel diodes are not quite dead and obsolete.
So I think the Heathkit tunnel diode dipper was mostly for novelty
sake.
Nope. During the 1960's, the big draw for Heathkit was that kits
were much cheaper than labor intensive assembled products. Heathkit
had to do something to keep the price down on their products. Cheap
was the order of the day and tunnel diodes were CHEEEEEEP.
I've never used one, but I suspect that part of the reason that tunnel
diode dippers are inferior is that you can't run a high-Z tank without
tapping the TD way way down, so that you need an impractically large split
variable capacitor.
Nuvistors are really good for that, over a pretty wide frequency range.
There's a low voltage 8056 Nuvistor in my bits box waiting for a *VERY*
elusive round-tuit.
Best one I ever used was the tube version of the Millen.
I switched to the solid state version and regretted it.
Much less sensitive and more fiddly than the tube version.
Tunnel dipper was the worst for sensitivity.
A while back I acquired a small Tektronix component envelope containing very
tiny "top hat" style diodes that there's a faint possibility they could be
TDs.
Copying the Heathkit TD dipper had crossed my mind - now I probably
won't.
On Tue, 1 Dec 2015, Ian Field wrote:
"Phil Hobbs" <pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote in message
news:yoSdnR6J8fwKZsHLnZ2dnUU7-IudnZ2d@supernews.com...
On 11/30/2015 08:05 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Mon, 30 Nov 2015 19:05:02 -0500, Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca
wrote:
It seemed like the Tunnel Diode got a lot of press in the sixties
in the hobby magazines, but much of it wsa novelty.
For good reason. Tunnel diodes flew in most of the early satellites
up to about 1990 because it was the only reliable microwave device
available at the time.
I can't remember anything where some other device couldn't be
used. I suppose when the Heathkit GDO came out, the Tunnel Diode
might have had better bandwidth, though I don't remember that GDO
has having great VHF and UHF coverage. But while neat things were
shown, that tunnel diode FM broadcast receiver was more unique
becuase of the low IF and pulse counting detector than that it
used a tunnel diode as a mixer/oscillator down to that low IF.
I believe you're referring to the HW-10 GDO:
http://tubularelectronics.com/Heath_Manual_Collection/Heath_Manuals_H-HM/HM-10a/
http://tubularelectronics.com/Heath_Manual_Collection/Heath_Manuals_H-HM/HM-10a/HM-10A.gif
No pulse counting detector but rather a simple half wave RF rectifier
followed by 3 stages of DC amplification. As I vaguely recall, I had
difficulties getting a clean dip because the tunnel diode was
probably oscillating on multiple frequencies at the same time.
I may have an HW-10 GDO somewhere in my junk pile. I dropped it from
about 60ft up during an antenna raising party. It landed in some
bushes and did not appear to be damaged, but failed to function
afterwards. I also have a few new TEK tunnel diodes.
There were uses for tunnel diodes that hobbyists generally didn't
see, and those at least took advantage of the device at the time,
but the time passed pretty fast before other things didn't do most
of what a tunnel diode could do.
Tektronix also used tunnel diodes in their oscilloscope trigger
circuitry: <http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/Tunnel_diodes> I use one
testing scope rise time:
https://richardsears.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/tunnel-diode-pulser/
GE Tunnel Diode Manual (1961):
http://w140.com/Ge1961TunnelDiodeManual.pdf> Today,
Aeroflex/Cobham/Metelics currently sell tunnel diode detectors and
use them in their instruments:
http://ams.aeroflex.com/metelics/micro-metelics-prods-TD-MTD.cfm
http://ams.aeroflex.com/metelics/micro-metelics-prods-TD-MBD.cfm
Sorry, but tunnel diodes are not quite dead and obsolete.
So I think the Heathkit tunnel diode dipper was mostly for novelty
sake.
Nope. During the 1960's, the big draw for Heathkit was that kits
were much cheaper than labor intensive assembled products. Heathkit
had to do something to keep the price down on their products. Cheap
was the order of the day and tunnel diodes were CHEEEEEEP.
I've never used one, but I suspect that part of the reason that tunnel
diode dippers are inferior is that you can't run a high-Z tank without
tapping the TD way way down, so that you need an impractically large
split variable capacitor.
Nuvistors are really good for that, over a pretty wide frequency range.
There's a low voltage 8056 Nuvistor in my bits box waiting for a *VERY*
elusive round-tuit.
I'd forgotten about those. The only time I remember seeing them mentioned
(and this was after the fact) was one or two converters that used them, no
need to have a high voltage power supply.
Nuvistors came in just on the cusp of transistors taking off. So other
than tv set front ends, they didn't see a lot of use, people going after
transistors instead.
"Michael Black" <et472@ncf.ca> wrote in message
news:alpine.LNX.2.02.1511301901240.7795@darkstar.example.org...
On Mon, 30 Nov 2015, Ian Field wrote:
"mike" <ham789@netzero.net> wrote in message
news:n3gh47$5jl$1@dont-email.me...
On 11/29/2015 6:03 PM, Michael Black wrote:
On Mon, 30 Nov 2015, Cursitor Doom wrote:
On Sun, 29 Nov 2015 16:16:27 -0800, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
Sorry, no recommendations as all my stuff is ancient.
So's a lot of my stuff. But there's nothing wrong with old gear
IMO it's
the quality of it and whether it's in calibration that counts. The
only
issues with GDOs IME are that they're not too bad for the lower
frequency
RF stuff, but hopeless for anything higher.
Huh? VHF and UHF is where they really worked well, because at lower
frequencies, a lot of the coils were shielded. There were GDOs that
worked well at VHF and UHF.
Michael
Best one I ever used was the tube version of the Millen.
I switched to the solid state version and regretted it.
Much less sensitive and more fiddly than the tube version.
Tunnel dipper was the worst for sensitivity.
A while back I acquired a small Tektronix component envelope
containing very tiny "top hat" style diodes that there's a faint
possibility they could be TDs.
Copying the Heathkit TD dipper had crossed my mind - now I probably
won't.
It seemed like the Tunnel Diode got a lot of press in the sixties in
the hobby magazines, but much of it wsa novelty. I can't remember
anything where some other device couldn't be used.
Back then there was a fanatical craze for FM bug transmitters - with a
tunnel diode, the circuitry was always smaller than the battery.