Questions about Used Oscilloscopes

[Omar.M]

Hey guys,
I think it is time I invest in some sort of oscilloscope as I get further into electronics.
I've been checking the used listings around here, being the poor student I am, and found something that may be good.

It is a listing for Metermaster (65601) and a Hitachi (Model V-650F 60mHz) but both without probes.

What would be a reasonable price range for these? And would I require any "special" probes -- as in are the probes specific to each oscilloscope or can I mail order some cheap-o probes?

Thanks!
-Omar

 

[BeeBop]

Hey guys,
I think it is time I invest in some sort of oscilloscope as I get further into electronics.
I've been checking the used listings around here, being the poor student I am, and found something that may be good.

It is a listing for Metermaster (65601) and a Hitachi (Model V-650F 60mHz) but both without probes.

What would be a reasonable price range for these? And would I require any "special" probes -- as in are the probes specific to each oscilloscope or can I mail order some cheap-o probes?

Thanks!
-Omar

I've never heard of the Metermaster, and it seems according to google, that it could be difficult to find a manual, etc. I found the place you were shopping at (usedOttowa.com,) and I would offer $30 to $50 for the Hitachi, but not more. Google also gave me an eBay link, where a Metermaster 65601 sold for $0.99 US.

You can get a good Tek or Alligient used starting at around $200 if you look.

The cheap passive probes should work fine.

EDIT: here is the ebay link:
**broken link removed**

 

[Omar.M]

Thanks very much.
So I decided to stay away from the analog oscilloscopes and am now waiting to see what I can find on e-bay.

200 is around my budget, so I cannot exceed that amount. For a budget around that, I think all I can get is a PC-based scope.

-Omar

 

[Sceadwian]

Sold for .99$ but 30 dollars shipping and handling..
You should be able to find a 20Mhz scope that will work.
For 200 you have a lot of options but you have to bide your time and look for the good deals. Look for used DSO's in working order. Probes you can make yourself if needed. Depends on your frequency of interest. DSO's really have potential if you can find one with a deep capture buffer. Don't worry about precisions because anything you buy you're going to have to calibrate yourself somehow.
I would really keep hunting e-bay or used sites and see what you can find. For 200 dollars new you're going to get 1/4 of the function you can get out of a nicely used model.

 

[HiTech]

check out the local or regional amateur radio hamfests / flea markets. Often they have used scopes for sale and good ones at that. Tektronix scopes sell for around $200 used typically and even if it's out of calibration, it will still outperform a new B&K scope or similar crud. An old HP or Tek scope out of calibration typically means that it's no longer certified to traceable standards (for lab or military measurements). But for your practical needs, it's calibrated just fine!!!

 

[Omar.M]

Hey, thanks! I've looked around for Ham Radio groups and sent a few e-mails (going to see what I can come up with).
Flea markets exist here, but they're a nice, long drive away and they'd offset any savings by costing me for the trip!

I've been spending much time on E-Bay looking to find some deals.
I see a few 'scopes that might be of interest... biggest concern is the huge duty fees I'll get nabbed with when stuff arrives across the border.

I've been working for a while now so my budget is increasing, I think I can go up to $400 but it seems the better scopes are often bought before I even have a chance to figure out if they're any good! Ah well, more reading to do for me, gotta figure out what all these features do xD...
-Omar

 

[Omar.M]

Just a question for the following:
Is the 2465A worth 500$, that's the scope plus two 350 mHz probes.

Unsure if I should go through with it. Surely it beats the 50-100 mHz scopes I was seeing and Tek scopes are pretty solid, I've heard. With that price tag, though, it'd have to be worth it.

I've been looking around e-bay for quite a while. Anything that is worth getting quickly gets out of budget. Plus I have to worry about the customs charges.
Thanks.

 

[BeeBop]

Just a question for the following:
Is the 2465A worth 500$, that's the scope plus two 350 mHz probes.

Unsure if I should go through with it. Surely it beats the 50-100 mHz scopes I was seeing and Tek scopes are pretty solid, I've heard. With that price tag, though, it'd have to be worth it.

I've been looking around e-bay for quite a while. Anything that is worth getting quickly gets out of budget. Plus I have to worry about the customs charges.
Thanks.

YES! Sounds like a great deal, especially if those probes are tek's own with the sensing ring on the connector.

The Tektronix 2465A here on my bench has an original price tag on it of: $5466.72 (That isn't what I paid, I didn't buy it new!) It works like a charm, and I'm totally pleased with it.

If you can snag that scope, do it!

 

[mneary]

I paid US$550 for my 2465A and mine didn't even include probes. I have no regrets.

 

[RadioRon]

... biggest concern is the huge duty fees I'll get nabbed with when stuff arrives across the border.

I know how you feel. There's nothing worse than a UPS guy at the door demanding another $35 before he hands over your little ebay purchase. Too bad you don't live near the border. There are little receiving companies in most US border towns that you can ship your stuff to and then you go down and import it yourself. The one I use only charges $3 for the service, so its pretty economical. Saves a lot of money doing it this way. Shipping inside the USA is almost free compared to shipping in Canada!

 

[Omar.M]

Thanks for the comments guys, it is very appreciated.
Suppose I'll go through with it-- it'll do plenty good, it seems, for someone using it as a hobbyist. I guess sometimes you just have to buckle in and take a hit for something that you seem to need. As a student, 500 bucks is quite a bit of money but I think it'll be well worth it!

RadioRon - That's the only problem with mail order for me. I've had problems with shipments which were a steal when bought... becoming not-so-much-of-a-steal-after-all when nabbed with 60 bucks in just customs fees!

And UPS itself isn't the most trustworthy service. Being interested in model avionics, you cringe when you hear horror stories about how your shipments are sometimes treated.

-Omar

 

[HiTech]

You can always try my hit-n-miss method ---- Spend enough time driving here and there and sooner or later you'll stumble upon a scope that was tossed out curbside!! Actually that was more luck than anything else. The homeowner threw out a Tektronix 2235 100MHz dual trace, delayed sweep solid state scope w/ probes and manual!! Also with it was a Fluke digital temperature meter w/ manual and probe. I can't seem to find anything wrong with either of them and they appear to be calibrated enough for my uses anyway!

**broken link removed**

 

[BeeBop]

You can always try my hit-n-miss method ---- Spend enough time driving here and there and sooner or later you'll stumble upon a scope that was tossed out curbside!! Actually that was more luck than anything else. The homeowner threw out a Tektronix 2235 100MHz dual trace, delayed sweep solid state scope w/ probes and manual!! Also with it was a Fluke digital temperature meter w/ manual and probe. I can't seem to find anything wrong with either of them and they appear to be calibrated enough for my uses anyway!

Some one has a horse shoe up their some thing!

Nice find!

 

[Omar.M]

Oh man...
Now that's luck.

Most I've ever gotten out of the residents of this city...rotting sticks of lumber and a bicycle... pretty nice looking... with a bent wheel.

I think I'll move to Pennsylvania .
-Omar

 

[HiTech]

Like I said, it was pure luck and the neighborhood was a nice one too. All I could think of was that they were moving (for sale sign out front) and needed to do house cleaning or perhaps there was a divorce and the woman threw out her spouse's items!!! That's happened before!