[time-nuts] FE-5680A performance

[David]

On Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:54:31 +0100, EB4APL
<eb4apl at cembreros.jazztel.es> wrote:

>On 05/01/2012 16:49, David wrote:
>> On Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:44:13 -0800, Hal Murray
>> <hmurray at megapathdsl.net>  wrote:
>>
>>> albertson.chris at gmail.com said:
>>>> Have an older Tek 465 scope that is in only "fair" shape and I see nothing
>>>> on that pin but milivolt level sine wave of about 60MHz.  I can't set the
>>>> scope to show any hint of a PPS ...
>>> I do have a 465.  You should be able to see a 1 uSec PPS.
>> 60MHz is about a 6nS rise time and is easily fast enough to see it.
>>
>>> Now turn up the Intensity until you can see the pulse.  It might help to turn
>>> down the room lights.
>> This is the problem.  With a 1 second repetition rate, the brightness
>> is going to be very low.
>>
>> The old ways of viewing such a low repetition rate signal include
>> using a hood or dark room, special CRT phosphors, photographic film,
>> MCP (micro channel plate) intensified CRTs, and of course analog
>> storage and later digital storage.
>>
>I agree, I've seen it in a Tek 7623A with the storage on, it is quite 
>difficult without it.

I can not imagine using my worn 7603 to see it.  I rebuilt a 7834
analog storage oscilloscope for just that sort of application although
I have a 2230 analog/DSO that I repaired which would be easier to use
for this.  I just checked and in analog mode, my 2230 can display a
1uS/div sweep at a 1 second interval without trace thickening in room
light but it is dim enough that I sure would not want to use it for
other than verfying the pulse is there.