Brand New Tektronix Analog Oscilloscope? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: josh132
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 12:58:50 am
content: So recently ive been browsing Tek 22xx series and i found a Brand New Tektronix AN/USM 2235 factory sealed and fully working scopes from old military stock. How do they even get that?https://www.ebay.com/itm/233951541812?v_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item3678993a34:g:6RgAAOSwuzFgU6Om&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACgBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%252Fn%252BzU5L90Z278x5ickkai8xCwosGKpC0NWj85e%252FB503W08a%252BsVzldp%252FXxcM5jIUf1pF3PsnmzQc30G%252Bf57G4%252FuCvGtpfsAASDir8fAZjNw%252Bpzar9fOQ6zOT6nZlWdnLsLRyr5eEtFX5DiVbV2kDoSYfMKWG3GDU9sUUj89djCgAydIG0DFUAFjrZoLAAgu7CcwVnRbNdOiUImo7kFpL5FeG%252B8Bgt3F9U0eYKkA8nH%252F2SPEERQVqNt%252BEWCGKhNt8DbsHA3aFiUGQ9hiS1D06N6J%252Bjx5Vj26zHGOls3dntJYXcpDSjn2ObqkpjzxDsgSUp8BK8qyUrNGeZIwhkP9Lx4S0UvXKap5aaNPcTBON0RFAJDfif0mUydvYLq4GKY1tyd3AwOGaRGQhzqZBof7hoGF39WFEmptV4%252FKL2p4J5LLvdx6iryn1axVn%252FCSpSE5EJDGN4f%252BoGpVGTDmD0Ma1ftfPs%252FiRBTNkFurQKmcQwWf9qb%252Fin4XImPV%252FCZr2uuANCOyYXOgpZbqJJdDLkrR%252FpQFWxve0AYvU2Buxj7tw8IGlApcN7fT7z5jrecD1gnKLztJYqokeFe8b0neXEdCKttGzPJ8Hvg1wW0BgAmeXOJzbs5jjyD1cKWeFTugaaOAKkfWKh0gWzJH58Q406o8F2N5vd%252Fu34L%252BR%252B7BFPVkLSZckuWK6dxefTiyJpswP8WnCHYsoRQ7f0qDeIhau1Z40r4Pzfi0SqgTWJS0rmnKu2CjONCHUoK7tF6ubKiDwQFMZD8jBLlA%252FUWBmxqPls88N5i7IjNoRkMao%252BHZ5xOh%252BaSP4IBmO2M%252FP0hOPtOz8f4I%253D%7Ccksum%3A2339515418122e0b5134083847febe352bafa4ab6a1a%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524

author: josh132
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 12:59:42 am
content: Also im a dad now. A very proud dad.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 01:13:02 am
content: In the military, things get destroyed very often... so it's not surprising they would have completely unused units in stock.

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 02:04:25 am
content: New Old Stock? The box shows it.

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 02:08:56 am
content: Exactly. Someone recently had a large number of brand new HP 34401 meters for sale on Ebay and his paperwork showed that they had come from a USN contract. The USG and it's contractors are famous for buying far more equipment than they need and then destroying it, or occasionally selling it as Mil Surplus.About 20 years ago I bought 13 (IIRC) HP Integral computers and all sorts of accessories from the USN. Much of it was still NIB. I also bought about 75 HP-71 calculators from the US Army at Ft Bliss.But I'll warn you that the Tek scopes do NOT like to be left unpowered for long periods of time. IMO you will be extremely lucky if some, most or all of the caps in it haven't failed.A few years ago I foundsealedBC-348 radio that had been overhauled at Warner-Robbins AFB in 1963 and had never been opened. That stuff is out there, you just have to find it. (And hope that it still works!)

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 02:19:39 am
content: I just looked up the auction and he does list it as new, so E-bay will guarantee that it works and is complete or you can get your money back. But $825 for a 100 MHz scope sounds far to expensive to me. YMMV. You can buy a very nice used leCroy or Tek or HP color DSO for that kind of money.If you buy it my advice is to run it 24 hours a day for the first month to see if any of the caps will fail while it still has any E-bay guarantee.Most places that I worked, they NEVER turned off their scopes or the majority of their test equipment. Most engineering companies consider thatneverturning off TE to be far more reliable than switching it off and on and that leaving it on all of the time causes less tolerance drift.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 02:29:35 am
content: $800 seems a bit much, but I'm pretty sure they'll sell quickly. That's not something you see NOS very much and you can't buy them new. If they've been sealed properly they probably won't have any issues either, at least for a while.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 03:33:06 am
content: That thing's shiny and the writing is impeccable! Nice find.

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 03:47:02 am
content: Quote from: bdunham7 on May 19, 2021, 02:29:35 amSeems a bit much, but something like this in mint condition could be potentially collectible, i'd wager.

author: rodcastler
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 10:38:00 am
content: Quote from: Stray Electron on May 19, 2021, 02:08:56 amYou got me thinking... How come unused caps would have worse chances than others that have been powered an used? Is that a general rule?

author: Caliaxy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 12:43:34 pm
content: Quote from: AntiProtonBoy on May 19, 2021, 03:47:02 am... but the collectible value goes down the drain once it’s not a sealed, NIB item anymore - then it becomes just a used item.To the OP: sleep on it. We know that’s challenging, as a new dadCongratulations on your new arrival!

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 12:48:50 pm
content: What the hell is Ebay up to with that url? That's probably the longest I've ever seen!

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2021, 05:02:09 pm
content: Quote from: rdl on May 19, 2021, 12:48:50 pmIt contains all the session data, you can remove everything after the ?v_ and it will still link to the correct item.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 20, 2021, 02:31:10 am
content: I actually knew that, but jeez that seems excessive. Did they encode the op's entire life history? Maybe that's from an ebay tab that's been open for weeks?Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on May 19, 2021, 05:02:09 pm

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 20, 2021, 03:05:56 am
content: I got a Tek 2465 on eBay a few years ago for about $475. It was used, not new, but that may not make a big difference.The 24xx series is definitely a higher-grade of scope than the 22xx series. I've been VERY happy with mine.Jon

author: Miti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 20, 2021, 03:33:47 am
content: Quote from: Caliaxy on May 19, 2021, 12:43:34 pmYes, good advice. Sleep on it. With the new baby, you really need it.Congratulations!

author: richmit
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2021, 10:31:19 pm
content: A few days before my birthday, a gigantic box arrived. It was one of those super thick, stiff boxes used by the military for storage. I imagined it came from some place like they put the Arc in Indiana Jones.Inside was a sealed envelope with a Tektronix 2235 manual, and a huge box that had been vacuum sealed in thick, metallized laminate. As I cut it open, air hissed in -- I felt like an archeologist opening a precious, sealed sarcophagus! Sure enough, inside was a factory sealed Tektronix box. Inside was the scope and all the accessories in original, sealed packaging. I opened up the scope, and looked for swollen or leaking caps. Didn't find anything obviously wrong, so I plugged it in. It was fully functional and in calibration!Turns out my wife purchased the last one they had. Best birthday present ever. I don't even care that it cost way more than it should have. Soooooo Shiny!I figure I'll replace the caps. Not sure what else needs to be done.-mitch

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2021, 12:19:16 am
content: Brand spanking new! In its day, it would have sold for a few thousands more! You had better look after it like gold.Congrats on the new baby. Sleepless nights are in the near future and the more sleep you get now, better for both of you.

author: AaronLee
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2021, 12:53:21 am
content: Quote from: richmit on July 27, 2021, 10:31:19 pmThat is sweet looking. Congratulations. Around here, almost everyone I know has the obligatory analog scope in their lab, whether it's a working scope or not. I'm one of the few who doesn't. It's been ages since I even touched an analog scope. I guess I wouldn't mind having a beauty like that though, just to look at sometimes, even if I never used it.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2021, 01:01:58 am
content: Quote from: Caliaxy on May 19, 2021, 12:43:34 pmI didn't buy one, but to me the value of something like this is the experience of getting a brand new vintage item, opening it up and having it in excellent cosmetic condition with a 0-hour CRT. Problems from sitting can be fixed, it's still a "low mileage" vintage item that would be cool to have. Same with unbuilt kits, if I were going to buy something like an unbuilt Heathkit I would build it. Of course that would kill the value but I don't buy stuff to sit on and resell, I buy it to use it, and I'd be paying for the experience.People spend $800 on a lot dumber stuff than a vintage scope, and much more on other things with no return on the investment. A vacation could cost 10 times that and all that leaves you with is the experience and maybe a few trinkets. When you buy a new car as soon as you've signed the paperwork it isn't new anymore and it drops in value by a lot more than $800.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2021, 01:07:23 am
content: Quote from: richmit on July 27, 2021, 10:31:19 pmWow! Better hold onto that wife!Thanks for sharing the unpacking pictures, that's super cool. Take good care of it, that thing looks great!

author: Vovk_Z
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2021, 10:40:33 pm
content: Quote from: richmit on July 27, 2021, 10:31:19 pm- don't forget about film X2 caps in a power supply.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2021, 12:25:03 pm
content: Quote from: richmit on July 27, 2021, 10:31:19 pmYou mean you broke the factory seals on the box and packaging? You probably cut its value in half that very moment... Right thing to do anyway, I'd say. An "alleged oscilloscope" in a factory-sealed box is no good either. Bit of a Schroedinger's Cat situation there...

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2021, 05:26:57 pm
content: Quote from: ebastler on August 01, 2021, 12:25:03 pmI have an original Voodoo 3D card that is still factory sealed, I found it years ago when they were cleaning out a storage room at a former employer around the time it was obsolete but not collectible yet. X-rayed the box to see what was in there, not that I had any doubt that it was a video card.

author: richmit
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2021, 06:06:30 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on August 01, 2021, 05:26:57 pmYears ago I opened up a similarly laminated crate which had been carefully labeled by the US Navy as containing field radio service gear. It was full of radar stuff. Military stores are "like a box of chocolates" as Forrest Gump might say.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2021, 05:11:21 am
content: Quote from: richmit on August 01, 2021, 06:06:30 pmDo they still sell any good surplus like that anymore or do they just crush it all? The last time I went into a military surplus store I was underwhelmed. They had a few fighter jet helmets and a small selection of clothing and things like folding shovels but most of the interesting stuff they had was vintage items on display that were not for sale. The bulk of the store was full of new outdoor/camping gear that was not military related.

author: AaronLee
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2021, 06:06:14 am
content: Quote from: james_s on August 02, 2021, 05:11:21 amThe last (and only) time I went to a military surplus store, I had a very similar experience to you. The thing is, that it was when I was a kid, which was a very long time ago. Perhaps they've always been like that, or perhaps we both visited the same store.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2021, 03:59:17 pm
content: Quote from: AaronLee on August 02, 2021, 06:06:14 amNowadays the only thing that seems to sell are clothes. There is a very old fleamarket in Amsterdam. When I was a kid you could find all kinds of neat stuff there (including several electronics surplus dealers). Nowadays you can find mostly clothes and trinkets.