Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site brl-vgr.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!brl-vgr!wmartin 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)