[time-nuts] Home made GPS disciplined atomic clock

[Lux, James P]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: time-nuts-bounces at febo.com
> [mailto:time-nuts-bounces at febo.com] On Behalf Of Esa Heikkinen
> Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 2:46 PM
> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Home made GPS disciplined atomic clock
>
> > Its relatively easy to assemble such a system.
> > A PC sound card can be used as a spectrum analyser for
> measuring phase
> > noise to within a few Hz of the carrier.
>
> I still need some high quality reference oscillator. Do you
> have any clue how much those Wenzel oscillators cost? There
> wasn't any prices on website, may be the only way is to ask?

The run of the mill Wenzel "Streamline" series runs about $250 each.
http://www.wenzel.com/pdffiles1/Oscillators/STR_4_to_30.pdf


>
> There seems to be interesting alternatives for the output
> oscillator too (to clean the LPRO signal). One of those was
> even named "timekeeper".

Wenzel sells "cleanup loops" as a packaged device for a variety of frequencies.
>
> Maybe it could be wise to buy one and use it for phase noise
> measurement first and then put it in permament use as the
> output oscillator of the reference, when the desired loop
> bandwith is known.
>
> But of course if those units has price tag with four figures
> or so then this is only daydreaming... :-)

I would imagine a packaged cleanup loop (oscillator and PLL) is right around $1K. I can't recall what we paid for our 10MHz widgets a few years back, but that seems about right.

Clearly, one can build it yourself for less (e.g. you could use a $250 oscillator and use a PLL eval board of some sort to drive the EFC input, for instance) , but that's only if your time is free.

Send Wenzel an email and ask..