CEO at a manufacturing company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Feb 4, 2019
It has good performance, reliability, and support, but it is too expensive. Compare to other business models. As time passes, the learning curve gets shorter. They're becoming better. The technology requirements are increasing because of evolving standards. While they're coming along, I expect them to be there, as they have always been there. We are not using this product to connect with support connected devices, but it will be going forward for devices, like IoT development.
Hardware Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Feb 4, 2019
Shop around. Get a loaner from all of the options. Purchase the one which fits best for you. It doesn't take that long to get acclimated to the solution, unless you have something difficult. Everything is mostly available online. I don't think I even contacted support. We have use it mostly with supported calibration tools (for support devices).
It is a remarkable scope. It is hard to get used to compared to other oscilloscopes because of the cryptic user interface. However, once you get over that, it's got a lot of power. We are not using this product to support connected devices, e.g., IoT development, nor are we planning to going forward. Trial the models. Use them and see what the limits are that you can get away with using the highest-end gear, and also if you will need to step back to a lower-end product, like RIGOL. In the case of the Rohde & Schwarz, with the number of equivalent screen updates that it does per second,you can find some really illusive glitch or failure to trigger. If you have another machine that runs substantially slower, you'll probably never find that little event, unless you're willing to wait a few weeks for the scope to finally trigger on a missed event. If you're trying to certify something to be rock solid, then you will to have to go with a scope which has much faster acquisitions, not just the sample rate, and has the ability to distill information looking for something that's out of the ordinary.
Save up your money and get one. It's worth it. There was most definitely a learning curve. On any instrument there's a learning curve. It took me a good two weeks. Our solution is field-upgradable but I'm not sure yet how we'll take advantage of that. I'd give it an eight out of ten. Again, the display, the presentation of the data, as well as repeatability and accuracy, are what count.
If your company has enough money and you are not a small startup or a medium startup, purchase Rohde & Schwarz. But, of course, a small company or small startups that are just at the start, this is not a good solution for you. There wasn't really a learning curve, because the principles are basic things that other engineers could explain to us very quickly. But if we had to do out-of-the-ordinary things, we always had references on the internet or contact with Rohde & Schwarz people in Israel. I would rate the product at nine out of ten, because it's very accurate, very easy to operate, very user-friendly, and there is a lot of support. The nine, instead of ten, is because of the price.
Learn what your peers think about Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
When you're used to a product, go with the same product or vendor, unless the price of another is really cheap. There's a definite learning curve. I'm used to Tek or Agilent. I would rate this product at seven out of ten because there's a learning curve that's involved in using the product.
Hardware Engineer at a tech company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Feb 3, 2019
Understand the features that it has. It is very unclear if you first use the product, like what exactly every button is doing. It was not that big of a learning curve. It took maybe a week. It was pretty easy. The application space that this solution targets is high-speed serials.
I would advise someone to seriously consider using Rhode & Schwarz's equipment, especially if they have similar needs to mine. Most of the time, I'm not measuring signals, I'm measuring noise. I'm measuring noise on the power supply. This is important because they are multiple components squeezing through a single chip, so the power supply is always stressed. They can interact and talk to each other, so you want to make sure that doesn't happen. I use the full bandwidth of this solution.
The product is good and efficient in terms of the measurements, but it is pretty repetitive to use. The application base that the solution is targeting is a high-speed serial technology. We measure phase noise. The spectrum analyzer that we're using is an important criteria to characterize the things that we want. There is definitely a learning curve. To get used to the system, it will probably be two or three days. It's not much time. It's pretty easy, but most of the time, you have to repeat everything. The user interface is pretty good. The menu functions are available right on the screen. For the analyzer that we are using, it has most of the button things and there is no touch screen to it. You pretty much figure out what's going on and you just have to press the buttons. We are not using it for IoT development.
Firmware Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Feb 3, 2019
They are a top tier product. We use it to guarantee our top tier product. That is why we purchased it. The user interface is pretty good. Right now, it is more what we had expected. It's easy and fast to use. There is no learning curve. We have an evolution that is following the process, such as following companies producing in test equipment. We followed their seminar rapidly. We know their roadmap and they know our roadmap, so we have very synchronized very well, which is good.
Oscilloscope innovation that delivers measurement confidence. Excellent signal fidelity, high acquisition rate, an innovative trigger system and a clever user interface - that’s what you get with Rohde & Schwarz, a leading manufacturer of oscilloscopes. Match your needs with the right oscilloscope platform, probing options and software applications. From general purpose test to solutions for specific industry standards, we have you covered.
It has good performance, reliability, and support, but it is too expensive. Compare to other business models. As time passes, the learning curve gets shorter. They're becoming better. The technology requirements are increasing because of evolving standards. While they're coming along, I expect them to be there, as they have always been there. We are not using this product to connect with support connected devices, but it will be going forward for devices, like IoT development.
It provides all the functionality we need. It will take time to learn due to the user interface.
Shop around. Get a loaner from all of the options. Purchase the one which fits best for you. It doesn't take that long to get acclimated to the solution, unless you have something difficult. Everything is mostly available online. I don't think I even contacted support. We have use it mostly with supported calibration tools (for support devices).
It is a remarkable scope. It is hard to get used to compared to other oscilloscopes because of the cryptic user interface. However, once you get over that, it's got a lot of power. We are not using this product to support connected devices, e.g., IoT development, nor are we planning to going forward. Trial the models. Use them and see what the limits are that you can get away with using the highest-end gear, and also if you will need to step back to a lower-end product, like RIGOL. In the case of the Rohde & Schwarz, with the number of equivalent screen updates that it does per second,you can find some really illusive glitch or failure to trigger. If you have another machine that runs substantially slower, you'll probably never find that little event, unless you're willing to wait a few weeks for the scope to finally trigger on a missed event. If you're trying to certify something to be rock solid, then you will to have to go with a scope which has much faster acquisitions, not just the sample rate, and has the ability to distill information looking for something that's out of the ordinary.
Save up your money and get one. It's worth it. There was most definitely a learning curve. On any instrument there's a learning curve. It took me a good two weeks. Our solution is field-upgradable but I'm not sure yet how we'll take advantage of that. I'd give it an eight out of ten. Again, the display, the presentation of the data, as well as repeatability and accuracy, are what count.
If your company has enough money and you are not a small startup or a medium startup, purchase Rohde & Schwarz. But, of course, a small company or small startups that are just at the start, this is not a good solution for you. There wasn't really a learning curve, because the principles are basic things that other engineers could explain to us very quickly. But if we had to do out-of-the-ordinary things, we always had references on the internet or contact with Rohde & Schwarz people in Israel. I would rate the product at nine out of ten, because it's very accurate, very easy to operate, very user-friendly, and there is a lot of support. The nine, instead of ten, is because of the price.
When you're used to a product, go with the same product or vendor, unless the price of another is really cheap. There's a definite learning curve. I'm used to Tek or Agilent. I would rate this product at seven out of ten because there's a learning curve that's involved in using the product.
Understand the features that it has. It is very unclear if you first use the product, like what exactly every button is doing. It was not that big of a learning curve. It took maybe a week. It was pretty easy. The application space that this solution targets is high-speed serials.
I would advise someone to seriously consider using Rhode & Schwarz's equipment, especially if they have similar needs to mine. Most of the time, I'm not measuring signals, I'm measuring noise. I'm measuring noise on the power supply. This is important because they are multiple components squeezing through a single chip, so the power supply is always stressed. They can interact and talk to each other, so you want to make sure that doesn't happen. I use the full bandwidth of this solution.
The product is good and efficient in terms of the measurements, but it is pretty repetitive to use. The application base that the solution is targeting is a high-speed serial technology. We measure phase noise. The spectrum analyzer that we're using is an important criteria to characterize the things that we want. There is definitely a learning curve. To get used to the system, it will probably be two or three days. It's not much time. It's pretty easy, but most of the time, you have to repeat everything. The user interface is pretty good. The menu functions are available right on the screen. For the analyzer that we are using, it has most of the button things and there is no touch screen to it. You pretty much figure out what's going on and you just have to press the buttons. We are not using it for IoT development.
They are a top tier product. We use it to guarantee our top tier product. That is why we purchased it. The user interface is pretty good. Right now, it is more what we had expected. It's easy and fast to use. There is no learning curve. We have an evolution that is following the process, such as following companies producing in test equipment. We followed their seminar rapidly. We know their roadmap and they know our roadmap, so we have very synchronized very well, which is good.