clements@BBNCCA.ARPA (Bob Clements) (02/11/86)
> From: rees@apollo.uucp (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 clements@bbn.arpa {ihnp4, decvax, ...}!bbncca!clements