Era
Test equipment from the 1980s
The 1980s put a microprocessor inside bench instruments. Scopes gained on-screen readouts and cursors, and meters and generators added keypads and HP-IB or GPIB. Many of these instruments keep their calibration constants in battery-backed memory, and when that battery runs flat the instrument loses its calibration and needs a full recalibration. Ask whether the memory chip or its battery has been replaced or backed up. Power supply capacitors and fans are the other things to ask about.
9 models we cover.
Tektronix
OscilloscopeTektronix 2465B
- Years made
- c.1988 on
- Key spec
- 400 MHz on all four channels
$400–$1,000 typical ask
18 on eBay
Tektronix
OscilloscopeTektronix 2467B
- Years made
- c.1988 on
- Key spec
- 400 MHz
$675–$1,300 typical ask
7 on eBay
Marconi / IFR
Signal generatorMarconi 2019A
- Years made
- c.1984 on
- Key spec
- 80 kHz to 1040 MHz
$700–$1,025 typical ask
4 on eBay
HP / Agilent / Keysight
MultimeterHP 3457A
- Years made
- c.1986–c.1997
- Key spec
- 3½ to 6½ digits on the display
$575–$950 typical ask
29 on eBay
HP / Agilent / Keysight
Signal generatorHP 8656B
- Years made
- c.1984–c.1998
- Key spec
- 100 kHz to 990 MHz
$340–$775 typical ask
19 on eBay
HP / Agilent / Keysight
Spectrum analyzerHP 8562A
- Years made
- c.1987–c.1992
- Key spec
- 1 kHz to 22 GHz
$750–$775 typical ask
1 on eBay
Fluke
MultimeterFluke 8506A
- Years made
- 1980s
- Key spec
- 6½ digits
$390–$5,050 typical ask
8 on eBay
Fluke
MultimeterFluke 8842A
- Years made
- 1980s
- Key spec
- 5½ digits
$310–$625 typical ask
13 on eBay
Keithley
MultimeterKeithley 197
- Years made
- 1980s
- Key spec
- 5½ digits
$220–$430 typical ask
17 on eBay