BFoelsch wrote:

The last generation of Tek tube scopes, the 544, 546 and 547 had a solid
state vertical section and actually hold up pretty well, but the CRTs are 35
years old! The older stuff though is really tough to bring back from the
grave. Especially the ones with the distributed vertical amps!

The distributed amplifiers, fortunately, are very conservatively rated, and
built with reliable componants. The only likely failure is one of the tubes.
Finding the bad tube is quite easy, because it will leave a glitch on the
leading couple hundred of nanoseconds of a high risetime squarewave.

I have a 585A, and a 513D, both using distributed vertical amplifiers, and
the only problems I have had have been elsewhere. Usually very easy stuff.
The 585A is an extremely easy to use and a very reliable scope. I have been
using them since the late 1970s with very few problems. I have found the
545A and 545B to be similarily reliable, as long as you use a good CA
plugin, and stay away from the 53/54 series. The 547 is a terrific scope.

I keep the 585A around as my "winter scope". It is nice to have around
during the winter time. The rest of the year I use a 475, 2465, or 7D20/7633.

-Chuck