Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA
>>"limited to Windows" Not so: NanoVNA-saver is software written in Python and is platform independent. I use it on Linux Mint 20.1 https://github.com/NanoVNA-Saver/nanovna-saver 73, Peter - PA0PJE Op 25-06-2021 om 14:17 schreef w2xj: The problem with that is it requires a computer and is apparently limited to Windows software. Nano VNA is self contained. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA
Yeah. The menu system can be a little daunting, but after using it a bit and learning the flow it's not that bad. You can print out a flow chart of the menus to refer to which makes things easier. I also added some notes to mine. The nanoVNA I have saves 8 sets of calibrations and settings on the device so works FB without appending a computer to it. It does not save data. The computer software also expand its capability in some respects. On Friday, June 25, 2021, 2:56:11 PM MDT, John Harper wrote: Try it in conjunction with nanoVNA-Saver. Calibrations (and other data) can be saved and recalled: https://github.com/NanoVNA-Saver/nanovna-saver John AE5X https://ae5x.blogspot.com >I have a NanoVNA and it does work, but its menu system is horrible and counter intuitive. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to louand...@yahoo.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA
Roughly in the same price range is the Array Solutions AIM UHF. In the course of my HAM career I have used a variety of analyzers. I have a NanoVNA and it does work, but its menu system is horrible and counter intuitive. In addition the use of tiny connectors is not ideal for our common N and PL 259 equipment. It also has to be recalibrated a lot more than other units and that can be a hassle. I don't completely trust it because I am not always sure I am using it correctly. My favorite analyzers were the AA series and the AIM UHF. The AA 600 I owned was a stand alone unit and it was pretty trustworthy. The AIM UHF seems to be very similar to the VNWA referenced below and was in approximately the same price range. It also worked through a computer. In the end I much prefer the AIM UHF. Although it was a bit inconvenient to have to bring along a computer, I found that in nearly every situation it was worth the inconvenience. For instance, graphing a full SWR curve along a frequency range was very helpful to analyze antenna tune. You can see exactly how the curve goes including the lowest point and you could make gradual antenna modifications to get perfect tune. -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net On Behalf Of w2xj Sent: Friday, June 25, 2021 5:18 AM To: j...@audiosystemsgroup.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA The problem with that is it requires a computer and is apparently limited to Windows software. Nano VNA is self contained. > On June 25, 2021 5:00 AM Jim Brown wrote: > > > On 6/25/2021 1:18 AM, Victor Rosenthal 4X6GP wrote: > > Only marginally Elecraft related, but I want to buy a Nano VNA. > > In a different price range, but I've been VERY happy with the VNWA > designed by DG8SAQ, built and sold as a finished product by these hams > in the UK. One of the HUGE pluses is SAQ's software, which is able to > compute and plot complex impedance from S11 and S21 measurements. The > company also sells very good calibration kits at very reasonable > prices, and calibration is key to meaningful measurements. This unit > is a serious lab quality instrument, not a toy. > > https://www.sdr-kits.net/introducing-DG8SAQ-VNWA3 > > I paid about $700 for the unit with the cal kit, shipped, about 7 > years ago. The Brexit stupidity has made it about $100 cheaper. > > 73, Jim K9YC > __ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email > list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to > w...@w2xj.net __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to gthorn...@thorntonmostullaw.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA
If anyone is interested in these, the designer gave an excellent presentation about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Z7veGV57o Wes N7WS On 6/25/2021 10:06 AM, I wrote: The FA-VA5 was designed by DG5MK. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA
Ahh ... you are correct. It was designed by DG5MK, not DG8SAQ ... but it does work with the DG8SAQ software. And yes, the interface is a bit weird, but that's because it only has three buttons (essentially Up, Down, Select) to page through the various menus, change frequency, etc. I've gotten fairly used to it. By the way, the battery life is amazingly long. I use it fairly often but find myself changing batteries about once a year just in case. 73, Dave AB7E On 6/25/2021 9:57 AM, Jim Brown wrote: Yes, this is a very nice unit, but designed by a different German ham whose call I've forgotten. It's only shortcoming is a user interface that even the programmer's mother could not love. 73, Jim K9YC On 6/25/2021 9:45 AM, David Gilbert wrote: I would strongly recommend the FA-VA5 also designed by DG8SAQ. It currently sells for about $190, is rated for up to 600 mHz. It works fine as a standalone unit, but it will also work with a computer and SAQ's software for some additional capability (like TDR). __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA
The FA-VA5 was designed by DG5MK. The DG8SAQ software will speak to it however. It is a very accurate instrument hampered by an abysmal user interface, That said, in addition, I have an original N2PK, an upgraded SDR-Kits (DG8SAQ) with S-parameter test set, an AA-55 Zoom, and an EU1KY VIA. Of all of these, the FA-VA5 is the only one readable in sunlight. Wes N7WS On 6/25/2021 9:45 AM, David Gilbert wrote: 4X6GP didn't say what he wanted the nanoVNA for, but if he didn't need 2-port capability I would strongly recommend the FA-VA5 also designed by DG8SAQ. It currently sells for about $190, is rated for up to 600 mHz. It works fine as a standalone unit, but it will also work with a computer and SAQ's software for some additional capability (like TDR). https://www.sdr-kits.net/VA5-Antenna-Analyzer-Kit I also own a nanoVNA and an older HF-CIA, but the FA-VA5 is my go to tool for measuring just about anything (even resistors). For me, it has the right combination of size, accuracy, and convenience. The output can be displayed as either SWR or R +/- jX, and can be done so for either a single frequency or as a graph across a frequency range. 73, Dave AB7E __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA
Yes, this is a very nice unit, but designed by a different German ham whose call I've forgotten. It's only shortcoming is a user interface that even the programmer's mother could not love. 73, Jim K9YC On 6/25/2021 9:45 AM, David Gilbert wrote: I would strongly recommend the FA-VA5 also designed by DG8SAQ. It currently sells for about $190, is rated for up to 600 mHz. It works fine as a standalone unit, but it will also work with a computer and SAQ's software for some additional capability (like TDR). __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA
4X6GP didn't say what he wanted the nanoVNA for, but if he didn't need 2-port capability I would strongly recommend the FA-VA5 also designed by DG8SAQ. It currently sells for about $190, is rated for up to 600 mHz. It works fine as a standalone unit, but it will also work with a computer and SAQ's software for some additional capability (like TDR). https://www.sdr-kits.net/VA5-Antenna-Analyzer-Kit I also own a nanoVNA and an older HF-CIA, but the FA-VA5 is my go to tool for measuring just about anything (even resistors). For me, it has the right combination of size, accuracy, and convenience. The output can be displayed as either SWR or R +/- jX, and can be done so for either a single frequency or as a graph across a frequency range. 73, Dave AB7E On 6/25/2021 2:00 AM, Jim Brown wrote: On 6/25/2021 1:18 AM, Victor Rosenthal 4X6GP wrote: Only marginally Elecraft related, but I want to buy a Nano VNA. In a different price range, but I've been VERY happy with the VNWA designed by DG8SAQ, built and sold as a finished product by these hams in the UK. One of the HUGE pluses is SAQ's software, which is able to compute and plot complex impedance from S11 and S21 measurements. The company also sells very good calibration kits at very reasonable prices, and calibration is key to meaningful measurements. This unit is a serious lab quality instrument, not a toy. https://www.sdr-kits.net/introducing-DG8SAQ-VNWA3 I paid about $700 for the unit with the cal kit, shipped, about 7 years ago. The Brexit stupidity has made it about $100 cheaper. 73, Jim K9YC __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA
There have been a couple of folks who have compared a legitimate nanoVNA to $50K HP lab equipment and found them to be virtually equivalent for accuracy up to their fundamental oscillator frequency (300 mHz for my unit). The nanoVNA will work higher on harmonics with slightly reduced accuracy. There are cheap knockoff clones out there, but the legitimate ones are VERY inexpensive (maybe $70 now?) and are not toys. 73, Dave AB7E On 6/25/2021 5:08 AM, John Harper wrote: I've bought several nanoVNA's from "aursinc" on Amazon and have always gotten a real one, not a clone. Here's another version: https://amzn.to/3daSrmI The latest flavor of these devices operates up to 4GHz. Not many hams need that upper freq limit but, when shopping for a nanoVNA, pay attention to the dynamic range offered. The 4GHz nanoVNA has 20 dB better dynamic range than any other model: https://www.tindie.com/products/hcxqsgroup/nanovna-v2-plus4/ Showing "Out of stock" intermittently. I know that some may consider these devices as toys but I've found them to be amazingly accurate when compared to their expensive counterparts at my work QTH: https://ae5x.blogspot.com/search/label/nanoVNA They are also useful learning tools with a lot of people reporting that they now know how to interpret a Smith chart and make use of the info they provide. John AE5X __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA
I got a nanoVAN V2 PLUS 4 about four months ago. It's been FB. Here's the site: https://nanorfe.com/nanovna-v2.html There are at least 4 or 5 different nanoVNA designs, V2, F2, H, H4, etc.. with a variety of firmware and software programs and versions floating around and even more clones of each. Prices range from $50 to $200... The landscape is very complicated. You can go to groups.io, search on nanoVNA and find 8 groups to join. I'm happy with what I got, but can't say if I'd be more or less happy with any of the others. On Friday, June 25, 2021, 6:18:50 AM MDT, w2xj wrote: The problem with that is it requires a computer and is apparently limited to Windows software. Nano VNA is self contained. > On June 25, 2021 5:00 AM Jim Brown wrote: > > > On 6/25/2021 1:18 AM, Victor Rosenthal 4X6GP wrote: > > Only marginally Elecraft related, but I want to buy a Nano VNA. > > In a different price range, but I've been VERY happy with the VNWA > designed by DG8SAQ, built and sold as a finished product by these hams > in the UK. One of the HUGE pluses is SAQ's software, which is able to > compute and plot complex impedance from S11 and S21 measurements. The > company also sells very good calibration kits at very reasonable prices, > and calibration is key to meaningful measurements. This unit is a > serious lab quality instrument, not a toy. > > https://www.sdr-kits.net/introducing-DG8SAQ-VNWA3 > > I paid about $700 for the unit with the cal kit, shipped, about 7 years > ago. The Brexit stupidity has made it about $100 cheaper. > > 73, Jim K9YC > __ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to w...@w2xj.net __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to louand...@yahoo.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA
The problem with that is it requires a computer and is apparently limited to Windows software. Nano VNA is self contained. > On June 25, 2021 5:00 AM Jim Brown wrote: > > > On 6/25/2021 1:18 AM, Victor Rosenthal 4X6GP wrote: > > Only marginally Elecraft related, but I want to buy a Nano VNA. > > In a different price range, but I've been VERY happy with the VNWA > designed by DG8SAQ, built and sold as a finished product by these hams > in the UK. One of the HUGE pluses is SAQ's software, which is able to > compute and plot complex impedance from S11 and S21 measurements. The > company also sells very good calibration kits at very reasonable prices, > and calibration is key to meaningful measurements. This unit is a > serious lab quality instrument, not a toy. > > https://www.sdr-kits.net/introducing-DG8SAQ-VNWA3 > > I paid about $700 for the unit with the cal kit, shipped, about 7 years > ago. The Brexit stupidity has made it about $100 cheaper. > > 73, Jim K9YC > __ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to w...@w2xj.net __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA
On 6/25/2021 1:18 AM, Victor Rosenthal 4X6GP wrote: Only marginally Elecraft related, but I want to buy a Nano VNA. In a different price range, but I've been VERY happy with the VNWA designed by DG8SAQ, built and sold as a finished product by these hams in the UK. One of the HUGE pluses is SAQ's software, which is able to compute and plot complex impedance from S11 and S21 measurements. The company also sells very good calibration kits at very reasonable prices, and calibration is key to meaningful measurements. This unit is a serious lab quality instrument, not a toy. https://www.sdr-kits.net/introducing-DG8SAQ-VNWA3 I paid about $700 for the unit with the cal kit, shipped, about 7 years ago. The Brexit stupidity has made it about $100 cheaper. 73, Jim K9YC __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
