'cheap' used 'scopes?

[Terry Bowman]

>Is there anywhere around here where I could pick up a used (ie cheap)
>oscilloscope for doing things like calibrating VCOs and other audio/subaudio
>frequency uses? I guess for audio use it would not need to be too fancy.

Hamfests are a great place to pick up a cheap scope if you're careful. I
once bought a Tektronix 565 dual-beam scope with a two channel and a four
channel (mil-spec) vertical amplifier modules, a x10 probe, and the manual
for the 4 channel, all on a cart with storage bays for four more plug-ins.
Price: $20. It works pretty good. Some alignment, some silver paste on the
rotary switches and it would be as good as new (almost). I finally found
the manual for the scope itself at another hamfest--$20. A friend of mine
got a little portable scope with NiCd's for $15 once.

As a matter of fact, you can get all kinds of cool stuff really cheap if
you know what you're buying and what stuff is really worth. Just get there
early (like 5:30 A.M.) and stay all day until people start giving away
perfectly good boat anchors. Don't forget to take a hand truck/cart for
that.

BTW, I saw an ARP Odyssey go for $40 once. Every key was a different shade
of yellow. The back and bottom were a mass of rust. I passed on that one.
But I did buy a Simmons SDS-8 drum brain for $60. Works fine.

Check out the hamfest schedule at http://www.arrl.org/hamfests.html


Terry Bowman, KA4HJH