[Test-Equipment] Tektronix Oscilloscope 545

[k4pf at juno.com]

-- "Floyd Petri" <fpetri at eastex.net> wrote:
>I have some questions about a Tektronix Oscilloscope Model 545. <snip> Most important is the plug in 
units.  Are they interchangable among different model oscilloscopes?
 If I had some plug in units is there a better scope than the 545
 that I can get to use the plug in units?  
About what would I expect to pay for one?  I 
figure shipping will be a killer.

Hi, Floyd

I have a 545 (original model, no suffix), as well as Tek 465B
and 7603 scopes.  The 545 is the electronic equivalent of a Baldwin
steam locomotive: a triumph of industrial engineering,
now sadly obsolete.  My 545 has been reliable, after replacing
all the Sprague Black Beauty capacitors in the power supply.
The plug-ins I use with the 545 are the 1A1 and 1A2, and the type CA.

The 545 was last listed in the 1958 Tek catalog.  The 545A is very
similar, last listed in 1964.  The 545B has a superior triggered
sweep design, and was last listed in 1973.
All of the 545 series are limited to about 30MHz
vertical bandwidth.  The type 547 can use the same plug-ins
as the 545, and has a 50MHz vertical bandwidth when used
with a 1A1 or 1A2 plug-in.

There are no really expensive/exotic tubes used in a 545,
except the CRT.  The 547 uses some 7788 tubes, which are sought
after by the audio gang, hence expensive to replace.

If you can get a working 545B or 547 cheap, say $100 with a 1A1 or 1A2
plug-in, it would be an interesting hobbyist unit.  You will learn
some vacuum tube circuitry keeping it going.  However, if you just want
a more practical, solid state scope from the 1970's, I would
recommend the portable Tek 465B, or the bench type Tek 7603,
both of which are well-regarded 100 MHz scopes.

For more info, there is a Tektronix group at Yahoo Groups,
a friendly and knowledgeable bunch.  

73,
Ed Knobloch