How do my RF explorer repaired?

[Jay Thompson]

My older unit reads about 30 dB low on the 15-2700 module and the back light is stuck at the lowest setting.
Emailed nuts about nets but not getting any help from them, need to move to the next option.

thanks

[Ariel Rocholl]

Hi Jay,

For specific support questions, please contact us on this form www.rf-explorer.com/contact - please include details of your exact measurement setup so we can verify on our side.

Regards. Ariel

[Jay Thompson]

Can you explain the relationship between rfexplorer.com, rf-explorer.com, Seeed studio and nuts about nets? It's hard to figure out who does what. Seems like each site is willing to take money but not provide customer service.

My partner taught a class to RF techs this week, he said about half the class of 15 said they were going to buy RF explorers after he showed his. Do you have a sales commission plan? This is a typical response when we teach.

We are consider putting a picture and description in our next book on communications technician training and a mention and link from our website but are wondering about the lack of response to my multiple requests for repair.

[Ariel Rocholl]

Hi Jay,

The official product homepage is www.rf-explorer.com, we are the designers and ultimate producers of software and documentation. We do not take any money as far as we do not sell products directly. Regarding support, we received your email yesterday, it takes anywhere between 24-48hs to assign a support issue to an engineer, we are working on your issue as I write.

The actual manufacturing and worldwide wholesale distribution is handled by our partner SeeedStudio.

Last but not least, www.rfexplorer.com and www.NutsAboutNets.com are the same company, a larger RF Explorer distributor in the US. We do not know why or how they didn't answer your support request, they are entitled to provide post-sales support and they usually do a good job on that.

We can arrange volume reselling options with you, contact us privately for more details on this subject.

Regards

Ariel

[Jay Thompson]

I got my email today and responded.

Have you looked into making an RF modulation scope module?

We service paging and 2 way  systems around the US. It's much easier to carry your spectrum analyzer and generator than a full blown service monitor. 99% of the time we need to see power, freq error and mod levels, if the RF explorer could get to zero span that would be a great help.

[Diogo Nunes Pereira]

Funny you say this...

I've emailed sup...@nutsaboutnets.com twice with some questions about their Touchstone Pro software (a licenced software I paid for) and also never got an answer.

Hope they improve their answering skills soon.

Cheers,

D

[Ariel Rocholl]

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, we are currently looking into offering additional capabilities such as demodulator and LF module. No ETA yet but certainly in the roadmap.

[Jay Thompson]

Nice to meet today, really looking forward to your zero span and other enhancements.  We had a productive talk with Mr. Nuts about nets.

Your youtube calibration demo only shows 3 steps, my unit did 5. I was expecting the system to ask me what level I was generating to do the calibration, did  I miss something?

I used my RF explorer generator and both spectrum analyzers to get these results.
The generator has a male SMA to female BNC adapter, a BNC to BNC adapter and a 16" double shielded teflon cable to the spec an.
Switch 0

EX 2 is my older unit with the dim display, these measurements are after calibration. EX1 has not be calibrated.

464.5000

no attenuation   
EX 1 -28.5 dBm
EX 2 -36 dBm

generator attenuation on
EX 1 -39
EX 2 -55 dBm

15 dB pad, no generator attenuation
RF1  -52 dBm
RF2  -65 dBm

thanks for your help.

 





 

[Ariel Rocholl]

Hi,

It was nice opportunity to meet in person, thanks for stopping by @ HAMvention.

Regarding your question, the calibration may take several steps, it really depends on calibration process finetuning iteratively. As long as the calibration process finished correctly, the number of steps is irrelevant.

Note the calibration currently available only adjust frequency, to overcome crystal tolerance. However, it does not allow yet amplitude calibration, which will require a more complex process where a number of different frequency test points will be required. This will be available in a future firmware & software upgrade.

In your measurements below, which was the SPAN setting and CALCULATOR setting?