[sdiy] DSO recommendation please

[Tom Wiltshire]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of upgrading my o'scope. I currently have a cheap Instek  
dual channel 20MHz analogue scope that had been bought by a school  
technology lab and then sat in a cupboard. Even that was a big step  
up. My previous scope is a 1965 Marconi tube-based thing which I  
bought in working condition for £25 when I was fifteen. It's a  
beautifully made bit of kit. Eventually enough tubes in it died that  
it stopped working. I kept it, thinking it would be lovely to get it  
running again, but of course I've never done it. Doubles as a space  
heater too.

Anyway, enough scope nostalgia...get to the point already, Wiltshire.

I'd like a cheap digital storage scope to replace what I have  
already. The most important features to me are the storage facility  
(duh, yeah..) and an ability to do FFT on signals. It'd be really  
handy to see filter responses and such like. I need at least 2  
channels, and I'd like an increase in bandwidth if possible (60MHz?)  
although I don't need it to go up super-high. Although I play with  
uPs, I'm still mostly doing analogue stuff, but it'd be nice to be  
able to actually see what the hell is going on whilst debugging an  
SPI connection, for example.

I'm not interested in name brands particularly, but obviously  
'quality' is part of 'value'. The crucial question I suppose is  
"what's the budget?", to which the answer is probably around £500. I  
can probably sell my current scope for not a lot less than what I  
bought it for (Anyone in the UK want a scope? call it £100? it's one  
of these: http://www.amazon.com/Instek-GOS620-MHz-Analog-Oscilloscope/ 
dp/B0007R8ZCG) so I might have £600 or so to spend. Is there anything  
out there half-decent for that kind of money? Bear in mind that I'm  
non-professional, and this is still a considerable sum to shell out  
on what is basically a hobby.

Thanks for any clues,
Tom