OK, long story short, I recently got a black-eye on a service job where the customer was having trouble communicating with a remote site. We spent a couple of days on it, and could not fix it. But with help from yall, i had figured out it was probably a bad cable. Anyway, before i could get back out there, some yahoo with a service monitor came out and figured out the problem in like 5 minutes. I mean, geez, If I had the right equipment, i coulda done that too. thats like cheating!

I've been trying to get my bosses to invest in a good service monitor for a few years now, and the best I've gotten out of them is a telewave wattmeter with ranges from 5-500 watts (90% of the stuff we do is 1 watt or less, and the highest we have gone so far is 5 watts, so this thing is only marginally useful). Anyway, I've decided its time i take a little pride in my work and get the equipmnent i need myself. So i need advice.

Obviously, I'm about to get a bird 43 with appropriate slugs. But i also want to get some kind of service monitor. I'm really worried about the prices I'm seeing out there, but i have no problem with getting a used one. Even then, I am still looking at a few thousand dollars, so I figure if i have to invest that much, i want a good one. I have used service monitors a couple of times (always under close supervision of the owner) and I think learning how to use it will not be a problem.

The way I figure it, I want to be able to measure field strength, check the frequency of a radio, listen for or see interference on my frequency, See activity on frequencies around my frequency (cause i do a lot of spread spectrum stuff), do some directional finding for when I'm being walked on, and I understand most service monitors have built in o-scopes that you can use to check voltages and waveforms. The frequency ranges I deal with are 150-175MHz (i dont know the full range of this band), 900 MhZ band, and the 2.4 GHz band. And i also run a CB, so it would be nice if it worked on those frequencies too so i could play around with it. The biggest problem seems to be finding one that will work with 2.4-2.5 GHz.

What specific features do i need to look for? Right now, I'm thinking i just need to make sure it has a spectrum analyzer, and any service monitor should be able to do the rest of that. Am i right?

Also, what brands or models should i look for and/or be wary of. (This will probably offend some of yall, but ...) Someone has told me to steer clear of marconi and cushman, and try to get a motorloa, IFR, or HP. Does anyone know good places to get these cheap? I'm already on the lookout at Ebay.

Or, do i even need to drop the money on a full blown service monitor, is there less expensive equipment that will do everything i want?

And 1 final question. Do yall think it would be worth my time to get an FCC liscence like HAM operators have? If so, which one should i go for? As far as i know, I do not need it for work or to service these radios I have installed. But if I'm about to drop this kinda cash, maybe it would be a good idea. I just cannot figure out what the benefits are of getting involved with the FCC on that level.


thanks in advance
-jeff

 

I think you are heading in the right direction for radio work, Jeff. Kind of hard to give a definitive answer to some of this, your equipment needs depend on just how deeply you want to get into radio related service. A spectrum analyzer, frequency counter and a Bird 43 are absolute minimum, but sufficient for most radio diagnoses. The service monitor will be useful if you find yourself actually working on the radio device alignment. Motorola makes great ones, along with Sencore. May be diffcult to find a service monitor that extends to 2.5Ghz, although spectrum analyzers shoud do this, even if you need an external down-convertor. Whether or not you need to get licensed is up to you, I don't believe there are any FCC commercial requirements for licensed radio repair like there was 20 years ago. Studying for an Amateur Radio license would be beneficial if you have an interest in the hobby while you are trying to get the radio theory down better. I have held the radiotelephone 1st class and still have an Amateur advanced license, and the background these provided me laid the groundwork for my electronics education. I wouldn't be the same techno-nerd without it. Hope some of this helps, I know it's still pretty general.

Pat

 

I have been a radio and general electronics tech all my life, with only about three years in industrial controls along the way.

If you are serious about getting into radio work spend the extra money and get radio service monitor, it gives you everything you'll ever need in one 'almost' portable package. Yes Cushman have been out of business for a long time so anything made by them is old, their YIG oscillators are all dying. Marconi make good gear but have always tended to lag a little in the reliability department.

Tektronix only support their gear while it is under warranty. After that they want you to buy a new one. HP has always been the clear front runner, they have more second hand gear out there than anyone. I never saw IFR gear in NZ and have only been in the US for 4 years so know nothing about it, but there seems to be a lot of it around here, and popular usually means good value. Do get some training specifically in radio, it will make your life much easier.

Good Luck,
Evan