Fluke - FLUKE-190-204/AM 190-204/AM 4 Channel LCD Color ScopeMeter Oscilloscope, 200 MHz Bandwidth, 1.7ns Rise time

Unit is very user friendly. Auto functions save lots of time setting up the scope. very easy to carry around to various job sites. As some one that is a field service technician this is the best tool I have to show the customer the exact problem. It has also shown me problems I did not even except to find. The record image feature is great for documenting your finds as well.

Good used product in reasonable shape except a couple parts missing. Would have been five stars and everything was there

I expect more from a Fluke product. I am (or was) a Fluke loyalist which is why I chose this scope. Countless hours of retrospective research indicates that what I SHOULD have bought is the AEMC OX7104.I bought this scope to use for remote monitoring of power glitches caused by, or affecting, a customer's 3phase 480V equipment sporadically, every week or month. The idea was that I could set it up in ScopeRecord mode set to trigger on a power glitch, and then periodically remotely log in (via a remote laptop running TeamViewer) to see if it had triggered, and download the trace data to show the customer what was going on with their equipment - whether the equipment was causing the glitches or faulting because of them.Problem #1 with this - manual states you should not leave the battery in it if powered by AC adapter for long periods, or else the battery will be damaged. Awesome. So I'm looking for power interruptions, but I can't use the battery backup. So every time something happens, most likely the scope will power down and I'll lose the data.Problem #2 - The FlukeView ScopeMeter 5 software that I paid the extra $290 for is so buggy that it is almost entirely unusable for its intended purpose in my case. Any time you do ANYTHING in the software that interfaces with the scope, it stops the record mode. Say the scope is recording, you open the software and it connects to the scope, scope stops recording. You download a trace, recording stops. You open remote control, recording stops. You close the software, recording stops. You cannot start the recording from the software. You open the remote control menu and press f1 to start the recording, it shows on the mock screen that it is recording, but it isn't; the screen lies to you. So my only option is to use the software to load the channel setups and enter scope record mode, then exit the software and call my customer and request they go out to the equipment, open the 480V panel, and press F1. Then I must ask my customer 2-3 times per week to go out and see if the scope has triggered, because if I try to check it myself, the scope will stop recording and I can't restart it remotely. Very embarrassing for me, as I talked this product up quite a bit and made it sound painless.Problem #3 - the trigger settings in the scope are a buggy P.I.T.A. - You cannot set the trigger source/level/type in scope record mode. You must go into plain scope mode, set the trigger settings, then go back to scope record mode. Problem is, 90% of the time, transitioning to scope record mode wipes out the trigger settings. So when you get to scope record mode, the trigger is set back to default. Some combinations of trigger settings will transfer, most will not. There is nothing in any Fluke docs which explains what/why will/won't transfer, and there is no rhyme/reason/pattern to it that I could discern. You just have to play around with it (for a couple of hours, with an unimpressed customer looking over your shoulder in my case), swapping between different channels, invert this channel with rising edge trigger to get the falling edge trigger that you really want, etc.Problem #4 - The waveforms downloaded from the scope do not always have the date/time stamp according to the date/time in the scope. I have used the exact same setup from day #1 when I set this scope up a couple of months ago. every time it loses power, I reload the same setup and go from there. It is set up to record from "date/time" yet 50% of the time, what I get is "from start of recording" so once the trigger happens, the beginning of the recording is time 0:00:00.00, instead of date/time. I cannot use this information; it MUST give me the date/time of the trigger to be correlated with events of the day. Otherwise the data is useless. I have wasted much my own and my customer's time and money with this crap. These events may not happen for 10+ days, and when they do happen, and I have to throw out the data, it is very painful.problem #5 - the probes that are included do not facilitate the accessories which are needed to clamp onto bus bars. You have to buy entirely new probes to get anything that is compatible with the bus bar clamps.These are just the problems I uncovered on this one job, one application. I'm sure there are more in store for me once this job is over and I start using the scope for other purposes.I am very disappointed, Fluke. This is the first time you have ever let me down, and it is a pretty big let-down.

This is the best tool I have. 4 channels are awesome for troubleshooting.

Up until the late 90's, early 2000's, Fluke was renowned for its multimeters and Tektronix for its oscilloscopes. Both attempted to branch out into each other's area of strength but neither produced any decent products; Fluke's early scopemeters were unimpressive and non-intuitive and Tektronix's meters couldn't compete on quality with Flukes already establish meters like the popular Fluke 87. Then Danaher bought both companies and essentially abandoned it seemed support for Tektronix's field scopes. The last best scope Tektronix made was the THS700 series - it was monochrome but very intuitive and an excellent field scope for engineers and technologists working in the industry who needed isolated inputs for high-voltage power electronics, but then support died and the THS700 series faded with no subsequent products on the horizon. Usher in the Fluke 190C series II scope that promised to be best in class, four channel, color display, built in strip recorder, with a raft of new features. Having reviewed earlier scopes from Fluke, I hesitated but my beloved THS710 was packing it in and I had no choice but to dive in and purchase the Fluke 190C as Tektronix had no comparable offering at the time.While the 190C certainly offered considerable upgrades and advanced features, it was also a serious let down. It's display resolution was pathetic with poor viewing contrast that looks washed out at a time when Apple I-Pads were in vogue with hi-Res screens popping up everywhere. Although limited to a monochrome screen in only 2 channels, I found the THS710 scope easier to view and far more scope like in its user interface with intuitive menus. The 190C is cumbersome to use for anyone familiar with lab scopes who must also perform field work. Common features as simple as being able to press a single button to center the trace on the screen are absent on the Fluke 190C. It's DMM (metering) functions are a joke - don't expect any accuracy here, the device can only capture voltages to 8 bit accuracy and when you factor in noise, not even that.Cursor functions are awkward and many menu operations feel clunky and frustrating at times. The built in FFT is difficult to see given the poor screen resolution. The FlukeView software helps with this but is a poor interface in its own right and not always reliable when connecting to the device by USB. Memory runs out quick when capturing too many trends so keep a USB key handy. One truly has to wonder where all the previous Tektronix expertise in designing great oscilloscopes went when Danaher bought the two companies. Sadly, at the time of my purchase, it was however the only truly isolated, four channel scope on the market that could handle CAT IV 600V levels. Since then however, Tektronix came out with its own modified version, the THS3000, but their engineers told me not to feel bad about my purchase as it really didn't change that much from the Fluke version. Both are built on the same chassis and tweaked a bit to look different but it's otherwise the same animal to my understanding. Another blow to the Tektronix revamp is that they de-rated its safety level to CAT III for 600V.In the last year however, I have had the opportunity to witness the performance the newly released “Rider” oscilloscope from Rohde & Schwarz, a top of the line instrument manufacturer from Europe. This oscilloscope is also safety approved with numerous agencies for operation in Europe and North America including CSA and UL. Like the Fluke 190C it boasts safe use for CAT IV 600V, CAT III 1000V and comes in 4 channel up to 500MHz. It is a true 10 bit resolution scope with far more advanced functions and the screen alone will sell you on it (it's a crisp 800x640 full color capacitive touch screen vs Fluke's pathetic 320x240). Moreover, it's entry price is around the same as the Fluke 190C and it has real time WiFi Ethernet communications so you can operate it remotely, unlike the Fluke 190C that needs a physical USB connection to control remotely with limited functionality. Only screen shots can be captured remotely on the Fluke 190C but the "Rider" scope can see waveforms in real time on a remote I-Pad or laptop with full interface control wirelessly. Had this scope been available at the time, it would have been a no-brainer for me. The new Rohde and Schwarz scope wins hands down and is technologically miles ahead of the Fluke 190C which had all the opportunity to be a great scope in its day but never saw the investment commitment that Rohde and Schwarz have clearly made in their product. So if you're looking to make a new purchase for a field scope, do yourself a favor and examine the "Rider". You won't be disappointed and no I do not work for either company. I am a professional Engineer who once worked for Westinghouse in Field Services and Design, started my own engineering firm in 1997, and now teach as a Professor at a community college. I own the 190C from Fluke and only regret that there wasn't a better alternative available at the time.The Fluke 190C gets a three out of five score with me because despite my many frustrations with it, it is a reliable piece of hardware that does get the job done reasonably well once you wrap your head around its many nuances. In fairness, its capabilities and safety ratings do make it a significant asset to any troubleshooter or seasoned engineer but it is disappointing that the executive at Fluke did not take advantage of the technological advances available to them at the time of development nor capitalize on the former skillsets of their sister company Tektronix. Power Systems Engineers will also be interested in knowing that the “Rider” is a true multitasking device. Not only is it generations ahead of the Fluke 190C but it provides optional software modules (already built in, just need to purchase an activation key) that will permit full three phase power measurements, FFT, etc. to be performed. You’d have to buy a whole new Power Measurement Meter from Fluke to achieve the same.Bottom line: The Fluke 190C was king for a time, but that time has passed. The competition has arrived and in this engineer’s humble opinion, the 190C is looking very much like yesterday’s technology. It is however a known beast and it works. If the Rhode & Schwarz “Rider” is able to prove itself reliable and bug-free then I can well imagine that at current pricing Fluke will have its work cut out for it just to compete if they don’t find a way to bridge the current technology gap between the two products. The race is on.

Power Supply and battery problems.Well I’ve spent close to $600 trying to use my 190/204 Scopemeter. Originally my Power supply blew a capacitor. So I purchased a new power adapter which I used only once before it stoped working. Ordered second power supply, this external battery charger and a second replacement battery. And still no luck with charging either battery in or out of the machine. Despite what they say on their website, support and warranties are non existent..My advice: if it has a rechargeable battery and power supply and says FLUKE..... DO NOT BUY!!RUN AWAY!!!SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!Always consider the reviews...