Finding an oscilloscope in Canada/ advice

[MarkVeno]

So I'm looking around for an oscilloscope, and was wondering if there are any sites/forums for electronics classifieds in canada?

I'm on a budget, and would mainly be using it for audio (signal tracing, tube amp repair) work, so at first I figured an old analog 20-50mhz would do until I can afford a decent "proper" scope that I can also use for school work where we did projects requiring higher BW

i.e something like this:
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/BBC-Model-M6002-20MHZ-Dual-Channel-Oscilloscope/401560659161

40$ USD, sounds good right? but conversion to CAD plus taxes and cost of shipping to western canada I would end up paying around $120!


So I looked around for decent, mid range scopes that will cover the audio work Im doing now that I won't have to upgrade/replace eventually

I found a couple like this : https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Leader-100MHz-Oscilloscope-Model-8105-USED/222912096721

which will end up costing around 250$ CAD, as well as a similar analog one (thats been review quite well) at the same price.

Should I pull the trigger on one of these scopes, or wait and save the 400ish for a rigol or something similar?

Thanks

[TheSteve]

Not sure where in BC you are but have you tried craigslist?

[Fsck]

Did you try kijiji?

[CatalinaWOW]

A lot depends on how urgently you need an oscilloscope.  Where I live in the US is not a hotbed of electronics by any stretch of the imagination.  But twice in the last year I have found excellent deals on oscilloscopes at yard sales. 

How do they get there?  Usually someone died and the family is selling off the goods.  The person may have been a ham radio operator or a retired engineer who left the city for some quiet country life, or to return to the old homestead.  The family has no have no idea of value.  Here the lack of local electronics density is a benefit since no one else knows what they are either and you don't have to be the first one in the door.  Since no one is showing any interest the price tends to be low.

The gear I have found in these circumstances ranges from ancient stuff of no particular interest to anyone to relatively new high bandwidth DSOs.  You look at a lot of pigs before you find the one you want.

So just keep poking around.  It may take quite a while but real steals are out there.

[David Hess]

Before considering a used analog oscilloscope, make sure full documentation is available for the specific model.

I would keep an eye on local sales through Ebay and Craigslist for at least a couple weeks assuming you can wait.

[ttelectronic]

Could try government of Canada surplus https://www.gcsurplus.ca , but seems quite difficult to find one that will ship. I ended up going for a rigol 1054z, just too difficult to find a reasonably priced used scope in WC. Kijiji never has them, or rarely ever, never in classifieds.

[richnormand]

See if there is a hamfest or radio amateur swap meet in your region.
I got one of my best bargain at one talking to the seller ... free and excellent contact and help.

As an example:
https://www.oarc.net/pages/hamfest/

Also saw great buys at antique radios meets for decent starter scopes too.

[Old Printer]

Two good points have been made. Poking around locally requires patience, that is tough on your first scope. I live in south Florida and over the last year have seen a least a dozen good deals on Craigslist. Their search engin is a bit screwy, so you need to work on your keywords to see what works. I'll second the suggestion to be sure you can get at least an owners manual and better a service manual if you are looking at older analog scopes. Opinion is you pay more for an equilivent Tektronix scope and that is usually true because they are popular. Fact is they made more scopes than any other manufacture and documentation is more available. When I shop eBay for a scope I have the search arrange them with the closest to me first, that cuts down on shipping or you may be able to pick it up. Good hunting.

[MarkVeno]

Yeah I've been looking for awhile, times not a hugely important factor so ill keep my eyes open

[MarkVeno]

Not sure where in BC you are but have you tried craigslist?

Im in the interior, people generally use kijiji here and the listings ive seen so far are down in the lower mainland :/

[MarkVeno]

Did you try kijiji?

Ive been keeping an eye on it, Im in a small town in the interior and most of the postings ive seen are in the lower mainland. Have you ever bought off kijiji through the mail? I was under the impression people are posting things for local pick ups; the only time I've used the site I drove 2 hours to the next town over to pic up a pair of microphones

[MarkVeno]

Could try government of Canada surplus https://www.gcsurplus.ca , but seems quite difficult to find one that will ship. I ended up going for a rigol 1054z, just too difficult to find a reasonably priced used scope in WC. Kijiji never has them, or rarely ever, never in classifieds.

Thanks! Ill keep an eye on  that

[james_s]

You could set up some ebay searches filtered to your location. I've occasionally bought things on ebay with local pickup, it can make it a lot more affordable.

[TheSteve]

Not sure where in BC you are but have you tried craigslist?

Im in the interior, people generally use kijiji here and the listings ive seen so far are down in the lower mainland :/

In the GVRD(Vancouver) electronics are all on Craigslist - I suspect it would be tough to find someone willing to ship one though.

I have a friend with a Rigol DS1054Z who may be interested in selling it, shipping would be possible. Your budget may be a little low though.

Another place you can put a WTB is bcswap.ca - it is primarily for ham radio equipment but test gear is generally fine.

[MarkVeno]

Not sure where in BC you are but have you tried craigslist?

Im in the interior, people generally use kijiji here and the listings ive seen so far are down in the lower mainland :/

In the GVRD(Vancouver) electronics are all on Craigslist - I suspect it would be tough to find someone willing to ship one though.

I have a friend with a Rigol DS1054Z who may be interested in selling it, shipping would be possible. Your budget may be a little low though.

From a quick search that's pretty likely. I cant really justify spending $400~ for a scope right now, but Im looking at 100mhz analog kiksui or iwatsu that've apparently been tested working, both around 250$ shipped, and thats pretty much the limit of my budget.

Ive read loads of recommendations for the rigol or siglent as beginner scopes that would certainly meet my needs for the foreseeable future, but as far as I can tell the two used scopes would do just as well, and from a quick look at the specs a DSO on a similar level would be yet another price tier up from the basic rigols

In your opinion is it worth taking the risk on an old quality analog, or would it be better to listen to the masses and save for a basic rigol or equivalent?

[james_s]

I wouldn't pay $250 for an analog scope unless it's something special like a 300-400MHz model or has some other special feature that you need. They simply don't tend to go for that much, $1/MHz seems to be about the going rate.

[boffin]

Here's another example of a 'whoosh' user that comes in, looking for something cheap, and never returns


11 hrs between 1st and last posts on the forum, and frankly, didn't try very hard when looking for a used Oscilloscope in Western Canada

hint hint.... https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/fs-tek-455-(vancouver-bc)/msg1700075/#msg1700075

[thm_w]

Here's another example of a 'whoosh' user that comes in, looking for something cheap, and never returns


11 hrs between 1st and last posts on the forum, and frankly, didn't try very hard when looking for a used Oscilloscope in Western Canada

hint hint.... https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/fs-tek-455-(vancouver-bc)/msg1700075/#msg1700075

OP is from interior which is far from vancouver, as I'm sure you know. Its really not worth shipping that thing, you even say no shipping in the ad.
If they were in Vancouver I would have sold them a 300MHz tek 2465 for less.

[ttelectronic]

Interior is indeed rough. I had at one point found a ds1054z barely used, but it was in toronto for $300 cad. Pickup only though. There is also sphere but not very budget friendly for old analog scopes. http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/justscopes.html

[MarkVeno]

hint hint.... https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/fs-tek-455-(vancouver-bc)/msg1700075/#msg1700075

I'm not in Vancouver, nearest cities are 2 - 3 hours drive to Kelowna or Kamloops. The reason I'm concerned about price is because of shipping costs to smaller towns. It gets expensive, no real way around that. To drive to Van for that scope (ad says local pickup only) would be totally unrealistic

[MarkVeno]

Interior is indeed rough. I had at one point found a ds1054z barely used, but it was in toronto for $300 cad. Pickup only though. There is also sphere but not very budget friendly for old analog scopes. http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/justscopes.html

Thanks, I've checked them out and have to agree about their prices

[MarkVeno]

OP is from interior which is far from vancouver, as I'm sure you know. Its really not worth shipping that thing, you even say no shipping in the ad.
If they were in Vancouver I would have sold them a 300MHz tek 2465 for less.

Yeah shipping costs on any scope become a big factor. No real way around it out here though. I actually got a couple replies on my towns classifieds but neither seem to have worked out. Hydro has a pretty big presence here so I'm still trying, maybe I'll get lucky

[MarkVeno]

I wouldn't pay $250 for an analog scope unless it's something special like a 300-400MHz model or has some other special feature that you need. They simply don't tend to go for that much, $1/MHz seems to be about the going rate.

That's pretty much why I made this post; $250 cad (~ $190 Usd) including shipping is the budget I've got right now. But apart from these pc scopes and hand held kit looking things I'm only finding used analog ones that come close to that price on ebay. Just looking for something reliable that's 100MHz

Analog seems like it'd would be fine for my uses, especially if I find something a bit cheaper. It's the shipping cost that can make the total sometimes almost double the list price I'm seeing

[SkyMaster]

That's pretty much why I made this post; $250 cad (~ $190 Usd) including shipping is the budget I've got right now. <snip>

Analog seems like it'd would be fine for my uses, especially if I find something a bit cheaper. It's the shipping cost that can make the total sometimes almost double the list price I'm seeing

Shipping heavy items is always expensive in Canada. eBay sellers often poorly pack heavy items and you received your equipment damaged. Used scope often have missing of damaged probes.

electro-meters.com / rigolcanada.com advertises the DS1054Z at $454. This is brand new with a warranty. If you call them you can probably get free shipping.

This is above your budget, but what is $200 in the grand scheme of things.

 

[boffin]

hint hint.... https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/fs-tek-455-(vancouver-bc)/msg1700075/#msg1700075

I'm not in Vancouver, nearest cities are 2 - 3 hours drive to Kelowna or Kamloops. The reason I'm concerned about price is because of shipping costs to smaller towns. It gets expensive, no real way around that. To drive to Van for that scope (ad says local pickup only) would be totally unrealistic

Where (exactly) are you.  There are lots of people here, people selling scopes that travel throughout western Canada.  From the numbers, I'm guessing 100mile?