Looking for oscilloscope recommendations

[WildcatMatt]

I've been messing around with '70s and '80s tape machines for quite a while now, mostly VHS, U-Matic, and 1/2" open reel.

Up to now I haven't gone much past basic maintenance (belts, cleaning, lubrication) but now I have a machine I need to dig into a bit more deeply, so I'm in the market for an oscilloscope.

This pretty much means eBay but while I know the difference between a CV-2600 and a PVW-2800 I'm ignorant when it comes to scopes. What should I be looking for to get a unit that will fit my needs?

I'm guessing there are probably a few go-to models that are good for broadcast gear. Can anyone provide any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

[Ed in Tx]

How new do you want it to be, and what's your budget?

I had an HP 1222A on my bench when I worked on audio in the late '70s. That was the scope of choice at the time for audio work. If you can find a clean one nowadays that works 100%. Make sure whatever you get can do X-Y horiz-vertical "lissajous" patterns for head alignments.

[WildcatMatt]

My target is $300 but I could go over that for the right unit. I'm not beholden to a particular age range.

Would this be a situation where it might make sense to get an older but solid unit with no accessories and buy newer probes, or should I focus on something that's complete?

[WildcatMatt]

For the record, from some googling, here are three that have come up:

Tektronix 465B/466/468
GW Instek GOS-6112
Sencore SC61

Opinion on the Sencore seems especially mixed, some seem to swear by it but it also seems like replacement probes for Tek/HP are much easier to get.

[ChrisW6ATV]

The Tektronix scopes are excellent. Probes are pretty universal, and still available new, just make sure you buy probes that at least equal the bandwidth of the scope (100 MHz perhaps).

[Popester]

For basic scope work B&K was a fairly good brand of scope. Of course not in the league of HP or Textronix. That’s what are shop used.

[kf4rca]

I use a real off brand scope- an Iwatsu 5702. Its not quite as sharp as a Tektronix but for general video use, its fine.
What I like about it it that it uses legacy components- no fancy LSI stuff.
Tektronix is nice but I remember there was a waveform monitor that used a fancy gold-plated LSI that was unobtainium.
Tektronix had a scope that would print out "ouch that hurts" if you input too much voltage.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by kf4rca

Tektronix had a scope that would print out "ouch that hurts" if you input too much voltage.

. My college had agilent digital scopes that had an Easter egg where is you saved a screenshot with the file name rock_on the scope would turn in to an Atari Asteroids knock off called Rocks.

[ppppenguin]

I love my Tek analogue scopes, up to an including the 2465B that's my main instrument. But they are possibly overkill for this sort of work and can be complex to fix if they go wrong.

Have you considered the modern low cost digital scopes? I have a Rigol DS1054Z. Just about in your price range. Compact and reliable. It will do just about everything but when you're familiar with how an analogue scope displays video waveforms it lacks something. I'm not saying it's bad, just very different. Again I wouldn't be without it.

In the UK Hameg was a popular brand and there are loads of used instruments available at low prices. Simple and tough. Don't know if they're around in the US. We don't see many Iwatsu scopes here but they have a similar reputation.

[ARC Tech-109]

Tek 465/475 series, very tolerant and forgiving 2-channel scopes that have a good trigger suited for NTSC video and a wide dynamic range for doing betacam DT heads without getting blasted from the spikes on the mV scale. Set many A500's up with my 467 over the years, still works great.

[dtvmcdonald]

I recommend any of the Tektronix all-transistor (or IC) portable analog scopes,
100-350 mHZ. I've got numerous ones, including several 2235s. I got the military version of the 2235 (AN/USM-488) at the last ETF swap meet for $75. But for the 2235, make sure the mode switches work before buying, as they go bad.

None of mine have ever been calibrated, and all are still plenty good enough for our purposes.

[Tim Tress]

I'm using a Tektronix 454 and a 465B. Great scopes, and very affordable these days.

[zeno]

If you have no scope knowledge the Sencore is a good bet. Designed
for TV work & has a built on meter to save time. Settings for TVH & TVV
rates. IIRC its a 100mhz scope. We had 3, two of them on crash carts.
Pretty reliable but a few got cold joints on connectors.
Be SURE if you get one it has......
Manual.
A second how to use manual.
2 GOOD probes.
It is guarantied to work good.

I THINK B&K also had an equivalent scope. Also a good product.
Lots of other good ones but they are more of an engineering scope
not aimed at the TV tech market.

73 Zeno
LFOD !

[pootycat]

If someone gives you, or can find one at a thrift-shop for a couple of bucks, any scope with a 4-6 MHz bandwidth will work. That's what most TV techs in the 60s used. But, much, much better scopes are available on Ebay, for not a whole lot of money. In the 80s, I worked as a Radio/TV engineer, and the scope we had was, first, a Lavoie 245 (a clone of the Tek 545), and then, a Tek 465. Those were standards of the industry. I don't recommend a 545: You'll pay more for shipping, than for the scope, itself. But good 465s are available at reasonable prices. Whatever you get, I recommend one with a dual time-base. That let's you view the test signals in the vertical interval very easily.