The 7000 series are capable scopes, but they are full of specialty parts that are basically impossible acquire, which often means re-engineering circuits, if possible, or slaughtering another scope for parts. So this endeavor tends to become costly quickly.
I would be getting it in addition to the 2465B.
Wasn't planning on using it often, unlike the 2465B, but, I thought it would be rather interesting to have. Besides, I think the price is a bargain, compared to the prices of these scopes on ebay..
Welcome to the EEVblog Test Equipment Forum.
As part of the welcome wagon please be advised that this forum has conducted a recent survey that indicates once you have one oscilloscope you might be headed toward acquiring 20 oscilloscopes.
This is documented but unproven.
So what you decide regarding oscilloscope purchasing should be somewhat informed, of course, by your budget. Most (or at least many) people here will say if you can only afford one scope, keep saving until you can purchase a Rigol 1054. Therefore the reasoning will go, if you can afford a 246X and a Tek 7000 series scope with plugins you very likely can afford the 1054.
Further, since 20 scopes could be in your future you might as well consider what your first 3 scopes could be.
It would seem that if you can come up with a 246X and a Tek 7000 with plugins in good condition for under $300 each you should be able to round out those two scopes with a Rigol 1054 for just about $1k total. Some people here would say that for $1k you should have a different scope (not sure what but I'm sure someone will be happy to suggest what to do with your $1k) but I think you would very much enjoy using the three scopes under consideration. My guess is that the Rigol will get the most use of the three but not all the use. There is something intrinsically very desirable about using the 246X and 7000 series scopes. And having more than one scope often comes in handy when you are trying to sort things out; 3 is a little harder to justify than 2 - but it's not like trying to justify 20
.
Having said all that, the only downsides of the Tek analog scopes (beside the $600, the bench space, and the relative lack of digital features) is that they might need some maintenance due to their age. So, if the budget is tight I think you should ask yourself how you will feel if you only get X years of useful life out of them. If they make it a year or less, 3 years, 5 years, 7 years, 10 years - what does that do to your budget? Will you have the ability to find the parts and make repairs or will it be a write-off at that point? Most electronics probably don't have a useful life of forever so after some point it's not a huge deal but it's a consideration. These scopes made it decades and some will go for another decade or more - it's just somewhat hard to predict. I tend to agree with an earlier post that said something to the effect of one year in an industrial setting might be comparable to 8 years of relatively gentle use in a home lab. And there are enough units floating around that you can probably find parts for many years to come - you just need the skill and time (and maybe some other test equipment) to do the work. On the other hand, just because you can make one of these scopes last another 20 years doesn't mean that in 20 years it will be super useful. We can make a Nikon film camera work perfectly but it's so far behind the times that a digital phone camera will generally be much more useful. However, this is not a real good analogy and I tend to think Tek analog scopes are much more useful than film cameras - but photographers who don't use scopes would probably see it very differently.
Net, net: if you can find a Tek 246X and a Tek 7000 in good enough condition to give you confidence that they will deliver several years or more of good operations then those two scopes are legends that you might seriously enjoy. If, on the other hand, the prospect that they could break the budget now or in the not too distant future is a concern go with the Rigol or something else that meets your needs. Either way, be ready for 3 going on 20.
Seriously, think about your plan and budget for the future - it will help you decide what to do now.
Net, net, net: If you come up with a Tek 246X and a Tek 7000 and a Rigol 1054 all at once it will be like Christmas!
Speaking of which - Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays to all EEVers!!!
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