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| Reviews Summary for Elecraft N-Gen Wideband Noise Generator |
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Reviews: 7
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Average rating: 4.6/5
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MSRP: $39
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Description: The N-gen is a calibrated, wide-band (100 kHz-500 MHz +/- 3 dB) noise source that can be used for a variety of receiver RF and IF alignment tasks. It can be powered either from its on-board 9-volt battery or from an external source. A red LED is provided to indicate that the unit is operating.
The N-Gen is one of several inexpensive kits in Elecraft's mini-modules series. The builder can package the unit in an enclosure of their choice, or use the supplied rubber feet on the PC board itself.
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Product is in production.
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More info: http://www.elecraft.com
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write your own review of the Elecraft N-Gen Wideband Noise Generator.
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K3IT
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 26, 2012 09:41
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good but could use more gain
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Great noise source. Add about 65 db amplification to be *really* useful. Otherwise the output is a bit low to see the complete filter response over a wide spectrum.
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HA6SST
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 15, 2007 04:12
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Useful Kit
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Assembled the kit in about an hour and I was using it for filter alignments before the solder even cooled. Anyone with poor eyesight might need help with soldering the amplifier chip though!!
HA6SST
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AA5CH
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 12, 2006 07:10
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Just Assembled One Myself
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I assembled a N-Gen yesterday afternoon. It took a couple of hours, taking my time and dealing with a couple of distractions (such as going to Radio Shack to get a magnifying glass). It appears my eyes have degraded somewhat since I built the K1 a few years ago!
Mounting the tiny transistor was a little tricky as it kept sticking to the iron. Pre-tinning the pads and holding it in place with a pair of tweezers solved that. Other than that, it is a very simple matter of placing a few components through the board, soldering and trimming the leads.
In addition to being essential in its alignment, the N-Gen should be a nice warm-up for the 2 meter transverter kit which in turn, should be a warm-up for the K2.
73,
Brad AA5CH
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AB4BC
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 12, 2006 06:01
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Fun to build and works great!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought this kit to use for setup and alignment of the 222 MHz transverter kit. Its a fun little kit to put together and works as specified. Great little tool to have in the hamshack!
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K3ROJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 20, 2005 14:23
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Great little device
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This little noise generator is great for aligning almost any receiver, IF section or filters. I discovered that the output needed some attenuation depending on the sensitivity of the receiver.
By using a spectrum analyzer, tuning filters etc. are a snap with an accurate frequency marker.
Also making antenna stub phasing lines are easy again using a spectrum analyzer.
I do have a calibrated older noise generator but this little thing is always handy especially inside a small box and a separate 9 volt supply so it can be left on all the time.
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N7KZZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 10, 2004 21:05
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Typical Elecraft excellence
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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After I built my K1, I decided to try some of their accessories. The N-Gen was everything that I expected. Used with my A&A Engineering Spectrum analyser, it makes initial tuning of band pass filters quicker and simpler. High quality kit, low price, does everything they say it will.
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OZ6ABM
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Rating: 3/5
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Jan 9, 2004 09:04
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It does what it does...
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought the N-GEN with my K2. It was easy to build, took approx 25 minutes and then I waited 7 days for a missing part - but I should have checked the parts before I really needed the N-GEN to align my K2.
When completed it worked first time, no problem. It certainly gives nice 'clean' noise - as expected.
I did align my K2 filters using Spoectrogram without the N-GEN (waiting for the missing part to arrive). When the 'part' arrived I though it would provide a cleaner and easier way of looking at the filter shapes, but it really didn't make the job much easier. It effectively raised the floor level of the noise by approx 30dB, and the shoulders of the filters were very much the same (and just as clear) when using antenna atmospheric noise. It had much the same effect as turning up the AF gain on the K2, just more powerfull. So I guess it does what it's supposed to, and would have been a good help if I had some real local antenna noise sources that were being a nuisance.
I haven't tried it with transverter alignment.
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