Remember those old TV show episodes of “The Twilight Zone” where they had a TV monitor with wavelength signals? They used one of the earliest oscilloscopes today, very good for the black and white days of television.

What that contraption did was measure the power of electricity basically as it comes in various signal strengths. This is necessary to test and measure the equipment to make sure it is running at peak efficiency. Too much or too little juice can spell disaster in some lines of work. So the o-scope is used to tell precisely what the signal is doing and where it’s coming from, and also how to adjust it correctly.

Now, I want to go in another direction here and talk about ghosts. What am I driving to? Well, have you ever seen one of those ghost hunting shows on TV recently? It is important because this is the exact type of equipment used to find out if there is ghost activity. Oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers can read if there is any unusual electrical activity in the room via an RF signal to the spectrum analyzer and find the wavelength signal via the o-scope, usually a portable version.

This is important to take note of, even if you don’t believe in ghosts or the paranormal, because this kind of spectral analysis makes it seem that way, even if it’s all smoke and mirrors made for TV entertainment. But you never know… Is it possible that these RF oscilloscopes can actually pick up the electrical wavelengths of the recently deceased? Sounds like something out of a Halloween novel, doesn’t it?

That’s just one example of the weird things these ridiculously expensive test kits can be used for. Also seen in the movie “White Noise” starring Michael Keaton. Yes, those were oscilloscopes that he was using to find his dead wife or child, I don’t remember which ones, but I remember very well that wall of monitors and equipment, even if the movie sucks.

Let’s go back to oscilloscopes and what they can do. The most important thing they can do and the reason they cost so much is their reliability and accuracy. That’s what you’re paying for, it’s accuracy, which is the deciding factor in the final result of the test and measure. However, you must understand that this type of equipment needs routine maintenance just like an exotic sports car. Things need to be adjusted and kept in shape for the next test, always.

When I was in college, our professor did an accuracy test with 3 different types of oscilloscopes, one was about 20 years old and one was brand new, while the other was a handheld device that used a USB connection and plugged directly into his MacBook Pro. The test was to see how accurate these three were together. Mind you, the older one just had a tune-up, so it was ready to go, as were the newer ones.

What we came to find out was very interesting. All three not only performed with zero probability and were absolutely accurate, but the real kicker was that this test showed how good an o-scope can be in many ways. New to old to USB portable device. Now, of course, the Apple computer was the top-of-the-line MacBook with the correct software installed for this test. All three were virtually flawless in the eyes of test subject analysis.