Finding an oscilloscope in Canada/ advice - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: MarkVeno
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2018, 10:33:23 pm
content: So I'm looking around for an oscilloscope, and was wondering if there are any sites/forums for electronics classifieds in canada?I'm on a budget, and would mainly be using it for audio (signal tracing, tube amp repair) work, so at first I figured an old analog 20-50mhz would do until I can afford a decent "proper" scope that I can also use for school work where we did projects requiring higher BWi.e something like this:https://www.ebay.ca/itm/BBC-Model-M6002-20MHZ-Dual-Channel-Oscilloscope/40156065916140$ USD, sounds good right? but conversion to CAD plus taxes and cost of shipping to western canada I would end up paying around $120!So I looked around for decent, mid range scopes that will cover the audio work Im doing now that I won't have to upgrade/replace eventuallyI found a couple like this :https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Leader-100MHz-Oscilloscope-Model-8105-USED/222912096721which will end up costing around 250$ CAD, as well as a similar analog one (thats been review quite well) at the same price.Should I pull the trigger on one of these scopes, or wait and save the 400ish for a rigol or something similar?Thanks

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 25, 2018, 10:56:54 pm
content: Not sure where in BC you are but have you tried craigslist?

author: Fsck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2018, 11:08:58 pm
content: Did you try kijiji?

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 12:02:01 am
content: A lot depends on how urgently you need an oscilloscope. Where I live in the US is not a hotbed of electronics by any stretch of the imagination. But twice in the last year I have found excellent deals on oscilloscopes at yard sales.How do they get there? Usually someone died and the family is selling off the goods. The person may have been a ham radio operator or a retired engineer who left the city for some quiet country life, or to return to the old homestead. The family has no have no idea of value. Here the lack of local electronics density is a benefit since no one else knows what they are either and you don't have to be the first one in the door. Since no one is showing any interest the price tends to be low.The gear I have found in these circumstances ranges from ancient stuff of no particular interest to anyone to relatively new high bandwidth DSOs. You look at a lot of pigs before you find the one you want.So just keep poking around. It may take quite a while but real steals are out there.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 12:37:24 am
content: Before considering a used analog oscilloscope, make sure full documentation is available for the specific model.I would keep an eye on local sales through Ebay and Craigslist for at least a couple weeks assuming you can wait.

author: ttelectronic
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 12:57:08 am
content: Could try government of Canada surplushttps://www.gcsurplus.ca, but seems quite difficult to find one that will ship. I ended up going for a rigol 1054z, just too difficult to find a reasonably priced used scope in WC. Kijiji never has them, or rarely ever, never in classifieds.

author: richnormand
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 01:34:39 am
content: See if there is a hamfest or radio amateur swap meet in your region.I got one of my best bargain at one talking to the seller ... free and excellent contact and help.As an example:https://www.oarc.net/pages/hamfest/Also saw great buys at antique radios meets for decent starter scopes too.

author: Old Printer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 01:37:02 am
content: Two good points have been made. Poking around locally requires patience, that is tough on your first scope. I live in south Florida and over the last year have seen a least a dozen good deals on Craigslist. Their search engin is a bit screwy, so you need to work on your keywords to see what works. I'll second the suggestion to be sure you can get at least an owners manual and better a service manual if you are looking at older analog scopes. Opinion is you pay more for an equilivent Tektronix scope and that is usually true because they are popular. Fact is they made more scopes than any other manufacture and documentation is more available. When I shop eBay for a scope I have the search arrange them with the closest to me first, that cuts down on shipping or you may be able to pick it up. Good hunting.

author: MarkVeno
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 03:17:46 am
content: Yeah I've been looking for awhile, times not a hugely important factor so ill keep my eyes open

author: MarkVeno
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 03:20:01 am
content: Quote from: TheSteve on July 25, 2018, 10:56:54 pmIm in the interior, people generally use kijiji here and the listings ive seen so far are down in the lower mainland :/

author: MarkVeno
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 03:21:40 am
content: Quote from: Fsck on July 25, 2018, 11:08:58 pmIve been keeping an eye on it, Im in a small town in the interior and most of the postings ive seen are in the lower mainland. Have you ever bought off kijiji through the mail? I was under the impression people are posting things for local pick ups; the only time I've used the site I drove 2 hours to the next town over to pic up a pair of microphones

author: MarkVeno
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 03:30:42 am
content: Quote from: ttelectronic on July 26, 2018, 12:57:08 amThanks! Ill keep an eye on that

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 04:36:33 am
content: You could set up some ebay searches filtered to your location. I've occasionally bought things on ebay with local pickup, it can make it a lot more affordable.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 05:25:19 am
content: Quote from: MarkVeno on July 26, 2018, 03:20:01 amIn the GVRD(Vancouver) electronics are all on Craigslist - I suspect it would be tough to find someone willing to ship one though.I have a friend with a Rigol DS1054Z who may be interested in selling it, shipping would be possible. Your budget may be a little low though.Another place you can put a WTB is bcswap.ca - it is primarily for ham radio equipment but test gear is generally fine.

author: MarkVeno
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 06:57:54 am
content: Quote from: TheSteve on July 26, 2018, 05:25:19 amFrom a quick search that's pretty likely. I cant really justify spending $400~ for a scope right now, but Im looking at 100mhz analog kiksui or iwatsu that've apparently been tested working, both around 250$ shipped, and thats pretty much the limit of my budget.Ive read loads of recommendations for the rigol or siglent as beginner scopes that would certainly meet my needs for the foreseeable future, but as far as I can tell the two used scopes would do just as well, and from a quick look at the specs a DSO on a similar level would be yet another price tier up from the basic rigolsIn your opinion is it worth taking the risk on an old quality analog, or would it be better to listen to the masses and save for a basic rigol or equivalent?

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2018, 03:55:35 pm
content: I wouldn't pay $250 for an analog scope unless it's something special like a 300-400MHz model or has some other special feature that you need. They simply don't tend to go for that much, $1/MHz seems to be about the going rate.

author: boffin
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 07:57:14 pm
content: Here's another example of a 'whoosh' user that comes in, looking for something cheap, and never returns11 hrs between 1st and last posts on the forum, and frankly, didn't try very hard when looking for a used Oscilloscope in Western Canadahint hint....https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/fs-tek-455-(vancouver-bc)/msg1700075/#msg1700075

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 09:41:26 pm
content: Quote from: boffin on August 02, 2018, 07:57:14 pmOP is from interior which is far from vancouver, as I'm sure you know. Its really not worth shipping that thing, you even say no shipping in the ad.If they were in Vancouver I would have sold them a 300MHz tek 2465 for less.

author: ttelectronic
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2018, 09:50:45 pm
content: Interior is indeed rough. I had at one point found a ds1054z barely used, but it was in toronto for $300 cad. Pickup only though. There is also sphere but not very budget friendly for old analog scopes.http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/justscopes.html

author: MarkVeno
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2018, 02:00:16 am
content: Quote from: boffin on August 02, 2018, 07:57:14 pmI'm not in Vancouver, nearest cities are 2 - 3 hours drive to Kelowna or Kamloops. The reason I'm concerned about price is because of shipping costs to smaller towns. It gets expensive, no real way around that. To drive to Van for that scope (ad says local pickup only) would be totally unrealistic

author: MarkVeno
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2018, 02:04:48 am
content: Quote from: ttelectronic on August 02, 2018, 09:50:45 pmThanks, I've checked them out and have to agree about their prices

author: MarkVeno
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2018, 02:13:36 am
content: Quote from: thm_w on August 02, 2018, 09:41:26 pmYeah shipping costs on any scope become a big factor. No real way around it out here though. I actually got a couple replies on my towns classifieds but neither seem to have worked out. Hydro has a pretty big presence here so I'm still trying, maybe I'll get lucky

author: MarkVeno
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2018, 02:54:17 am
content: Quote from: james_s on July 26, 2018, 03:55:35 pmThat's pretty much why I made this post; $250 cad (~ $190 Usd) including shipping is the budget I've got right now. But apart from these pc scopes and hand held kit looking things I'm only finding used analog ones that come close to that price on ebay. Just looking for something reliable that's 100MHzAnalog seems like it'd would be fine for my uses, especially if I find something a bit cheaper. It's the shipping cost that can make the total sometimes almost double the list price I'm seeing

author: SkyMaster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2018, 03:32:05 am
content: Quote from: MarkVeno on August 21, 2018, 02:54:17 amShipping heavy items is always expensive in Canada. eBay sellers often poorly pack heavy items and you received your equipment damaged. Used scope often have missing of damaged probes.electro-meters.com / rigolcanada.com advertises the DS1054Z at $454. This is brand new with a warranty. If you call them you can probably get free shipping.This is above your budget, but what is $200 in the grand scheme of things.

author: boffin
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 21, 2018, 03:39:32 am
content: Quote from: MarkVeno on August 21, 2018, 02:00:16 amWhere (exactly) are you. There are lots of people here, people selling scopes that travel throughout western Canada. From the numbers, I'm guessing 100mile?

author: MarkVeno
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2018, 05:25:25 am
content: Quote from: boffin on August 21, 2018, 03:39:32 amI'm in Revelstoke, so a bit bigger center. Actually got a couple replies on the local classifieds, neither seem to have worked out yet though

author: asmi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2018, 08:54:10 pm
content: Quote from: SkyMaster on August 21, 2018, 03:32:05 amHighly recommend these guys - received an outstanding service from them! I wanted to buy an MSO2202A and it was temporary out of stock, so they gave me a loaner MSO4054 which I was using for almost 3 months until the scope I wanted arrived!

author: Dwaine
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2018, 04:09:27 pm
content: Quote from: asmi on August 25, 2018, 08:54:10 pmI actually went to their office and bought a Rigol DM3068 meter from them. Gave them the cash and some kid came out with the meter. They were nice people.

author: lordvader88
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2018, 05:56:02 pm
content: I watched for deals on ebay and got a Tek2215 and Tek2340A for like $120 and $200There's lots of nice scope for under $200, I didn't want to get a 20Mhz scope, there are 60MHz and 200MHzBut a 20MHz can do a lot, I have $20 DSO138 scope, 200kHz, but its battery powered or wallpack, works great for lots of low freq stuff where u don't need the accuracy of a "real" scope.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2018, 07:48:53 pm
content: Just sold 2465 300MHz 4-channel for $180 on craigslist

author: qu1j0t3
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2018, 02:37:16 am
content: Quote from: ttelectronic on August 02, 2018, 09:50:45 pmI have to say Sphere have been great to deal with; I've bought a couple of analog scopes from them.I'm in Ontario, and my main scope is a Tek TDS460A digital that was not expensive to buy and ship from USA. The selection of used scopes in USA ebay is large and generally inexpensive. I've recently had small instruments shipped from USA to Ontario for USD $30.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2018, 02:56:13 am
content: Quote from: richnormand on July 26, 2018, 01:34:39 amI second the recommendation of Hamfests.That's where I got almost all of my instruments & radio gear.If you are out in the "bush" it might be harder, but you can find hams in the most unlikely places.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2018, 03:22:48 am
content: FederalandBCandAlbertaprovincial government Surplus rarely have scopes and other oddball test equipment. People bid stupid high for the weirdest junk.Kijijican be pretty good compared to Craigslist.You still have to meet creepy characters in dark alleys.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2018, 04:01:05 pm
content: You don't have to meet anybody in dark alleys, on occasions where I've gone to meet people somewhere we usually choose a corner of the parking lot of a busy shopping center nearby.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2018, 02:58:01 am
content: The honest sellers are fearful of meeting in dark alleys. If someone demands you meet in dodgy locations it is more than enough reason to call off the deal, no matter how good it looks.