My 310A was originally owned by the Australian Department of Defence's servicing unit laboratory - Australian Defence Industries . I bought it on eBay.com.au and this is the most likely source for other units. Other possible sources include government auctions or disposal sales.
The 310A was intended to be rack mounted in a standard 19 inch rack. This requires the rack mount brackets which are not always available. My 310A sits on a shelf in a 19 inch rack.
The 310A requires mains voltage and a surprisingly high wattage (16Watt). It has a nominal mains voltage selectable at either 115 or 230V AC at 50Hz to 1kHz. It operates quite happily on Australia's 240V, 50Hz system.
Buy the manual! HP no longer supports this model (it was built in 1963, after all) and you are unlikely to find a serviceman able to handle it. You will be the maintenance staff! I bought my manual from Manuals Plus. A time of writing they still had a small number available. Prices are reasonable and my copy reached me by FedEx three days after ordering.
Although over 40 years old, the beast still functions perfectly. At some future time no doubt the electrolytic capacitors will dry up and the resistors and other capacitors will age off-spec. The Silicon and Germanium transistors should have a long life, with the Germanium devices failing first. Replacing them will require that their circuits be redesigned for the different working point of replacement silicon devices.
The mechanical linkages to the VFO, the switches and other components are well made, but cannot last forever. Replacement of these is very problematic.
The 310A is physically and electrically robust, but users should avoid the temptation to handle the controls roughly, if only to extend the life of the instrument. While the dynamic range is high, input should be kept within a reasonable limit. This is not a power meter, but you can use it to measure the output of oscillators, IFs, filters, antennas and other low level circuits.
HP 310A Specifications Controls Maintenance Receiver Spectrum analysis Distortion Networks
Copyright John Alexander Faulkner VK2DVW 28 October 2004
email - [email protected]