Rohde & Schwarz RTA-COM4USP98 vs LeCroy HD4104

[Baxsie]

So I am looking for a new scope.

• 1GHz minimum
• 4 channel analog
• 16 channel digital
• HD (10 or 12 bits analog)
• Serial decode (I2C, SPI, UART)
• 100MHz current probe (add on)
• At least one full 1GHz rated probe (maybe included, maybe an add on)

I have had a 400MHz Lecroy WaveSurfer 44Xs since it was new in 2010. It has been a great tool.

Dave is always praising the R&S in his videos so I was almost convinced to go to R&S.

I'm looking at the Rohde & Schwarz RTA-COM4USP98:

https://www.newark.com/rohde-schwarz/rta-com4us/oscilloscope-digital-storage-1ghz/dp/99AC0518

and comparing it against the LeCroy 4104HD:

https://www.tequipment.net/LeCroy/WaveSurfer-4104HD/Digital-Oscilloscopes/

Surprisingly close in price for the base units.

I came across this LeCroy sales literature which (of course) points to LeCroy as being the winner:

https://baxsie.com/images/scope/LeCroy_WaveSurfer_4000HD_vs_Rohde_%26_Schwarz_RTA4000_Series.pdf

Particularly LeCroy seems to win in the noise and lose in memory depth.

So my questions are:

• Would you choose one of these over the other, and why?
• Am I missing some other comparable scope that I should be looking at?

Thanks in advance for any advice or experience you can offer.

[Fixpoint]

Just out of interest: What are you measuring so that you need exalted equipment like this?

(I personally use the RTB2004 and don't have any experience with either the LeCroy or the RTA.)

[Baxsie]

For the current probe, we often do switching power supplies, and it is really nice to look at the inductor current.

Recently I was looking at a quad SPI interface between two ICs and that is the first time that I had the 400MHz Lecroy at its smallest/fastest time setting and the signals were looking quite chunky. So I was not sure if I am seeing the limits of the scope or the real waveform:



Also since many of my people are working from home, I will pass the LeCroy 44Xs to an engineer and reap the benefits of being the boss and enjoy a nice new scope.

I have had 10 good years out of the LeCroy 44Xs and it is still kicking. Recently upgraded it to an SSD and cut the boot time in half.

I see this as an investment in good equipment that will last for and be relevant for a decade.

[Baxsie]

Follow up on this.

I ended up ordering a 6 channel Tek 4 series MSO46.

Got what I think was a killer deal on it -- more absolute $ than the R&S or LeCroy (both of which also have good deals going), but close enough that for 1.5 times the channels, deeper memory, and the bigger high-res screen was enough to push me to the Tek.

I have had all four channels busy and wishing I had one more.

Another factor was that the Tek inside sales rep was much more responsive than the other sales channels I was pursuing.

[Baxsie]

Further follow-up, here is a screenshot from the Tek:



Just barely scratching the surface of this scope. It does so much more than the older LeCroy. A lot of learning to do.