I am still looking and poking around for a frequency counter. I don't know alot about them so I would like some of your knowledgable opinions on this one used.

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/gener_raco_counter_1192b.html

General radio usually made pretty good equipment, but if you want a professional quality frequency counter why not get one made by the company who pretty well hogged the business: HP.

--Chuck

I could probably buy it for $25-$35. I take it that would be a good price right?

Ah heck with it...........take a look at all of this stuff and tell me what looks good. Unfortunately for the US people it is all local pickup only.

http://www.dsbn.edu.on.ca/Purchasing/gsoa/open_category.php?category_id=9
http://www.dsbn.edu.on.ca/Purchasing/gsoa/open_category.php?category_id=14

Most of the people buying those are GR collectors, or people looking for nixie tubes to make clocks. They were perfectly good counters in their day, of course, but they're at the 40-year-old mark at this point. This means obsolete semiconductors that are becoming increasingly difficult to find if you need them, and a crystal time base which may be way off-base by now. Aside from that, it only goes up to 50 MHz, which would be OK for BCB AM and SW radios, but not much else. An external prescaler would be needed to measure higher frequencies.

If you want an antiquarian nixie tube frequency counter, and it is in nice condition, $25 to $35 would be very reasonable. They often go for more than that on 'eekBay.' On the other hand, if you are looking for something that works and will be reliable and accurate, you would probably be better off putting the money towards a new (or newer) unit.

There's some really good stuff in that auction. You need to nab the two Eddystone receivers and the two HP182T scopes. Both those HPs have spectrum analyzer plugins. None are really valuable, but you could probably flip the Eddystones on eBay for $100-200. Can't tell what the freq range is on those spec ans - again, perhaps $100-200.

For 25 or 30 bucks the counter would be a good buy for a universal counter, even though its only a 50MC counter.

GR equipment was always very well built, and dependable, though ofttimes from a functional standpoint, not much cluck for the buck. A goodly amount of their gear was specialty equipment, metered Variacs (an original GR trade name) admittance bridges, slotted lines, I.F. strips, strobe lights, vibration and acoustic measuring gear, etc. Their strong suit was bridges, of all types. They were also heavily involved in ATE during the 80s. Probably their best legacy invention was, what is often called today the dual banana plug, but known by many of the older guys as the GR 274 or simply the GR connector. It's 90 years old or better. They were used almost exclusively for audio related test equipment, and still are to this day.

Those Eddystone receivers go from 27 mHz up... not great for
general SW listening. Some of those Tek scopes look real nice.
That Cdn Marconi signal generator looks like a dandy for general
alignment and sweeping an IF in its FM mode... wish I was "local".
Nelson

Nelson

If you want something pm me and we could work something out.

I would bid on these: Either the HP 8557A (10 kHz-350 MHz) or the 8558B (100 kHz-1.5 GHz) spectrum analyzers in the 182T displays- these are very decent down-and-dirty analog tuned SA's that are great for the radio hobbyist. If you need a signal generator there is a B&K E-200D or the lab grade Marconi TF-2002, both very nice SG's with good frequency coverage for radio hobby work.

-Mark-

Mike, aren't you mixing up with the 874 coax connector? That's what I've always heard (and thought) of as the "GR connector". Yes, they made dual-banana patch cords, and they are 274 series, but I didn't think they invented it. They did invent the 874.

Dave Wise