How much should I pay for a good oscilloscope?

Hi guys,

As the title suggests, how much should I pay for an old oscilloscope? I can get a basic one for AU$100 or a more advanced on which the guy I'm buying it from says will pretty much set itself up and I won't need to adjust it for $200. The $200 one is at least twice the width of the $100 with 2 or 3 times the controls and they are both about 2.5 feet deep. They're actually much larger than I expected. I might call him and see if I can get the make/model.

Thanks again,

Kris

But what kind of oscilloscope are you talking about? Digital? Analog? PC/USB?

It looks like it's from the 70's or 80's. It has a small CRT screen and was huge! It kind of looked like one of these:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uaPMSaTVtY0/TFEjo635t1I/AAAAAAAAAB8/D-mI2eKQk8g/s1600/MISC+box+contents++++(+Box+MISC++)_2465A+Tektronix+Oscilloscope+Front+View+.jpg

So an analog, (sorry, missed the part where you said 'old' so USB is out.).

Check what model it is, what the bandwidth is (higher is better for seeing oscillations at radio frequencies), and how many channels.

Just got off the horn,

The $200 one is a Philips PM-3055. He tells me that this is the latest revision and is 100HMz.

The $100 one is a BWD-820, apparently it was made in Melbourne.

the philips looks like a nice unit, never heard if the other. If they're both working, either should be enough for your needs. They don't get a lot cheaper, unless you luck out on ebay, or it's a basket case.

Not really keen for eBay because of the risk of getting a dud unit. I know this guy personally and he has a heap of these so if I got a dud, he would gladly swap me for a working one.

One thing I forgot to mention, he says it doesn't come with probes  . Are they expensive?

not really, but if he has a heap of them he's bound to have some probes, tell him to throw some in for a little extra...

Might do, how do the eBay probes go?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Oscilloscope-Scope-Clip-Probe-100MHz-Tektronix-HP-/290562094542?pt=AU_B_I_Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item43a6d9b5ce#ht_1890wt_1082

At that price, it's certainly worth taking a chance. I'm sure for most 'jobbing' work it would be fine.