I am progressively getting used to the idea that it's time to stop collecting scopes, 35 of them is a bit much. So am considering getting rid of a few of them and replacing them with a few frequency counters.
Have you considered a modern AWG ?
Most have a basic counter but for calibrating CRO's their variety of signal types could also prove handy.
Yes long term would like an AWG. As to what what "modern" means... if you mlean Siglent modern no, probably not. My budget and personal interest for "modern" stuff is mostly the '90s.
However as far as using an AWG as a counter no, I prefer dedicated tools that do one thing but hopefully do it well. At least do it better than if they ware also trying to do 3 other things at the same time... engineering is about compromises... the less stuff your device needs to do, the more you can optimize it and the better specs you can extract from it.
For "modern" stuff, to do real "work" (who am I kidding...) in the lab, to save space I intend to target mostly half width instruments, with rear mounted fans/ventilation so I can stack instruments for more compactness. I like fluorescent displays, looks cool and is easy to read (when they are not worn out of course ! 
) . So mostly I would like to get the old HP/Agilent VFD instruments everybody seems to want. The 344xx something DMM, and the same form factor and display, the counter (with the optional but retro-fittable 3GHz RF input), and the sig gen / AWG.
Counter can be expensive as I understand it, if you want one with the OCXO or super duper OCXO++ mega top accurate. These are rare and expensive and not needed for me. That would require to let the counter/OCXO power up 24/7 to get turn key accuracy.
Nope... idea is to get a decent 10MHz ref + amplifier/dispatch box, and feed that to a "cheap" non-OCXO counter, which goes for 500 Euros usually IIRC, as do the DMM and AWG.. Only hte ref will need to run 24/7, one single device, then it will gvie me tunr key accuracy not just on the cheapish HP counter, but also even better, on any of my current and to come, vintage Nixie tube counters... making them much more useful instruments which is cool.
So basically I foresee 3 times 500 Euros to spend to get a basic set of decent modernish instruments.
Then another 500 for a decent HP/keysight dual output programmable power supply. Then another of the same, but high-voltage low current, to play with fluo anything... neon bulbs, high voltage Zener diodes, Nixie tubes, VFD displays, anything fluo-something....
That said my 200 volts 575 Tek curve tracer will already provide some functionality there as well, yeah..
Then a DC load, same form factor.
Then an RF synth, some '90's HP/Agilent item again, not the super mega expensive ones that are rack mountable or shaped like it... but rather the bench top ones, more compact/narrower, taller. I don't know the model numbers sorry. They have a green/yellow text LCD with off white and anthracite themed front panel, I like this line of products.
Then an old HP spectrum analyzer, again the creme/anthracite ones, love those, but still very expensive today somehow....if I can't find a cheap enough one, might make more sense to go for a new-ish R&S one as I like them and the entry level ones (3GHz) or so, are kinda affordable IIRC ? 1500 Euros or something ? Maybe with the TG option that I would want.
That's the program for Vince's Lab V2.0 in the making, should keep my waltet busy for the next few years ! 
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For basic signal generation needs, it's hard to beat 80s Wavetek like the 191 Robert posted a few pages ago; excellent signal purity and better than average performance, even 40 years old, make them awesome bang/buck nowadays as they can often be had for $30-50 in the 20 to 30-ish MHz range.
For general hobbyist use where you might need to actually have a ARB (as in making a signal which alternates between signal types or has a trigger pulse at longer
x intervals, the
UNI-T UTG-962 is also great bang/buck at ~US$110, as long as you understand it is definitely hobbyist-grade, as the faster you push it the poorer the output voltage regulation is.
If your application can permit you to set the output in-circuit against a scope so you know exactly what signal you're getting, you can get pretty good performance, but you can't just set a P-P voltage at a specific output load and be sure that's exactly what you'll get anywhere above 10-30MHz, depending on waveform.
That said... the UTG-962E is exponentially closer to lab-grade than any of the FeelTech, etc FY-6
xxx-what-the-fuckever toys out there, and has the benefit of being able to run from any reasonably clean 3.8-5V@3A power source, including directly off a single freshly-charged 18650 cell for close to 30 minutes. And it is
very compact for the functionality you get from it.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/uni-t-utg932utg962-200msas-function-arbitrary-waveform-generator-220394/I think that even with these caveats, it's definitely worth looking at as a "to get you by until you get a better one" unit, as it is also a good second/portable unit. The thread above is definitely worth reading to make up your own mind.The thing with ARBs is... they are
all subject in some manner to similar limitations, even the very expensive name-brand ones. You have to spend a lot more to get much better performance than this one, even old & used from a major name.
mnem
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