B
BOOTY MONSTER
Guest
this is cut and pasted from a page at http://ampsrus.org/showthread.php?t=276 . apparently its something the col. is using with his new line of amps called "Anaconda" . so im asking you guys here with the big brains.........will or can this make an amp better ? its very much above my head , in fact way above my head . but i know theres a few folks here that can understand it and let us far less electronically educated folks (or a part time idiot like myself) know what or how much difference we can expect in a amp using it vs. one without . anyone know if legal amp companies like Ameritron , QRO , Alpha etc. use this or something similar in building/designing their amps ?
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What is a Spectrum Analyzer?
A RF Spectrum Analyzer is a very special kind of superhetrodyne receiver which receives a chosen range of signals and displays the relative signal strength on a logarithmic display, usually a cathode ray oscilloscope - CRO. In a dedicated Spectrum Analyzer the CRO display is incorporated into the instrument itself.
Presented here is a review of a project presented by the masters themselves, Wes Hayward, W7ZOI, and Terry White, K7TAU. This Spectrum Analyzer project was featured in the magazine QST during August and September, 1998.
The first thing I sincerely recommend you do is buy this excellent reference book through my amazon affliate program. Introduction to Radio Frequency Design - Wes Hayward W7ZOI - highly recommended. Paperback and published by ARRL - delivery 3 to 5 weeks. Wes Hayward probably taught me 30% of what I know in electronics - an even better reason.
Why do I personally highly recommend this book? Wes Hayward is the sharpest designer I know and is highly respected as the "guru" and I don't make strong recommendations lightly. At the low price it is literally among the cheapest investments you will ever make in your electronics education - believe me, even if you are not especially interested in radio frequency design you will learn a lot of basic principles which are universal in electronics. And you will write and thank me for doing us both a favour.
This Spectrum Analyzer project is available as a relatively inexpensive kit and is highly recommended as probably the best piece of test equipment you will ever own. Professional Spectrum Analyzers usually cost tens of thousand of dollars and for good reason. Refurbished second hand units frequently cost $10,000+.
Thanks to the skills of Wes Hayward and Terry White, this Spectrum Analyzer project costs a mere fraction of those prices and sacrifices very little in performance. Basics of a Spectrum Analyzer
As I said earlier a Spectrum Analyzer is simply a specialised superhetrodyne receiver which usually employs a multiple mixing scheme to achieve reception of the higher frequency signals. This Spectrum Analyzer project has an upper frequency limit of 70 Mhz although this can be extended by usng converters. It is a double conversion scheme.
The general idea is to slowly sweep through a range of desired signals, all the while converting them to a much lower frequency where they are individually (within practical limits) converted to a DC level representing a logarithmic or decibel level for display on the cathode ray oscilloscope - CRO. Here meaningful comparisons and information about the signals can be discerned. Indeed a Spectrum Analyzer is a very poweful piece of test equipment.
The Wes Hayward and Terry White Spectrum Analyzer project
The first IF is set at 110 Mhz, the swept first oscillator, 110 - 180 Mhz, utilises a commercial voltage controlled oscillator. The second IF is fixed at 10 Mhz. Quoting in part from Wes Hayward's and Terry White's article: "The RF spectrum analyzer is essentially a swept receiver with a visual display. The display shows the strength of all signals within a user-defined frequency span. Each signal is represented by a line or blip that rises out of a background noise, much like the action of an S meter. Commercial analyzers are calibrated for signal power, with all signals referred to a reference level at the top of the screen. Our analyzer is designed for a basic reference level of –30 dBm, a common value in commercial analyzers."
A very important feature, in my humble opinion, about this article is the general discussion on aspects of receiver design which apply in all instances and, some very sage advice is offered throughout the article, in particular: "We strongly discourage building the entire analyzer before testing specific sections. Such an approach may work for casual kits, but is not suitable when careful control of signal levels is required. That approach also robs you (the builder) of the excitement of the process: the learning that comes from detailed examination."
"Before jumping into the circuit details, we reemphasize that this analyzer although simple is intended for serious measurements."
After double conversion, along with gain equalisation to compensate for losses in the filters and double balanced mixers, this Spectrum Analyzer project has the main gain (as it should be) at the lower IF of 10 Mhz as well as after the logarithmic detection. Extensive filtering is provided throughout the whole Spectrum Analyzer project with both multi-pole resonator filters and a crystal filter. Broad banding techniques are employed in the critical stages of amplifier design ."
___________________________________________________________________________________
"
What is a Spectrum Analyzer?
A RF Spectrum Analyzer is a very special kind of superhetrodyne receiver which receives a chosen range of signals and displays the relative signal strength on a logarithmic display, usually a cathode ray oscilloscope - CRO. In a dedicated Spectrum Analyzer the CRO display is incorporated into the instrument itself.
Presented here is a review of a project presented by the masters themselves, Wes Hayward, W7ZOI, and Terry White, K7TAU. This Spectrum Analyzer project was featured in the magazine QST during August and September, 1998.
The first thing I sincerely recommend you do is buy this excellent reference book through my amazon affliate program. Introduction to Radio Frequency Design - Wes Hayward W7ZOI - highly recommended. Paperback and published by ARRL - delivery 3 to 5 weeks. Wes Hayward probably taught me 30% of what I know in electronics - an even better reason.
Why do I personally highly recommend this book? Wes Hayward is the sharpest designer I know and is highly respected as the "guru" and I don't make strong recommendations lightly. At the low price it is literally among the cheapest investments you will ever make in your electronics education - believe me, even if you are not especially interested in radio frequency design you will learn a lot of basic principles which are universal in electronics. And you will write and thank me for doing us both a favour.
This Spectrum Analyzer project is available as a relatively inexpensive kit and is highly recommended as probably the best piece of test equipment you will ever own. Professional Spectrum Analyzers usually cost tens of thousand of dollars and for good reason. Refurbished second hand units frequently cost $10,000+.
Thanks to the skills of Wes Hayward and Terry White, this Spectrum Analyzer project costs a mere fraction of those prices and sacrifices very little in performance. Basics of a Spectrum Analyzer
As I said earlier a Spectrum Analyzer is simply a specialised superhetrodyne receiver which usually employs a multiple mixing scheme to achieve reception of the higher frequency signals. This Spectrum Analyzer project has an upper frequency limit of 70 Mhz although this can be extended by usng converters. It is a double conversion scheme.
The general idea is to slowly sweep through a range of desired signals, all the while converting them to a much lower frequency where they are individually (within practical limits) converted to a DC level representing a logarithmic or decibel level for display on the cathode ray oscilloscope - CRO. Here meaningful comparisons and information about the signals can be discerned. Indeed a Spectrum Analyzer is a very poweful piece of test equipment.
The Wes Hayward and Terry White Spectrum Analyzer project
The first IF is set at 110 Mhz, the swept first oscillator, 110 - 180 Mhz, utilises a commercial voltage controlled oscillator. The second IF is fixed at 10 Mhz. Quoting in part from Wes Hayward's and Terry White's article: "The RF spectrum analyzer is essentially a swept receiver with a visual display. The display shows the strength of all signals within a user-defined frequency span. Each signal is represented by a line or blip that rises out of a background noise, much like the action of an S meter. Commercial analyzers are calibrated for signal power, with all signals referred to a reference level at the top of the screen. Our analyzer is designed for a basic reference level of –30 dBm, a common value in commercial analyzers."
A very important feature, in my humble opinion, about this article is the general discussion on aspects of receiver design which apply in all instances and, some very sage advice is offered throughout the article, in particular: "We strongly discourage building the entire analyzer before testing specific sections. Such an approach may work for casual kits, but is not suitable when careful control of signal levels is required. That approach also robs you (the builder) of the excitement of the process: the learning that comes from detailed examination."
"Before jumping into the circuit details, we reemphasize that this analyzer although simple is intended for serious measurements."
After double conversion, along with gain equalisation to compensate for losses in the filters and double balanced mixers, this Spectrum Analyzer project has the main gain (as it should be) at the lower IF of 10 Mhz as well as after the logarithmic detection. Extensive filtering is provided throughout the whole Spectrum Analyzer project with both multi-pole resonator filters and a crystal filter. Broad banding techniques are employed in the critical stages of amplifier design ."
