Tektronix scopes vs the compitition 1983 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Homer J Simpson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2023, 03:51:23 pm
content: Interesting marketing video from Tektronix in 1983.Their scopes vs the competition.It is 1 hour but fun to watch.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2023, 09:20:06 pm
content: I like the "10kHz per division" at around 21:43.

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2023, 11:26:14 am
content: In the 1980s you just bought Tek.

author: Roehrenonkel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2023, 12:23:57 pm
content: Hi,Quote from: SiliconWizard on July 07, 2023, 09:20:06 pmmy highlight is right at the start:"...It has 25 push-bottons and 19 knobs....the TEK has ONLY 16 knobs...."Compare this to todays One-knob Oscilloscopes. ;-)Btw: My amps all go to 11. ;-)))

author: alm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2023, 01:07:49 pm
content: I'm guessing this was sales training for their sales staff or dealers, rather than for end users. Interesting that HP is not included, which was in my view the big competitor, though maybe not in this particular market segment.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2023, 09:34:15 am
content: Quote from: EPAIII on July 10, 2023, 11:26:14 amIn the US, perhaps. Not so much, in the rest of the world.

author: eugene
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2023, 10:31:37 pm
content: Quote from: AVGresponding on July 14, 2023, 09:34:15 amHow unfortunate for the rest of the world!

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2023, 12:33:55 am
content: Quote from: Homer J Simpson on July 07, 2023, 03:51:23 pmIt's a shame they didn't apply the same comparison to their horrific first generation DSOs.We did! ------& sent the Tek (& HP) sales critters home "with their tails between their legs"!In fairness to the competitors they did compare with, some of the things they compared here are not anything an experienced user would have problems with.For instance, looking at high frequency sine waves.If you could see umpteen cycles on the screen but not resolve some on, say, the Philips 'scope, you would simply use the delayed timebase to display one or several cycles-----which is exactly what you would do with the 2215.One thing which they obviously couldn't directly compare was longevity ----- a Philips 3217 still in working order is a fairly rare commodity, but there are many working Tek 2215s around.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2023, 12:37:29 am
content: Quote from: alm on July 10, 2023, 01:07:49 pmThat was my feeling, too-----directly "bashing" your competitor in public still "wasn't quite the done thing" in 1983!

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2023, 11:48:48 am
content: Sorry, didn't mean to slight anyone.So what did the rest of the world buy? Phillips? Rohde & Schwarz? HP? Dumont?The joke about real estate is "Location, Location, and LOCATION". And the joke about scope manufacturers in the 1980s is "Tektronix, Tektronix, and TEKTRONIX". So, what's the European or British or Asian or African version?Quote from: AVGresponding on July 14, 2023, 09:34:15 am

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2023, 12:31:55 pm
content: Quote from: EPAIII on July 16, 2023, 11:48:48 amIn Germany (and Europe in general?), Philips was probably the biggest seller in the up-market segment. Hameg was very popular as a budget/mid-range solution; not sure how much reach they had into the wider European market? Grundig had a line of scopes, but I have rarely seen these -- maybe they were more common in radio & TV workshops? I am sure there were other "local" European brands which were popular in their home markets outside of Germany.Among imports, Hitachi was somewhat common (and was the brand of my first 20 MHz, 2-channel scope). And yes, Tektronix had a big presence in Europe, and was probably seen as the most advanced brand.While Rohde & Schwarz were well-established and highly regarded in T&M equipment (and especially in HF technology) in the 80s, I believe they only started building general-purpose oscilloscopes well after the year 2000.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2023, 02:59:09 pm
content: Quote from: EPAIII on July 16, 2023, 11:48:48 amPhilips, Hameg, mostly, maybe Nicolet or Telequipment if you were unlucky...It would be interesting to know the price points for each of those scopes at the time of review.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2023, 12:46:04 am
content: Quote from: EPAIII on July 16, 2023, 11:48:48 amIn Australia, for those organisations that could afford them, it was pretty much Tektronix, with a few HPs.For lower echelon firms, like those in TV servicing & suchlike, Philips had a good following, along with also-rans, like Hitachi, Telequipment, BWD, etc. (although the latter two also made up-market versions, with BWD producing a full-featured CRO in the Tek 465 class).In much earlier years, AWA, Cossor, & EMI had a fairly substantial presence.