unsure to buy Anritsu MS2601a - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / rf-microwave

author: yo0
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2023, 06:12:24 pm
content: hello i am new to rf stuff, somebody can tell me please if the trace looks ok? the seller says don´t know how to use the equipment, i really don´t know if is damaged or not. all the images i can find on the internet are with the trace at the bottom of the screen.any help will be appreciatedbest regardsPio

author: Aiy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2023, 07:20:46 pm
content: Hi there,Well the trace looks a bit funny, but that might not mean that its completely broken..From the settings visible on screen:10dB / divider vertical40dB input attenuator -> makes the trace move up 4 dividers20dB reference level -> makes the trace move up 2 dividersCenter frequency 400kHz so zero frequency is mid screenI'm assuming on-screen bandwidth 50MHz (hard to see, bottom of screen center)There are no error messages on screen, but you might get those when you start doing things with it (like self calibration if that's available)If you have access to the machine you could try to get it to the preset settings (there is usually a shortcut button that resets it to defaults, perhaps with "shift" button combination)Hope that helps a little

author: yo0
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2023, 07:48:44 pm
content: thank you very much, your analisis looks pretty good to me, hope is good, lets see if somebody gives more opinions before make the choice to buy.best regardsPio

author: Uky
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 08, 2023, 06:08:23 pm
content: The first thing to check when considering a purchase of an old electronic instrument is the availability of a "CLIP";Component Level Information Package = Complete service manual with schematics and parts list.Unfortunately, Anritsu has not been to willing to make much of their service documentation available in the same way as eg. HP and Tektronixdid for older instruments. I have experienced this myself, being unable to repair and adjust an 8 GHz digital Anritsu spectrum analyzer.I could check the voltage levels and look for oviously burned components but that was about it. Lacking practical accessories likeboard extenders etc. also contributed to the decision to scrap the instrument.The analyzer you are considering may very well be OK and/or easy to fix but try obtaining a manual set for it.

author: yo0
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2023, 06:17:03 pm
content: Quote from: Uky on November 08, 2023, 06:08:23 pmI already have both manuals, I bite the bullet and bought it, let's wait it arrives, hope it is okBest regards and thanks to all of you for the opinionsPio

author: jwet
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2023, 02:45:51 am
content: Congratulations I hope.If you're in a return window, do some extensive testing of all functions and ranges. I've bought Ebay equipment where a cursory look would make it look fine but as I dug in, I learned that one of the internal attenuators or filters is no good. It might have gotten an overload on that setup and fried something. It all works except in a -30 dB position for example. You might not catch this for a while, after your return window has passed. If you identify a problem, promptly, you've got a pretty good chance of getting cooperation out of the vendor. Parts can be really, really hard to find especially for brands other than HP and Tek- Anritsu is pretty big but tend to be regionalized to Asia.. Sometimes if you detect a problem, you can work around it but often not. I've bought equipment where the seller really though the thing was 100% and was very helpful.

author: yo0
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2023, 03:23:50 am
content: Quote from: jwet on November 16, 2023, 02:45:51 amthank you very much for the advice, i will try to test it as deep as i can, unfortunately no prior experience with this kind of equipment, i think i need read very well the manual for the performance testsbest regardsPio

author: jwet
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2023, 06:31:15 pm
content: Do your best. Enlist a friend if you can. I used to take my finds to my work and buy our cal tech a lunch for giving me a hand after hours.Just ran into this the other day. I have a Racal Dana 1992 Freq Counter- classic. Everything works fine. Went to hook it up to HPIB to computer and didn't work.Opened up and saw cable off, reset cable and learned it won't boot up with HPIB- bought it several years ago. Its a rare need so not terrible.

author: gcrcien
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 17, 2023, 03:47:24 pm
content: @yo0 Ya B@sterd haha you were the one who beat me to this one, i was thinking of buying it, i had the mercadolibre listed as favorite to buy with the aguinaldo hahahCongratulations on the score, hopefully its working ok

author: yo0
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2023, 05:44:07 pm
content: Quote from: gcrcien on November 17, 2023, 03:47:24 pmunfortunately it is no good, already returned and refunded (thanks to mercadolibre great return and refund policies), i suspect problems with power supplys (affecting display and initial signal level) and very likely attenuators, not worth the effort and cost.best regards and thanks to all of you for your time and helpPio