hand held or bench oscilloscope?

[Doddy]

A_Camera: The pricing confuses me on the different options, just going for the highest cost option (around $193) I think I'd think twice before spending that vs a bench scope. I think (I'm at work and just glanced at the otherwise-blocked Ad on Banggood on my mobile phone) that this is a similar-ish model to some reviewed on eeVBlog , and from memory the review was a bit mixed... certainly brilliant. But, it sounds like you understand the basic limitations and can work around these. I'd be (casually) curious of your experience of the HMI as this is probably the one area that these portables always frustrates me... but maybe I'm too old and set in my ways.

Be interested in hearing your view on the scope after you've got used to it.

[Kitwn]

I recall that vaguely. I briefly bothered with a licence after passing the test (couldn't be bothered with learning Morse though) - G8XCN, IIRC. I did most of my transmitters before then. I guess legalising it removed much of the excitement factor. Then I got more into UHF digital frequency synthesisers, DFMs, directional aerials etc. Could never understand people getting excited about DXing. To me it's like using a workshop to make model engines....

I lost serious interest in amateur radio when I became a professional. I did manage to get the licence G0 KIT as the timing meant I didn't have to wait long for that one to come round and someone was going to get it!
Receivers were a bit of a speciality of mine, the performance of the frequency synthesisers being a critical part of separating the good from the bad, and digital modulation/demodulation, though more in theory than practice. I could talk all day about Coded Orthogonal Frequency Divison Multplex coding and decoding and indeed did so on many occasions. UHF synthesiser noise performance was a big concern for the early digital TV set-top box designers and baseline receiver performance was a signifficant part of the transmitter network planning.

[A_Camera]

A_Camera: The pricing confuses me on the different options, just going for the highest cost option (around $193) I think I'd think twice before spending that vs a bench scope. I think (I'm at work and just glanced at the otherwise-blocked Ad on Banggood on my mobile phone) that this is a similar-ish model to some reviewed on eeVBlog , and from memory the review was a bit mixed... certainly brilliant. But, it sounds like you understand the basic limitations and can work around these. I'd be (casually) curious of your experience of the HMI as this is probably the one area that these portables always frustrates me... but maybe I'm too old and set in my ways.

Be interested in hearing your view on the scope after you've got used to it.

I don't understand why your link is not working. The options I get is different places it can be delivered from, and from China is the cheapest, but I prefer buying things from Europe, this way the tax is paid and I get it quicker. Anyway, looking at it for a UK delivery, I get the same price, 172 USD https://uk.banggood.com/Hantek-3in1-...r_warehouse=UK

I think the unit works well, but of course, for such cheap price you can't expect everything to be perfect, we can always wish for more. Never the less, as a hand held, portable, battery driven instrument, or as one which would be rarely used it is excellent.

[Muzzer]

I'd be interested to see how you get on with this DVM-style meter. I have one of the DS203 things and although it's a neat piece of kit, it takes a lot of fiddling to set up / change the myriad settings like vertical, timebase, trigger etc. A lot more portable than the Siglent SDS1102 which I am otherwise very happy with.

[Doddy]

Almost bought one there, just to play with - £133 UK... then noticed a Hantek scope on the "buyers also bought..." section for about £50 more. That is the real issue here - do you want portable - at the cost of usability, or bench - at the cost of physical space (and power). There's a case for both though I think I need a beer or two to persuade me to buy another scope.

[Muzzer]

Yes, I suspect that's what happened here, causing the DS203 to turn up!