Buying one of these. Looks easy to use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9pPhC__Gh4

Sorry, I can't agree with you.
If your primary interest is vintage radio, you will never use 95% of the functions and will spend more time pushing buttons on the screen than you spend looking at the screen image.
For radio work, you are better off with a straight forward analogue scope, and you will be able to fix it if it breaks down.
Harold

I have a workshop with both analogue and digital CROs.
I have designed and built analogue CROs since I was kid.
I have used and repaired both types.

Now, in the last 10 years I use a couple of digital CRO's and have sidelined any analogues.
Why? Because you can do so much more with even the most basic digitals.
And that is when using in Vintage radio projects.
"Never use 95% of the functions"?.
Rather than that, a whole world of possibility opens up when you find what a digital can do.
Even the basic Jaycar units I have.
A digital CRO teaches you stuff you would never contemplate about just sticking with an analogue!
I dont have the ability to use a full function modern CRO now I'm slipping a bit in brain power.
But if you are a young person, say 50 and under, get a good CRO and make the handbook your best friend!


The only time I broke out an analogue was when I was trying to visulise some distortion spikes on audio waves that the digital could not interpret and would not lock onto.
An analogue screen could not resolve a lot of the spikey stuff and the limited band width then showed the errant distortion "better".
If I had a modern digital I most likely could have locked into the spikey stuff better.

Anyway, I say get both, then see the difference and learn a lot more with any digital CRO.

Cheers, Fred.

I agree with both of you. I had a beautiful new oscilliscope given to me a few years back. Well over $500 dollars worth. I did not use it. I passed it on to a friend whom I know would use it. It had all the bells and whistles but I wouldnt come close to using it.
This one however is very intuitive which makes it easy to use. It also runs on battery which means it will never share a earth with the equipment being tested. I am just a little miffed it doesnt have modulation in the signal generator but thats ok as I can use it as a frequency counter to help set my RF Generator Modulator. Then I can just use the oscilloscope on the speaker outputs knowing its accurate.

Ultimately it comes down to end use & fit for purpose. Many modern pieces of equipment cannot handle the voltages & transients of tube radio & equipment. I have actually had, from a local radio club I am President of; that those fab cheap, little universal computerised widgets will be destroyed easily by a charged cap.

Then it comes down to the ability of being able to interpret what the oscilloscope is showing you and that in many cases is the the hard part.

Noting the comment on calibrating signal generators, My Fluke and a kit one (both solid state) will not read properly, if the AM signal is modulated.

A trap.

That also applies to some digital multimeters.

Yes Marc but this one actually shows the frequency at the top of the oscilloscope wnen the generator is linked to it. Thats how I will calibrate before each alignment. Pretty nifty.

Well Guys I have had my first go at using this device and I cannot say it enough as ti how intuitive it is. It's a game changer for me. It literally took 5 seconds to calibrate the leads and another few seconds to calibrate my old Leader SG10.
I have already done my first alignment with it.

The best way to see if Modulation alters the frequency reading is to start with the Modulation / Tone off: Then apply it. If it is sensitive to Modulation, then the reading will change.

I suppose a practical tip is the issue raised by Marc.
I never ever ever use a 1:1 probe when scoping a valve circuit.
Always use a 10:1 or 100:1 divider probe to reduce the DC voltage applied to the input circuit of the CRO.
The CRO will have a voltage rating.
The probe will have a voltage rating.
Keep as far away from that voltage as possible.
The most points to be wary of in a radio are the HT rails and any anode circuit.
I can use a standard 10:1 Jaycar probe and use my Jaycar CRO's and be confident I wont zap the front end of the CRO.
Occasionally if I am unsure of any surprise spike I add a series 1meg resistor from the tip of the probe to the test point.
Sometimes I add a series 0.1 μF cap to block any DC.
Thats fine if you just want to see the wave shape and are not measuring.

TV work: be oh so careful going anywhere near the deflection oscillators or the EHT cage.
One zap from a HV source and your whole 1 PCB CRO will be useless and unfixable.
A solid state component CRO can have the entire front end from input FETs to switching chips blown.
Dozens of parts to replace, NOT RECOMENDED!
I have been there.

Its all common sense and be carefull.

Fred.

In some ways, its like an engine. You learn how to stop it, before you start it.

With any test equipment, even a simple voltmeter, to get the best value from it: You need to understand it. That means what you can and can't do with it.

With Digital meters & Analogue, both can lie if use improperly. Dirty input can confuse the hell out of Digital Meters, as they sample, average, read. Some as noted, will actually read RF on DC and give a wrong result.

So, familiarise yourself with the equipment before you apply it.

Off topic, I did replace the worn out input caps on my Heathkit OS-1 Oscilloscope with 2KV ones