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From: wmartin@brl-vgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.ham-radio
Subject: Cheap RF Signal Generators?
Message-ID: <2413@brl-vgr.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 12-Mar-84 09:25:54 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-vgr.2413
Posted: Mon Mar 12 09:25:54 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 13-Mar-84 08:16:06 EST
Organization: Ballistics Research Lab
Lines: 30

Just in case there are people on the net who do electronic repairs, testing,
or just fiddling around on something other than digital circuitry...

I have been perusing the mail-order electronics equipment catalogs and
have noticed a curious discrepancy. You can buy cheap audio signal
generators, cheap frequency counters, cheap multimeters, and various
other low-cost gear, but it seems there is difficulty in buying a
reasonably-priced RF signal generator! Does anybody know why this is so?

It seems to me that it should be little more difficult to build an RF
signal generator than an AM radio; the circuits have much in common, as
the oscillators in a superhet essentially do the same thing. Accurate
dial calibration and linearity should be the main cost factors, but, with
cheap counters being sold by every electronics outlet, who needs such
accuracy in the generator dial any more? I have a decent counter, and
I need an RF generator to do occasional alignments on shortwave and FM
radios. Heath makes the only low-cost (kit) RF generator I have found; 
the IG-5280, at $47.95 less the ubiquitous 10%-off coupon. It runs on
batteries, or requires a separate power supply (which powers a set of
5 different instruments in this series). Does anybody have any comments
on this device? Are there any other low-cost, solid-state RF signal
generators available out there, either kit or assembled?

I know I really would do best to frequent hamfests and probably would find
one there, but circumstances make that impracticable. I have tried to
read the QST classifieds, but haven't seen anything like this advertised.
Advice and comments solicited.

Will Martin
(...!brl-vgr!wmartin  or  WMartin@Office-3)