[Elecraft] Re: Thoughts on tektronix TDS1002 scope?

[Mark J. Dulcey]

> Hi folks - I hope this message doesn't show up twice! Anyway, I would like to hear anyone's opinions on Tektronics digital TDS1002 oscilliscope for basic Ham hobby work (retails at $995). Any thoughts will be most appreciated.

The Tektronix digital scopes are a pleasure to work with; the user interface is well done (not QUITE as convenient as an old-fashioned analog scope with separate knobs for everything, but about as good as a menu-based design can get), and they are also very portable. And unlike some digital scopes, they have high enough sample rates (1 GHz and up) to actually deliver their stated bandwidths.

The only problem with the basic model is its limited bandwidth (60 MHz); it won't give you an accurate picture of waveforms at the high end of the HF spectrum, and won't work for VHF use at all. I'd be inclined to at least scrape up the extra $300 for the 100 MHz model. A 200 MHz scope would be even better, but then you're up to at least $2400, which is a lot more than $1000!

Once you get to a four channel scope, the color display is a big win; it makes it much easier to figure out which trace is which. (That's probably why they don't even bother to make a four channel model with a monochrome display.) With only two channels, monochrome is fine, so you can save the $300 that it would cost to move to color.

You get more bang for the buck from a used analog scope; you can get a 200 MHz model for less than half the price of a TDS1002, or a 100 MHz model for even less. But the older scope will take up a lot more space, won't be as easy to carry around, and won't have digital storage. If the advantages of the modern technology are important to you, go for it; the TDS1000 and TDS2000 series scopes are as good as things get at their price points.

If you can find a deal, the immediate predecessors of the TDS1000 series, the TDS200 scopes, are also worth a look. Be wary of older digital oscilloscopes; many of them played specification games, and are really much less useful than a quick glance would indicate.