Oscilloscope testing help.

[GnG8d]

What meter would you use to determine an RF signal of 50 microvolts at 1.296 GHz was indeed the proper value? It won't be a VOM or a Bird. LOL I guess I just see the difference between a CB'er wanting to peak and tune his radio and a real tech wanting to do a proper alignment on a higher end piece of gear. No disrespect meant, I am just saying.....

What the hell does that have to do with a guy buying an oscilloscope and posting about it in the CB section of a radio forum? Oh yeah, those 22 years you walked up hill to and from work in the snow and blinding wind to work on your broacast transmitter. I'm realizing that you didn't learn anything about resonant circuits in those 22 years.

I still say stickying that would save you several thousand key strokes a month because then you wouldn't have to keep retyping.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

What the hell does that have to do with a guy buying an oscilloscope and posting about it in the CB section of a radio forum? Oh yeah, those 22 years you walked up hill to and from work in the snow and blinding wind to work on your broacast transmitter. I'm realizing that you didn't learn anything about resonant circuits in those 22 years.

I still say stickying that would save you several thousand key strokes a month because then you wouldn't have to keep retyping.

I see you can still be just the same a-hole with the new name as you could be with the old one 359. Yep....there I said it. Sue me. I have forgotten more about resonant circuits than you will ever know.Peaking or dipping an RF voltage is not all there is to an alignment. Also 1.296 GHz or 27.195 MHz makes no difference whatsoever. What meter would you use to measure 50 microvolts? That is a very significant value and you should have realized it is the standard RF input value to read S-9 on a signal strength meter. I still maintain that if the vertical deflection amplifiers are not reasonably accurate than any work on any piece of radio gear is subject to the same errors which can result in improper alignment unless of course the purpose to make the radio gear as loud and proud as possible and forgetting all about proper operation. You may as well do an alignment with a blindfold on.

 

[GnG8d]

No disrespect meant, I am just saying.....

I think you did, but then dropped this caveat at the end. However, I'm just going to stop right here and walk away.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I would offer that a resonant circuit should be peaked to perform as designed. If components aren't changed/added/removed or modified and the bias voltage/voltages are set properly, the rest of the circuit should be "peaked" to maximum for proper operation. So using a scope to peak some test points and a DVM to verify voltages at other test points doesn't really require a lab certified scope.

You don't intentionally detune the tank (resonant) circuit in your tube gear do you?

No but some adjustments are trimmer caps while others are pots neither of which involve resonant circuits necessarily. Why don't you save yourself some grief and refrain from commenting on something that I have quoted and replied to from another member. My comments above were not directed to you nor did they reference anything YOU said.

 

[8113 Northern MN]

Well, this got out of hand quick. Truth be told the fact is I have only figured out a handful of things about this Scope. Im most concerned though with my Transmit and making sure it is leaving my radio in a good and clean fashion. Im still trying to find the correct settings to monitor that "wave form" and trying to figure out the best way to accomplish it.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Like I said above, un-calibrated is fine for looking at modulation waveforms and peaking circuits however for a true alignment calibrated is the way to go.

 

[Robb]

Well, this got out of hand quick. Truth be told the fact is I have only figured out a handful of things about this Scope. Im most concerned though with my Transmit and making sure it is leaving my radio in a good and clean fashion. Im still trying to find the correct settings to monitor that "wave form" and trying to figure out the best way to accomplish it.

Like I posted earlier. you will need to make an RF sampler.

Radio output > RF Sampler > Dummy Load
Have a BNC connector out of the RF sampler into the scope. That is what I do, as I am sure others do it the same way. Search this forum for the RF sampler and build it your self. DO NOT buy one, as they are just too expensive and not necessary. They are REALLY easy to make. If you can't make one; then you shouldn't be working on radios. They are just that simple to make.

http://www.qsl.net/n2ffl/AM.html