Orrin wrote:

I happened upon one of the seller's auctions, so I checked that one
and several others.  In the boilerplate of each one I found this:

If I understand this correctly, I buy an instrument, the seller
"calibrates" it before shipment, but doesn't send the calibration
certificate with the item.  He mails it to me after I "accept[] [the
instrument] as working within specs."

So, I have to verify the calibration myself, and then this seller
will send me a "NIST traceable calibration certificate"???  Words
cannot express how irregular that sounds to me.  I'd be interested to
hear about any other NIST traceable calibration facility that works this way.

Best regards,

Charles

I think the statement is awkward English, but what I think he is trying
to say is that:

1. the instrument will be recalibrated
2. after the instrument is verified, by the calibration lab,
   to be working within specs,
3. a NIST traceable calibration certificate will be mailed.

-Chuck Harris

Charles Steinmetz wrote:

Chuck wrote:

The seller does his own calibrations.  Also, if he sent it out for
cal, it would come back with a certificate -- why wouldn't he just
leave the certificate in the box when he shipped the unit to the
buyer, instead of mailing it later?  Something very strange seems to
be going on.

Best regards,

Charles

They shipped the certificate with the 3456A I got from them.  The cal
certificate is from AAA Calibration Equipment Specialist Inc. at a SW
Albuquerque address and is issued to AAA Equipment Resources Inc.
at a NW Albuquerque address.

I suspect some internal accounting reason or a defense against dishonest
buyers for this.

BTW, they don't list any accreditation on the certificate.

I did once ask if they could cal an 8484A and they said no.

As for the local labs here, I'm not happy with the local Tek lab that I
sent my TDS210 to in its original packaging.  They returned it in a small
box with two layers of bubble wrap.

The Fluke HQ and cal lab is twenty miles from here... I think that's about
as good as it gets, so they might be getting my business in the future.

Orin.

On Sun, Aug 11, 2013 at 5:57 AM, Charles Steinmetz csteinmetz@yandex.comwrote:

Would a 34401A be a better choice, over a 3457A for a budding volt-nut? It
is newer and smaller, and the ebay pricing is similar. Would having that
extra digit via GPIB on the 3457A really be of any practical value?

Joe Gray
W5JG

On Sun, Aug 11, 2013 at 10:29 AM, Charles Steinmetz
csteinmetz@yandex.comwrote:

In 2002 I bought a used HP 34401A.  Sent it in to Agilent (Loveland, CO) for
calibration in March 2005 and they sent it back with both "as found" and "as
left" sets of data.  This is what the "as found" data said:

100mV = -4 ppm
1.0V = +3 ppm
10.0V = +5 ppm
100V = +4 ppm
1000V = +6 ppm

They adjusted it to be perfect.  Sent it again to Agilent in April 2009.
Had to send it to Roseville, CA this time.  (They told me Loveland
calibrations were reserved only for their higher precision meters.) The "as
found" data from Roseville showed the following:

100mV = +7 ppm
1.0V = +1 ppm
10.0V +1 ppm
100V +23 ppm
1000V = +19 ppm

In my opinion the 34401A is an excellent value and this one drifts far less
than it's specified values. Your mileage may vary.

Regards,

mitch

-----Original Message-----
From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On
Behalf Of Joseph Gray
Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2013 2:00 PM
To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement
Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] HP 3457A

Would a 34401A be a better choice, over a 3457A for a budding volt-nut? It
is newer and smaller, and the ebay pricing is similar. Would having that
extra digit via GPIB on the 3457A really be of any practical value?

Joe Gray
W5JG

On Sun, Aug 11, 2013 at 10:29 AM, Charles Steinmetz
csteinmetz@yandex.comwrote:

going on.

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