Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Semi-OT: many oscilloscopes for sale in NJ
When I went looking for a scope, admittedly I was looking for that I was familiar with, like the scopes I used at IBM. As a customer engineer I used Tek 453, 454, 475 and a 2465. Shopping at hamfests I initially found a 454 for around $50 but a few years later I found an ex-IBM 475 with DM44 (digital meter module) for $60 and finally I found a 2445 (little 150mhz brother to the 2465) on Craigslist for $150. FWIW, I tested all of these scopes for basic operation using a probe and the calibration output before handing over the money. While I personally wouldn’t but a similar lot of condition unknown scopes, I just wanted to point out that decent used scopes are available at a decent price if you keep your eyes open. All of these scopes are great for the hobby and I have to admit that the user interface is much less confusing to me than the Rigol DS1054z digital scope I bought. I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. 😀 Jeff On Wed, Sep 20, 2023 at 10:35 AM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
Bill has a good point.
I’ve been working on equipment for many years and often, the time spent is just not worth it. But if you really have your heart set on an old Tek scope, then it is worth it in the long run.
Otherwise, for those who don’t want to spend the time, a digital scope for a few hundred dollars or less is probably better.
Mike R.
On 9/20/2023 6:11 PM, Jeff Galinat via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
All of these scopes are great for the hobby and I have to admit that the user interface is much less confusing to me than the Rigol DS1054z digital scope I bought. I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. 😀
I feel sometimes like I should hand in my "geek" card or something, because I pick up new tech pretty easily and I've continued to struggle with the UX of the new DSOs. I can get a trace and get my answer so much quicker on my 2465 than I can on either of the newer DSOs I own.
Jeff Jim
I feel sometimes like I should hand in my "geek" card or something, because I pick up new tech pretty easily and I've continued to struggle with the UX of the new DSOs. I can get a trace and get my answer so much quicker on my 2465 than I can on either of the newer DSOs I own.
Don't feel bad. A customer has a Rigol and I hate using it. I can manage, but the interface is clunky, and I absolutely loathe the thing it does where it makes too-big signals (e.g. off screen trace) look like clipping (draws a straight line across instead of blanking the trace). The physical controls are too overloaded to make navigation quick and easy. Of course, you can just hit the AUTO button and hope/guess it picks the right thing to show you :P Kinda neat it can decode some serial comms directly, but that's the only "wow!" feature I've found so far. Thanks, Jonathan
On 9/20/23 19:21, RETRO Innovations via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
All of these scopes are great for the hobby and I have to admit that the user interface is much less confusing to me than the Rigol DS1054z digital scope I bought. I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. 😀
I feel sometimes like I should hand in my "geek" card or something, because I pick up new tech pretty easily and I've continued to struggle with the UX of the new DSOs. I can get a trace and get my answer so much quicker on my 2465 than I can on either of the newer DSOs I own.
That ain't you! -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
participants (4)
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Dave McGuire -
Jeff Galinat -
Jonathan Chapman -
RETRO Innovations