I recently tested for my Extra license and received it but I want to know more than the ARRL book even tries to cover. I have a cheap 40m CW transceiver kit coming today, I have a small 15w dummy load kit that I soldered together and tested with my HT, a simple RF probe kit I put together, and I own a Fluke 87V, a Rigol DS1052E, and other basic tools. I understand the very basics of electronics but I want to learn more with what I have. My plan for the transceiver is to use the RF probe with my meter and oscilloscope to understand what the different parts of the radio are doing.
The transceiver is rated for 5 to 8 watts depending on the power supply I use. Do I need an attenuator in order to hook my Rigol to the output of this transceiver? I had my HT hooked to the dummy load and using the RF probe, I saw about 6VDC on the center pin (the BNC is board mounted, so I can access the pins in circuit). My understanding of a T sampling attenuator is that it's a voltage divider and at 6VDC on the transmitter output that wouldn't harm the oscilloscope. Or is it the act of pumping RF power into the oscilloscope that would be the problem?