[time-nuts] is there a "best bet" advanced hobbyist buildable GPSDOdesign?

[Tom Van Baak]

> Hi,
> 
> Like many, I've acquired a fair amount of surplus test equipment off of Ebay
> which could use the services of good master frequency standard.  So I'm
> looking to discipline an HP 10811 VXCO to provide this.
> 
> Any general consensus about the best design for a hobbyist to build?
> I'm familiar with the Brooks Shera design, the G4JNT Jupiter-T design,
> the TAC-2 circuit, and the VE2ZAZ design.  I take it from discussions
> I've seen in the archives of this list that the VE2ZAZ design makes a
> number of simplification/performance tradeoffs.
> 
> Is there a design I haven't listed which is "better" than the others?
> I'm quite familiar with microcontrollers, FPGAs, spinning my own
> PCBs, etc, so I'll roll my own if I have to, but I'd prefer to build
> a variation on someone's tried and true design.
> 
> I'm aware of products like the Fury, but I'd like something I could tinker
> with, and the cost is hard to justify for a hobbyist.
> 
> Scott

Scott,

Hard to say which is better at this point; there are a number
of variables, not the least of which is the intrinsic short-term
stability of the OCXO you use.

Do have a close look at James Miller's GPSDO:

http://www.jrmiller.demon.co.uk/projects/freqstd/frqstd.htm

I recently tested one and it makes it to 1e-13 at one day, which
is really nice for a simple, cheap, homebrew GPSDO.

/tvb