The measurement of frequency and frequency stability of precision oscillators

The specification and performance of precision oscillators is discussed as a very important topic to the owners and users of these oscillators. This paper presents at the tutorial level some convenient methods of measuring the frequencies of precision oscillators -- giving advantages and disadvantages of these methods. Further it is shown that by processing the data from the frequency measurements in certain ways, one may be able to state more general characteristics of the oscillators being measured. The goal in this regard is to allow the comparisons of different manufacturers' specifications and more importantly to help assess whether these oscillators will meet the standard of performance the user may have in a particular application.