what is a good spectrum analyzer to have for a home shop in your
opinion, and also what is a good scope to have and do you have to
break the bank on this stuff? thanks.

What specs do you want, and how much do you want to spend? The HP 141T
series is great for technically-inclined hams. Very maintainable, very
reliable once you understand its quirks, very competitive performance...
and very big and heavy. Typically $1K or less on eBay for a working
outfit.

Tek's 492-497 series are also excellent analyzers. Newer and much more
portable than the 141T series, but still easily maintainable (via parts
units and aftermarket suppliers, not through Tek). Quite a bit more
expensive in most cases. $2K - $7K depending on model and options.

HP 8560-series analyzers are also very nice; I have no personal
experience with these, though. Stay away from the cheaper (8557/8/9) HP
units. Tek's older 491 is probably also best avoided in favor of the
141T line (this is probably where the saying "HP for analyzers" came
from.)

Tek analyzers from the 2780 series should also be avoided by most users.
They are still extremely expensive ($7K and up), and like the older
490/2750 analyzers no parts or manuals can be ordered from Tek anymore.
However, unlike the 490/2750 units, they can be calibrated only with
special PC-based configurations connected to specific test sources via
GPIB and running obsolete software. Worse, Tek supported them only via
module exchange, never releasing any component-level schematics. These
are very powerful instruments, but keeping a 2782 or 2784 running
nowadays would be a serious, ongoing research project in itself. These
were symptomatic of the "bean-counter" generation at Tek, where customer
needs were considered secondary to high-priced, proprietary product
support and finite market lifetime.

-- jm

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