=  NOW 30 WPM  =  TEXT IS FROM MARCH 2023 QST  PAGE 44 =

GENERATORS REVIEWED BY PAUL DANZER, N1II N1II ARRL. NET  YOU CAN NO LONGER
BUY A SIGNAL GENERATOR LIKE YOU USED TO.  ALTHOUGH SOME MANUFACTURERS
DIVIDE THEIR PRODUCTS INTO TWO CLASSES ANALOG SIGNAL GENERATORS WHOSE
PRIMARY OUTPUT IS CW SINE WAVE, AND VECTOR OR DIGITAL SIGNAL GENERATORS
WHOSE PRIMARY OUTPUT IS COMPLEX DIGITAL WAVEFORMS MOST ANALOG SIGNAL
GENERATORS CAN GENERATE SQUARE, TRIANGULAR, AND VARIOUS DIGITAL WAVEFORMS.
MOST DIGITAL SIGNAL GENERATORS ALSO CAN GENERATE CW.  THE OLDER GENERATION
GENERATORS WERE CAPABLE OF CW ONLY OUTPUT.  DRIFTING DUE TO HEAT VACUUM
TUBES WERE VERY GOOD AT MAKING HEAT AND DRIFT IN CALIBRATION WERE MAJOR
PROBLEMS, AS WAS THE AGING OF COMPONENTS WITH TIME.  THESE PROBLEMS DROVE
THE SIZE AND MECHANICAL DESIGN, AS WELL AS THE TYPE OF OSCILLATOR USED IN
THE UNIT.  IN TURN, THESE CONSIDERATIONS RESULTED IN LIMITS TO THE
FREQUENCY RANGE AVAILABLE WITH MULTIPLE RANGE SWITCH POSITIONS.  NEARLY ALL
SUCH UNITS HAD ONLY ONE OUTPUT CHANNEL AND HAD TO BE RECALIBRATED
PERIODICALLY.  FOR HIGH ACCURACY FREQUENCY GENERATION, MANY LAB
APPLICATIONS REQUIRED A STAND ALONE FREQUENCY COUNTER, WHICH HAD ITS OWN
=  END OF 30 WPM TEXT  =  QST DE W1AW  <