Frequency counter

I'd like to buy a frequency counter but I was afraid they'd cost thousands. Apparently, "only" hundreds -

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Any recommendations?

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"He who will not reason is a bigot; 
he who cannot is a fool; 
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Reply to
Peter Percival
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Yes.

Work out what you want to achieve, and only then work out how to achieve it. Frequency counters are nice for timenuts but nowadays different instruments are often better.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Which? What I want to do is measure frequencies of electrical signals ranging from 1Hz (or less) to mega Hz.

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"He who will not reason is a bigot; 
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Reply to
Peter Percival

Ah, so you are a timenut, who wants to measure a static frequency as an end in itself. That's OK.

Now you have to decide the precision and accuracy you need.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

I'd advise waiting. prices on digital oscilloscopes with built in frequency counters, etc., keep dropping and without knowing what you need it for...

BTW O'scopes can tell you frequency too, just not to the least significant digit, and unless you're servicing radio transmitters or clocks you don't often need LSD accuracy.

I've got an old analog O'scope and it does all the frequency measurement I need.

Reply to
default

You can get a 1-Hz to 500 MHz frequency counter module for $11 on eBay, and there are lots of used bench models there for only a few dollars more. Counters are pretty useful actually, for all sorts of RF work as well as other stuff. 'tain't just time-and-frequency mavens.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

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Dr Philip C D Hobbs 
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Reply to
Phil Hobbs

In another post he calls himself a beginner. In that context, I think a scope is more useful (I'm assuming he already has a multimeter)

Reply to
default

I have two scopes (both Heathkit) but no multimeter!

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"He who will not reason is a bigot; 
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Reply to
Peter Percival

Actually, that's not true. I do have a multimeter somewhere, I just can't remember where.

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"He who will not reason is a bigot; 
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Reply to
Peter Percival

Since they're all only a few bucks, why bother choosing? Basic test gear (and even older top-of-the-line stuff) is so cheap at the moment that it's a false economy not to buy lots of it.

When I was a boy, one time I saved up three weeks' allowance to buy (drum roll) a tuning coil for an AM radio. For the same money (adjusted for inflation since 1971-ish), today I could buy a pretty decent frequency counter as well as all the inductors I could possibly use.

It's raining soup. Grab a bowl!

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

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Dr Philip C D Hobbs 
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Reply to
Phil Hobbs

Only 9 digits, forget it quickly.

w.

Reply to
Helmut Wabnig

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Grin, I've got a bunch of old frequency counters in the back. I'd ship the m out to anyone in the US for shipping costs*. I find that they sometimes lie to you. (you can get all sorts of false counts from noise and such... depending on where the threshold is set.) We were also using one to count photon pulses. It did the average OK, but it got the statistics wrong! There wasn't enough variation in the count shot to shot.

These days I mostly just use my 'scope as a frequency counter... good enough for most stuff.

George H.

*BK precision 1803D (200 MHz). Three in the boxes.
Reply to
George Herold

Yes, it is. I have a couple of communications monitors that go up to

999 MHz that will do about anything you can think of. Bought used, they were less than $ 1000, when new were close to $ 50,000.

There is no excuse not to have some kind of multimeter now. Good digital ones can be had for about $ 20. Even the 'free' Harbor freight meter is not too bad. I have several around the house and in the truck. I verified the accuracy with a Fluke meter and they are not very far off. Closer than most analog meters can be read.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

Tom Gardner puked:

nds.

ommendations?

** A standard frequency counter is an indispensable piece of workshop gear.

By "standard" I mean one covering the range from 1Hz to a few hundred MHz o r even 1GHz. If it will do period counting too, so much the better as it wi ll then very accurately measure frequencies lower than 100kHz.

You can use one to calibrate other instruments like audio and RF generators or scopes. Nothing else substitutes for one.

Though I am mainly an audio tech, I use a 1GHz model to check the frequency and general operation of radio mic and RC transmitters.

My spare (40MHz) counter is permanently linked to my analogue audio generat or, for fairly obvious reasons.

.... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

You would benefit from understanding how "reciprocal counters" and "statistical counters" work, in particular their differences from old-school frequency counters.

Modern (i.e last quarter century) signal sources use DDS and VCO/synthesiser techniques. The frequency defined by a crystal and hence is accurate by design, not measurement.

A spectrum analyser would be of help to you, since it would enable you to see far more than just an average frequency. Think of modulation, intermodulation, spurs and harmonics.

If you want a "very accurate" measurement of an audio frequency, you will need a reciprocal counter. That will give you, for example, 7 digits resolution for every second of measurement. Hence, after 1s you would know that a 10Hz source was actually

10.00002Hz.
Reply to
Tom Gardner

My apologies to all.

I was careless and presumed I was replying to the OP, not to the "famous" Phil Allison.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Lots of oscilloscopes will measure frequency pretty well too.

--
John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

lunatic fringe electronics
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Reply to
John Larkin

I have a B&K 10 MHz "analog" function generator that has a built-in frequency counter, which is a nice combination. The counter can also accept an external input, but I never use that. My Rigol scope is a good frequency counter, and I can nab a serious Keysight from the engr lab if I ever need one and feel like figuring it out again.

--
John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

lunatic fringe electronics
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Reply to
John Larkin

** And you have plenty to apologise for - f*****ad.

** Lot more famous than you are, and for the right reasons too.

...... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

** OTOH you would benefit a lot by removing your fat head from your arse hole.

** Shame about the other ones, the vast majority of low cost bench generators are simple analogue oscillators that need calibration.

** Way more than needed for the job at hand and way beyond justifiable cost.
** Simple means exist to check AM and FM modulation using the matching receivers or a radio scanner while spurious signals from a 20 to 50mW transmitter are insignificant to the point of being unheard off in practice.

Arguing from half baked theory is your only forte - right ?

** The term "period counter" means the same thing.

Try reading someone's post carefully before embarking an a campaign of completely irrelevant criticism - f*****ad.

Cos you are about one tenth as smart as you imagine.

..... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

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