I have two monitors connected to this PC and one of those is strategically attached to the side of my test equipment rack. This is because since the VNWA is a USB device, it requires connection to a PC, which in my case is an old XP-based machine sitting under my desk at one end of the workshop. The DG8SAQ VNWA is quite tiny compared to the DSA815, yet implementing it into my test setup is not quite as convenient as the DSA815. Last things first, the 809-1 does not have the ability to set a reference level, thus all measurements are purely relative. So, with my DG8SAQ VNWA proving invaluable where the various filters in the RA17 were concerned, and the old Systron-Donner 809-1 continuing to give good service, just what was it about the DSA815 that was so appealing? Two things really: Convenience, and the ability to make direct power measurements. However, although recognising the truth in the statement, I never gave it much thought, since for the last 10 years, I have been using a DG8SAQ VNWA for aligning these filters, and others.
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Over the years, I have heard people refer to the combination of spectrum analyser and tracking generator as the way to go when tackling the 40MHz filter. But I do have a Racal SA97 wobbulator, which is actually more interesting than useable.
The Rigol DSA815-TG (TG refers to the built-in Tracking Generator) was mentioned as a suitable modern alternative to the gargantuan Samwell & Hutton CT501, which I will add, I don't have. We had been discussing the test equipment that we each used for aligning the filters, in particular, the infamous 40MHz Band-Pass filter. This came about as a result of an email exchange with a fellow RA17 enthusiast. Given that my Systron-Donner didn’t cost me anything back in the early 80s, and the fact that I have recently resolved a frequency accuracy issue, what was my reasoning behind the new investment? The thing is, I already have a more than adequate, albeit old, Systron-Donner 809-1, which covers 10MHz right up to 12.4GHz in 5 switchable ranges. I recently invested in a new spectrum analyser, a Rigol DSA815-TG, to be precise.
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