How to Check if an Ifr 1200s Has a Tracking Generatior Built in
Service Monitors
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| Post subject: Service Monitors | |
| Member Joined: Jun Sat 30, 2012 9:26 pm Posts: 1502 Location: Miami,Fl | For hobbyists, this can be an untapped resource as their is a glut of these going for almost nothing as an all-in-one test set. Even though they are primarily designed for working on FM commercial communications, many are quite flexible. Some include AM, FM deviation beyond 75 kc, limited oscilloscopes in some cases dso's. Cell phones pretty much decimated the industry. GSM pretty much obsoleted many recently made SM's and the units are out their at less then a percentage of their original price from huge dumps a few years ago by carrier's service centers. These are an overlooked piece of test equipment that in later forms may even include a tracking generator and spectrum analyzer for sweep tuning and a lot more. I'm a veteran of this industry from the early 70's when this was out of reach for a service shop or these were hetrodyne frequency meter kluges. In those years, lots of great and not great equipment passed through shops. I have my opinions and some very old units still carry an awe factor that to me can't be bested by anything new today that would cost more then your car note or much more. Those of you that use them or worked with them, it would be interesting if we compiled a list of suitable SM's for am/fm radio repair.
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Posted: Dec Thu 25, 2014 5:03 am
| Peter Bertini | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors | ||
Joined: Jan Thu 01, 1970 1:00 am Posts: 22531 Location: Somers, CT | I have two Cushman service monitors in my shop. A model CE-5, which has very limited HF frequency coverage, and a more modern CSM-50A which also has the tracking generator and spectrum analyzer. The CSM-50A is okay, the thumbwheel frequency control is pretty easy to use. I mainly use them to keep my two meter repeater running. Pete _________________ Just because it can be done doesn't mean it should be done. Last edited by Peter Bertini on Dec Sat 27, 2014 5:41 am, edited 1 time in total. | ||
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| ariston | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors | ||||
Joined: Mar Sun 20, 2011 2:53 pm Posts: 807 Location: Spain - 28110 - Algete | I´ve that IFR-1200-S Monitor. Does all from 0 to 1GHz.
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| Don_S | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors |
| Joined: Dec Sun 02, 2007 3:20 pm Posts: 1482 Location: Fargo, North Dakota | |
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| W2WIQ | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors |
| Joined: Feb Tue 07, 2012 9:32 pm Posts: 1789 Location: Middlesex,NJ | HI: I USE A MARCONI 2955B. WALTER-W2WIQ |
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| radionut58 | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors | ||
Joined: Nov Mon 07, 2011 12:31 pm Posts: 66 Location: near Minneapolis, 55092 | IFR 500A is the one I use the most. Merry Christmas, Fred | ||
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| Mars | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors | ||
Joined: Apr Fri 06, 2012 3:36 pm Posts: 1213 Location: Erie, PA | I don't understand how you folks can afford anything other than an old Cushmans boat anchor, considering most SMs cost too much online for what they are. The IFR and Motorolas are also priced high in the online auctions, let alone those surplus equipment depots asking rediculous prices. Unless one can buy a used, broken SM and repair it at a reasonable cost they are often too costly for most hobbyist wallets. I went the path of buying separate pieces from HP and others at low prices off eBay. _________________ If I had saved all the money I've spent on test equipment, I'd probably spend it on test equipment. | ||
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| Peter Bertini | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors | ||
Joined: Jan Thu 01, 1970 1:00 am Posts: 22531 Location: Somers, CT | Mars wrote: I don't understand how you folks can afford anything other than an old Cushmans boat anchor, considering most SMs cost too much online for what they are. The IFR and Motorolas are also priced high in the online auctions, let alone those surplus equipment depots asking rediculous prices. Unless one can buy a used, broken SM and repair it at a reasonable cost they are often too costly for most hobbyist wallets. I went the path of buying separate pieces from HP and others at low prices off eBay. It is difficult to trudge a truck full of equipment to a remote mountain top, or the top floor of a commercial site to service ham or other two way equipment. We had IFRs, Cushman, HP and even Ramsey junk in our shops. Besides, I'd rather spend my money on good test equipment to support my hobby. Some folks will drop 60 grand on a rare Zenith Strat; I'd rather drop a 60 grand on high end test gear--unfortunately my pockets were never that deep. Pete _________________ Just because it can be done doesn't mean it should be done. | ||
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| Mikeinkcmo | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors | ||
Joined: Oct Sun 15, 2006 12:57 pm Posts: 7982 Location: Liberty, Missouri | |||
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| Mars | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors | ||
Joined: Apr Fri 06, 2012 3:36 pm Posts: 1213 Location: Erie, PA | Peter B. ---- I understand about the portability factor as I once worked for a communications co. and we used Cushman on the service bench and the motorola in field and mobile installs. My point is the high cost old, ubcalibrated SM still go for. There are a couple of Motos and IFRs on ebay now with 9+ bids per auction and 4-5 days left and the bid is already climbing to $300 _________________ If I had saved all the money I've spent on test equipment, I'd probably spend it on test equipment. | ||
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| Bruce MacMillan | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors |
| Joined: May Sun 13, 2007 5:22 am Posts: 194 Location: United Kingdom | As Dawn has said the cell phone industry is/was a good source of equipment. I aquired a HP 8935 CDMA test set that was surplus to the phone company's need. Many CDMA and TDMA sets were dumped on the market. What people should know is these sets have built in a spectrum analyzer, tracking generator, RF & AF generator, RF & AF voltmeter & freq counter, digital oscilloscope and power meter. It covers from DC to over 1 GHz. |
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| Dawn | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors |
| Joined: Jun Sat 30, 2012 9:26 pm Posts: 1502 Location: Miami,Fl | IFR's, especially the 1200 series are near cult/status symbols for many amateurs that have little clue what to do with one besides punch in frequency, see the error and deviation. Last hamfest I was at some years ago had a table with stacks of HP E8285A's CDMA test sets for $300 that could do and worked similar to my 8920b's...and better with electroluminescent displays instead of CRT's. The same guys slobbering over a well worn IFR wouldn't even consider one of these, but would pay over grand for an IFR. I don't even get why they sell cheaper then the CDMA 8924 that preceded them which needs an outboard unit to hit the PCS areas. I have seen Helper SM-1000's, what I used in the field selling for under $300 working. Great and lightweight portable unit. Nothing wrong with older Cushman blue machines. You actually have a possibility of repairing them. The CE-50/5100 series fetch very little and very capable machines as well. What I had on the benches before and in the field. The Marconis I have a bad taste in my mouth with. We had one with the AMPS draw on the bottom for early 800 mhz cell phone. They had modules in them made by Siemens that became unobtanium and couldn't be repaired short of finding a donor machine. I never was too crazy about the IFR's either. Hard to deal with them. With Cushman, you either got Ron Kelly walking you through a repair or one of his guys that specialized in one of the plug-ins. That was customer service. I can't speak for the Motos made since the silver Systron Donner units of the 70's or Wavetek/CT systems. Military like them. Only IFR they bought was a custom spec version of the IFR-1000 that truly was leaps and bounds past Cushman's blue machines until the CE-50/5100 series arrived. Think it was a IFR-1100. CRT and Power supply issues with older IFR's. Older Cushman blue machines are 3RP1A's and easily found. The Ramsay Com-3? You've got to be kidding. Any one of the above units is well worth the investment |
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| Peter Bertini | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors | ||
Joined: Jan Thu 01, 1970 1:00 am Posts: 22531 Location: Somers, CT | The Ramsay Com-3? You've got to be kidding. Indeed... a result of a jr. management initiative to show how he could save a few bucks by buying junk. I've read a few horror stories concerning IFR repairs on other forums--some of the PAL chips are NLA. One guy was ready to junk his monitor, but got lucky and found a donor. Of course the YIG osc. in my Cushman could croak, and I'd have a doorstop. I've had to do a few hairy repairs already and I don't like the layered construction. Pete _________________ Just because it can be done doesn't mean it should be done. | ||
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| W2WIQ | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors |
| Joined: Feb Tue 07, 2012 9:32 pm Posts: 1789 Location: Middlesex,NJ | HI: MY MARCONI 2955B WAS A GIFT FROM A HAM FRIEND WHO RETIRED FROM HIS JOB AT THE LOCAL AIRPORT.HE INTERCEPTED IT ON THE WAY TO A DUMPSTER. ONE CAP .A LITTLE CLEANING FLUID AND OF COURSE ELBOW GREASE AND TIME I HAD A GOOD UNIT. WALTER-W2WIQ |
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| ictjayhawk | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors |
| Joined: Mar Sat 06, 2010 11:34 pm Posts: 280 Location: Las Vegas, NV | Dawn wrote: I can't speak for the Motos made since the silver Systron Donner units of the 70's or Wavetek/CT systems. Military like them. Only IFR they bought was a custom spec version of the IFR-1000 that truly was leaps and bounds past Cushman's blue machines until the CE-50/5100 series arrived. Think it was a IFR-1100. CRT and Power supply issues with older IFR's. Older Cushman blue machines are 3RP1A's and easily found. The Army bought AN/GRM 114A this was an FM/AM-1100 with the MM-100E and a fancy canvas bag. I think there were a few AN/GRM-114 sold that were 1000's with the MM-100E The Navy bought slightly modified FM/AM-1500. We had to use higher current meters for the Navy, the 500uA meters wouldn't survive the shake table. We sold modified FM/AM-1200 units to both the FCC and the NSA. The CRT for the 1200/1500's is pure unobtanium. The 1000/1100 are 3RP1's as I recall, but have to be at the short end of the spec for envelope length to fit in the scope frame. |
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| Primitiveradiogod | Post subject: Re: Service Monitors | ||
Joined: Dec Sun 22, 2013 5:03 am Posts: 2382 Location: Santa Cruz mountains | I see various versions of the Cushmans floating around at swaps frequently, but they are either way too expensive or have the wrong or missing modules for vintage radio work. I have a Singer CSM-1 that I bought at a flea market for $50.00. A true boatanchor from the 1970s that was produced under government contract for the FAA. After a good clean-up of the switches and a minor rebuild of the attentuator, it works perfectly, and it is now my go-to signal generator for vintage radios. Sure, it doesn't have the fancy spectrum analyzer functions of the later units mentioned here, but you can't beat the price. I was so impressed with the stability and ease of use that I bought another one. That one works works perfectly too, which is all the more amazing because of the amazing complexity of these things. | ||
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How to Check if an Ifr 1200s Has a Tracking Generatior Built in
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