[Boatanchors] OS-8

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <WA5CAB at cs.com>
To: <k2gkk at hotmail.com>; <jcoward5452 at aol.com>; 
<boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, April 01, 2011 8:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] OS-8


> Back to the original thread (OS-8's), I'm going to say 
> again pretty much
> what I said 10 or 15 years ago on either this list or the 
> original Boatanchors
> list.  OS-8's are perhaps nice to collect if you don't 
> have to use them.
> But like K-rations, they may have a fond place in our 
> memories but I for one
> would not want to have to use an OS-8 or eat K-rations 
> again.  Like
> K-rations, an OS-8 would keep you alive if you couldn't 
> find anything better.  But I
> for one do not go all glowy when I remember either.  It's 
> like getting shot
> at or shelled.  OK to talk about later but given the 
> choice, you'd avoid
> any repitition.
>
> In short, I don't like OS-8's.
>
> IRobert Downs - Houston
> CWO4 USNR Ret'd
> wa5cab dot com (Web Store)
> MVPA 9480

     Well, having spent several hours reconsituting one I 
got at a swap meet for twenty bux I am happy to know what a 
fine piece of old equipment I have. It does work, I wanted 
it for monitoring a ham rig (using the direct input 
connections). It gets hot enough to cook on. The trace is 
not very bright, I wanted to know how bright it was when 
these were new, if anyone remembers. The voltages are right 
and there is no sign of gassiness but the filament may just 
not have any poop left. A long time ago I built a Heathkit 
3" scope (OL-1 I think), I think I still have it in storage 
but can't find it. It seems to me it was a lot brighter.
     I do have a good Tek scope for _real_ scope purposes. 
The OS-8 really falls into the catagory of an _indicator_ 
rather than a measuring tool since it is not calibrated for 
any paramater. I am not sure of who made the first scopes 
that _were_ calibrated for deflection voltage and time base, 
perhaps Tek, but when the OS-8 was designed most scopes were 
pretty crude devices.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com