cheap O scopes!

[N2DTS]

The bottom must have fell out of the used O scope market.
I just got a 4 trace 100 MHz newish HP-Agilent unit for $200.00 on epay.
Seems like a lot of scope for the money...

[Opcom]

Many newest scopes have the 'digital phosphor' and like features including the ability to draw a box on the display panel around a suspected anomaly or glitch area on a waveform and have the scope trigger only when that is present. And who knows what else. These and other advances may increase the value we get when we buy used scopes lowering the prices for the better stuff. A new era of hobbyist prosperity, two scopes connected to every pot and a spectrum analyzer in every garage.

[W3LSN]

As it is with radios, 'scope technology has been heading in a software defined direction for a while, and the market is glutted with cheap imports from the Far East which is driving prices down.

73,
Jim
WA2AJM/3

[N2DTS]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321633845140?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Looks quite digital and modern!

[WBear2GCR]

A whole lot of scopes on epay are sold "as-is" and may or may not function fully.
The ones that are sold in working and good condition tend to be higher priced.

But I did just pick up a Tek 454 (now ancient, 1971 technology) 100mhz dual trace - nuvistor
first stage (hard to blow up!) that works perfectly for $65 shipped... but that is not usually the case.

Have another boots up on the bench that has a faulty trigger function, I'll use the working one
to compare, since there's nothing very obvious as to why the non-triggering one, isn't triggering.
I suspect a tunnel diode being non tunneling...

[N2DTS]

I have an old 20 MHz leader scope that was given to me 15 years ago.
It has something erratic in the gain/position circuit. I have gone over the solder 10 times, cleaned the controls, with no effect.
It works, but often 'freaks out'.
So I thought a new 100 MHz unit would be nice and was shocked by the prices.
$200.00 for a like new 4 trace 100 MHz digital storage scope that works seems cheap, what did they sell for new, $8000.00 or something?

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I have an old 20 MHz leader scope that was given to me 15 years ago.
It has something erratic in the gain/position circuit. I have gone over the solder 10 times, cleaned the controls, with no effect.
It works, but often 'freaks out'.
So I thought a new 100 MHz unit would be nice and was shocked by the prices.
$200.00 for a like new 4 trace 100 MHz digital storage scope that works seems cheap, what did they sell for new, $8000.00 or something?

Manufacturer List Price (US):    $ 2,995

[N2DTS]

Found an old add for refurbished ones at that price...

I have an old 20 MHz leader scope that was given to me 15 years ago.
It has something erratic in the gain/position circuit. I have gone over the solder 10 times, cleaned the controls, with no effect.
It works, but often 'freaks out'.
So I thought a new 100 MHz unit would be nice and was shocked by the prices.
$200.00 for a like new 4 trace 100 MHz digital storage scope that works seems cheap, what did they sell for new, $8000.00 or something?

Manufacturer List Price (US):    $ 2,995

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Found an old add for refurbished ones at that price...

I have an old 20 MHz leader scope that was given to me 15 years ago.
It has something erratic in the gain/position circuit. I have gone over the solder 10 times, cleaned the controls, with no effect.
It works, but often 'freaks out'.
So I thought a new 100 MHz unit would be nice and was shocked by the prices.
$200.00 for a like new 4 trace 100 MHz digital storage scope that works seems cheap, what did they sell for new, $8000.00 or something?

Manufacturer List Price (US):    $ 2,995

See attached:

[N2DTS]

Well, thanks for that!
Very inexpensive even new, so why are laptops so expensive?

Those scopes have a common fault, but its only an electrolytic cap.
10uf at 16 volts, people just put in a higher rated cap.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Well, thanks for that!
Very inexpensive even new, so why are laptops so expensive?

Those scopes have a common fault, but its only an electrolytic cap.
10uf at 16 volts, people just put in a higher rated cap.

A world of information is available at your fingertips, with a small footprint, from just about anywhere.
Can't do that with a scope.

[N2DTS]

Got the scope, looks and works like new, very nice, but these digital scopes seem to be a bunch of dots, not a sweep.
It does not display complex waveforms well, like the IF output.
Unless I am missing something...

[WBear2GCR]

There is some relationship between number of bits in the A/D, the sample rate and the alleged bandwidth...

                         _-_-

[Opcom]

Digital scopes require additional knowledge to operate. It's not complicated but it is different and in addition to the analog scope knowledge. Poor results and incorrect displays (like aliasing) are the result of not setting up the scope correctly, and good results can be had with lesser bits. To make it a little more confusing, no two are alike. Only recent models seem to be on the way to overcoming these issues, maybe by brute force computing and speed or so it seems. Some made within the last 10-15 years are able to 'auto set' themselves to give the operator a simple starting point from which to adjust for the desired sort of display. One major brand having but one large processor will stop the acquisition if you touch any control because it has to attend to you instead of acquisition, processing and and display. Another with multiple smaller processors, one for each kind of internal workings, will act like a conventional scope and keep up with the fast-fingered operator. Oddly they are about the same cost. 

[N2DTS]

Well, this scope does not seem to be overly complicated to operate, it has some menu's but you can go through them in 5 minutes.
The scope seems limited to x amount of bits (dots) per second.
That is ok for something like a waveform, but not enough for a display like the IF out of a receiver where the waveform is large and needs to be filled in.
Its very interesting playing with the trigger stuff as sometimes the display will freeze on a modulation peak and you can get a good idea of what the modulation looks like.

Still, its not what I was looking for, so I may sell it and look for an analog one.
Its interesting that it can measure voltage and time/duration and display it on the screen and other cool digital stuff like that, and it seems easy to use and figure out.

[KA2DZT]

I use an old HP 120 scope and I feed the vertical plates directly.  Easy mod to the scope and my xmtr has an output for the vertical plates.  Works perfect, but you need about 60 volts to drive the plates.

Fred