Batboard

How good are the Motorola R2200A service monitors? I'm thinking about trying to talk my better half into letting me buy one on fleaBay. Should I go for it, or look for something else, like IFR or Cushman? I've also found a Cushman CE50 for a comparable price. Does the CE50 have a tracking generator? How about a spec. an.? The auction doesn't positivly say, and I can't find anything on the web saying yes or no. I do know the R2200 doesn't have either. If the CE50 does, it may have to be my choice.

my 2 cents, a Communication Analyzer like the 2200 is only as good as the shape its in. I would avoid the bay, unless you know the seller. I know of someone who bought a service monitor that was dropped. that was a bad deal! We fired up our service monitor & it had a problem so we had to send it in. and thats city property. might get expensive when the time comes to service an Analyzer....
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back to work- on 3rd shift

check the calibration date.
that should be a good sign of its treatment.

We recently purchased a new service monitor, and placed a ShockWatch sticker right on the top! That way there is no question on it's handling.

http://www.shocklog.com/assets/download ... kWatch.pdf

As for the R2200A, I believe that it is a very robust monitor that can still do the job. Allthough I would have to agree with the others when it comes to Fleabay. I have seen some 2200's that have bad buttons, or a damaged LCD. Both are a small fortune to replace. Hell, I don't even know if you can get parts for them any more. Ask lots of questions, and good luck on your purchase.

~WEC

Well, the 2200 I'm looking at has a calibration date of last month, so I should have to think that it's been taken good care of. Seller shows only 3 negatives out of over 2000 transactions, mostly for test equipment of this sort (all the transactions, not just the negatives ).

The CE50 I'm watching, on the other hand, has many fewer transactions, under 70, with one negative, and he doesn't know when the last calibration was. Sure would've been nice to have the CE50, as it has a spec. an., and a tracking generator, built in, but the unknown calibration date worries me. It also doesn't have a tone generator in it for PL.

Either way, thanks for the tips guys, now its time to sweet-talk the wife!

who did the calibration.
If it was sent to Mot then it has been serviced as well as calibrated

The calibration was done by Cal Labs, March 20 2007. I've put a $900 max bid, and am currently the winning bidder at $790 (yay!). Wish me luck!

Seems like I looked at that one yesterday and it had a buy it now at $995... hmmm guess it went away once bidding started..

CE-50's are getting pretty old, and so far as I know, nobody claims them anymore. Seems to me that the tiny scope would make any tracking gen difficult to use. There was a tracking gen option on those, but they are clearly marked. Make sure it really has one.

Some of the R20xx series had a sweep generator function that could be used for some things, but it's hardly a tracking generator. (Mine is an R2008D) Frankly unless you anticipate a lot of filter/duplexer work, you really don't need one, and they add tremendously to cost.

One other option is to buy a sweep gen, which can be used with any "fair" O'scope. You then get some type of coupler/bridge an inline detector, and away you go. As long as the sweep gen has provisions for an external marker, you can put the ping wherever you want. I've got a Wavetek 2001 with the slide rule dial which works OK, and along with a couple of bridges, I just don't need all the expense.