Review and Specifications of Rigol DS1052E and Tektronix TBS1042 Oscilloscopes

Quick Guide from the Manual

This document provides a technical review and comparison of the Rigol DS1052E and Tektronix TBS1042 digital storage oscilloscopes. It serves as a reference for performance capabilities, key specifications, and operational tips for both units.

Technical Specifications

Both oscilloscopes are digital storage oscilloscopes (DSOs) suitable for amateur radio and general electronics testing. Key differences include bandwidth and interface options.

Rigol DS1052E Specifications

• Bandwidth: 50 MHz
• Channels: 2
• Sample Rate: 1 GSa/s (1 ch), 500 MSa/s (2 ch)
• Vertical Resolution: 8 bits
• Max Input Voltage: 300 V RMS
• Interface: USB (front and rear), RS232

Tektronix TBS1042 Specifications

• Bandwidth: 40 MHz
• Channels: 2
• Sample Rate: 500 MSa/s
• Vertical Resolution: 8 bits
• Max Input Voltage: 300 V RMS
• Interface: USB (front and rear)

Usage and Operation

Both oscilloscopes feature an AUTOSET or AUTO button, which automatically configures the unit for the detected signal. This is the recommended starting point for new users.

Probe Compensation

Always ensure probes are compensated before making measurements. The manual provides specific sections on how to perform this adjustment to ensure accuracy.

Saving Data

Both units support saving screen data to a USB memory stick. Note that the save procedure on the Tektronix TBS1042 may require referring to the manual as the menu structure is not always intuitive.

Performance Testing

The review highlights several critical tests for amateur radio applications:

• Transceiver Overshoot: Measuring the initial power spike of a transceiver.
• Amp-Key Timing: Verifying the timing between the amplifier enable signal and RF output to prevent hot switching.
• Two-Tone Testing: Using the FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) math feature to display signals in the frequency domain, useful for checking transceiver linearity.