Need info IFR 1600

[VE2VXT]

Hello group,

I'm trying to find more informations on the IFR 1600, I have a luck to buy this equipment and I have some questions about options.
What is meen options 16, 21 and 35

Is it a good test set or it better to look for an other model? What is positive and negative?
Some years ago I used COM-120A and B version and it was a plaesure to operate, Is is the same feeling? I need to use the tracking generator.

Thank you.
Eric VE2VXT /VE7

[Wowbagger]

Hello group,

I'm trying to find more informations on the IFR 1600, I have a luck to buy this equipment and I have some questions about options.
What is meen options 16, 21 and 35

Is it a good test set or it better to look for an other model? What is positive and negative?
Some years ago I used COM-120A and B version and it was a plaesure to operate, Is is the same feeling? I need to use the tracking generator.

Thank you.
Eric VE2VXT /VE7

Well, I am very biased on this as I designed the COM-120B (and thank you for your comment, BTW), but:

The 1600 tracking generator doesn't do the offset tracking generator feature the 120 did. The 1600 doesn't have the split-screen analyzer like the 120 does. I frequently cuss when I use the 1600 due to the difference between the field select keys and the edit cursor keys, but that's just a familiarity issue - I've seen folks who are used to the 1600 cuss at a COM-120B.

I'm trying to dig up what the option numbers for the 1600 mean - I've asked the engineer in charge of that project if she could look them up, but she's going to have to dig around in the source code and she (like me) is busy.

[kc7gr]

Speaking as an owner/user of the 1600, I really like it. My only real concern was the long-term life of the CRT, and what to change out to once it went. This concern was especially strong because of the video display format used (EGA).

Fortunately, I discovered a company that makes an EGA-to-VGA converter board. Check this link.

http://www.converters.tv/products/cga_to_vga/657.html

It is my belief that, given one of these boards and a standard OEM 6-inch or so VGA LCD display, one could retrofit from the CRT in these monitors fairly easily.

Wowbagger -- Any comments on that? I think it'd make a fun project.

Happy tweaking.

[Wowbagger]

Given a converter it wouldn't be anything but mechanical engineering to make the monitor fit.

Moreover, if you could get your hands on a modern 1600/1900 video card and the updated firmware, you'd already have the VGA output, as the flat panels in the 1900 are VGA.

But given the likely cost of getting the above from Customer Service, the adapter would be cheaper.

In fact, many LCD boards that can accept VGA might already be able to do the EGA scan rates - if that is the case you'd only need to convert from the 6 bit EGA to analog VGA - something that you could do with a simple resistor divider network.