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raspberry4GB@protonmail.com
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Antenna analyzer is much easier to use and the best of the bunch for ease of use is the Comet CAA-500 MKII. Connect your antenna, turn it on, select the band/freq. and see your measurement on both a meter and a digital display. Rigexpert analyzers are also good but a pain with all the menus to wade through.
The Comet is super simple and accurate. It beats the Rigexpert for ease of use. NanoVNA works as well but not so easy to use.
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The Comet CAA-500 MKII antenna analyzer is far easier to use for your stated purpose than the NanoVNA.
Is a bit pricy but sooo much easier to use with no learning curve. If you have an SWR issue that you are trying to solve the Comet is the way to go in my opinion.
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Hello,
The Comet is only good to 500Mhz.
The NanoVNA H and H4 will go to 1300Mhz.
Also I have used both and find the NanoVNA 's much more useful than just an analyzer.
As far as ease of use, the NanoVNA is just as easy to use as a swr meter as the Comet. You can not only see a particular frequency but also a range of frequencies at one time for the antenna being tested.
However each has it uses and which one a person likes the best, that is the one for them.
All three of my analyzers set in cases and my NanoVNA H4 is either on my bench or in my pocket for mobile use.
I wouldn't leave home without it.
Just my 2 cents.
73's
Stay safe and healthy,
Clyde KC7BJE
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If you already have 26 responses, another can't hurt.
The nano vna does have a learning curve, but what doesn't?
If you're an appliance user, go ahead and get a dedicated tool.
If however you want to actually learn something it's the nano all day.
I once had a complex antenna problem that could only have been covered by a Pi-L type tuner.
Without going into detail, the nano showed me that other tuner types would not be nearly as efficient let alone work.
Later I took the time to investigate why this was true rather than trying a number of tuners. This was the education part.
People will tell you to use what you're comfortable with. Learning something new isn't always comfortable.
AF7XT Dennis
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Yes, if one has never used a vector network analyzer (VNA) or even a scalar analyzer, the learning curve is steep. But you will learn a whole bunch that you can carry forward to other projects. The NANOVNAs are so much more capable than a straight "antenna analyzer". And.....the NANOs are considerably less expensive than any of the other antenna analyzers and they do so much more. Clearly, I'd recommend the NANOVNA! Dave - WØLEV < http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> Virus-free.www.avg.com < http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> On Sun, Jun 2, 2024 at 4:14 PM AF7XT via groups.io <kopcicle= gmail.com@groups.io> wrote: If you already have 26 responses, another can't hurt.
The nano vna does have a learning curve, but what doesn't?
If you're an appliance user, go ahead and get a dedicated tool.
If however you want to actually learn something it's the nano all day.
I once had a complex antenna problem that could only have been covered by
a Pi-L type tuner.
Without going into detail, the nano showed me that other tuner types would
not be nearly as efficient let alone work.
Later I took the time to investigate why this was true rather than trying
a number of tuners. This was the education part.
People will tell you to use what you're comfortable with. Learning
something new isn't always comfortable.
AF7XT Dennis
-- *Dave - WØLEV* -- Dave - WØLEV
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Thank you, gentlemen, for your insights regarding the NanoVNA. I kinda figured at the onset there was going to be a learning curve - and I hope I'm up to the challenge. (I'm not getting any younger, and it's becoming harder to teach this old dog new tricks.) But, as a preface, when I started in Amateur Radio, I had *very* basic skills. No formal education in Electronics at all - not even a high school shop class. But I was determined, and taught myself what I thought I needed to know. Spring forward about 5 years, and with no Amateur Radio license, I'm looking for a job. ANY job. (This is in the mid-70s.) My landlord was working for Xerox as a repairman on high-speed duplicators, and suggested that I apply. When I went to take the test, Xerox initially declined to offer it to me - calling it a waste of time. I convinced them that the only time being wasted would be mine, and they finally offered me the exam. Apparently, I did well enough that a week later they offered me the position. Unfortunately I accepted a position with a different employer just prior to their offer. Jump ahead about 15 years, and it's now time to renew / upgrade my Amateur Ticket. I took both General and Extra and passed both. (Including the 5 WPM Code requirement at the time.) I became so enamored with the Electronics theory in the Extra exam that I challenged and received my GROL (the "new" Commercial license). The only portion I didn't challenge at the time was the RADAR endorsement. So I'm looking forward to learning how to fly this new tool. I've learned how to use a TIMS set (Telephone Interference Measurment Set) and I'm cutting my teeth on a Motorola R2001-D Service Monitor - this may or may not present similar challenges, since I'm trying to learn the service monitor by reading the manual. Like I stated when I first joined this group, I learn in more of a "hands-on" environment rather than trying to read from text, so I'll be watching this reflector VERY closely for hints and tips to make my life easier with the NanoVNA-H4. Thanks again, everyone, and apologies for the extra bandwidth usage. Mark - N9WYS / WQIV271 / PG00018923 Sent from AT&T Yahoo Mail on Android On Sun, Jun 2, 2024 at 11:53, W0LEV<davearea51a@...> wrote: Yes, if one has never used a vector network analyzer (VNA) or even a scalar analyzer, the learning curve is steep. But you will learn a whole bunch that you can carry forward to other projects. The NANOVNAs are so much more capable than a straight "antenna analyzer". And.....the NANOs are considerably less expensive than any of the other antenna analyzers and they do so much more. Clearly, I'd recommend the NANOVNA! Dave - WØLEV < http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> Virus-free.www.avg.com < http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> On Sun, Jun 2, 2024 at 4:14 PM AF7XT via groups.io <kopcicle= gmail.com@groups.io> wrote: If you already have 26 responses, another can't hurt.
The nano vna does have a learning curve, but what doesn't?
If you're an appliance user, go ahead and get a dedicated tool.
If however you want to actually learn something it's the nano all day.
I once had a complex antenna problem that could only have been covered by
a Pi-L type tuner.
Without going into detail, the nano showed me that other tuner types would
not be nearly as efficient let alone work.
Later I took the time to investigate why this was true rather than trying
a number of tuners. This was the education part.
People will tell you to use what you're comfortable with. Learning
something new isn't always comfortable.
AF7XT Dennis
-- *Dave - WØLEV* -- Dave - WØLEV
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On Mon, 3 Jun 2024 at 07:33, n9wys via groups.io <n9wys= ameritech.net@groups.io> wrote: Thank you, gentlemen, for your insights regarding the NanoVNA. I kinda
figured at the onset there was going to be a learning curve -<snip>
I am coming late to this thread which Edward VE3VYT started last year and which has been resurrected just last month. I'd like to add my perspective, based on recently using a NanoVNA to characterise a freshly built 144~148MHz vertical antenna. Because NanoVNA's are so inexpensive, I think they are worth buying just to marvel over how much technology you can now get for so little money, and to start to learn about what a VNA can do. Things like Smith Charts can be at least slightly demystified if you have a VNA to play with. The Internet at large (and this groups.io group in particular) contains an enormous quantity of information to help us all learn to use a NanoVNA. I *strongly* recommend connecting your NanoVNA to a computer running the nanovna-saver software ( https://github.com/NanoVNA-Saver/nanovna-saver) to get a much better (bigger!) user interface and enhanced functionality. Last weekend I beavered away in my garage workshop, measuring, cutting, drilling, soldering and hoping... making an end-fed 2m dipole antenna. Plugged into a radio, it seemed to be doing a good job receiving signals but I was reluctant to hit Transmit before sanity-checking its VSWR. So I pulled out my very old Lenovo X201 laptop, gave it a fresh install of Ubuntu Linux and downloaded nanovna-saver. I dug a NanoVNA out of a box of radio stuff and gave it a bit of a charge before doing a S-O-L calibration at 144~148MHz. With that done, I plugged it in to the laptop, connected it to the antenna (PL-259 to SMA FTW!), ran nanovna-saver and clicked on Connect to communicate with the device. A couple more clicks and it set off sweeping 144~148MHz and soon showed me a nice graph of VSWR across the band - less than 1.3 : 1 across the band with a low of 1.025 : 1 - Yippee! A working antenna. Minutes later I was on the air and talking to people with it. So I think that a NanoVNA, particularly when paired with a separate computer, is a very powerful, relatively inexpensive piece of test gear which IMHO every 21st Century Amateur should have in their toolbox. Mine has both taught me things and given me excellent practical service. You can certainly buy other antenna analysing products, usually for more money, which require less effort to use, but I think that most of us would be better off buying a NanoVNA and using it to learn new things. -- MC VK1MC
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People will tell you to use what you're comfortable with. Learning
something new isn't always comfortable.
AF7XT Dennis This is a common sense observation. Yet it is the only way to learn. I would advise you to use your nanoVNA from the start through software like nanaovna-saver. This will already prevent you from getting annoyed with the difficult handling of the graphic interface on the NanaoVNA hard case and it greatly improves the reading of the curves. 73 -- F1AMM François
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Many thanks for the post! What version of Ubuntu are you running the nanovna-saver on? On Mon, Jun 3, 2024, 12:05 AM mike.carden via groups.io <mike.carden= gmail.com@groups.io> wrote: On Mon, 3 Jun 2024 at 07:33, n9wys via groups.io <n9wys=
ameritech.net@groups.io> wrote:
Thank you, gentlemen, for your insights regarding the NanoVNA. I kinda
figured at the onset there was going to be a learning curve -<snip>
I am coming late to this thread which Edward VE3VYT started last year and
which has been resurrected just last month. I'd like to add my perspective,
based on recently using a NanoVNA to characterise a freshly built
144~148MHz vertical antenna.
Because NanoVNA's are so inexpensive, I think they are worth buying just to
marvel over how much technology you can now get for so little money, and to
start to learn about what a VNA can do. Things like Smith Charts can be at
least slightly demystified if you have a VNA to play with. The Internet at
large (and this groups.io group in particular) contains an enormous
quantity of information to help us all learn to use a NanoVNA.
I *strongly* recommend connecting your NanoVNA to a computer running the
nanovna-saver software (https://github.com/NanoVNA-Saver/nanovna-saver) to
get a much better (bigger!) user interface and enhanced functionality.
Last weekend I beavered away in my garage workshop, measuring, cutting,
drilling, soldering and hoping... making an end-fed 2m dipole antenna.
Plugged into a radio, it seemed to be doing a good job receiving signals
but I was reluctant to hit Transmit before sanity-checking its VSWR. So I
pulled out my very old Lenovo X201 laptop, gave it a fresh install of
Ubuntu Linux and downloaded nanovna-saver. I dug a NanoVNA out of a box of
radio stuff and gave it a bit of a charge before doing a S-O-L calibration
at 144~148MHz. With that done, I plugged it in to the laptop, connected it
to the antenna (PL-259 to SMA FTW!), ran nanovna-saver and clicked on
Connect to communicate with the device. A couple more clicks and it set off
sweeping 144~148MHz and soon showed me a nice graph of VSWR across the band
- less than 1.3 : 1 across the band with a low of 1.025 : 1 - Yippee! A
working antenna. Minutes later I was on the air and talking to people with
it.
So I think that a NanoVNA, particularly when paired with a separate
computer, is a very powerful, relatively inexpensive piece of test gear
which IMHO every 21st Century Amateur should have in their toolbox. Mine
has both taught me things and given me excellent practical service. You can
certainly buy other antenna analysing products, usually for more money,
which require less effort to use, but I think that most of us would be
better off buying a NanoVNA and using it to learn new things.
--
MC
VK1MC
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FYI, nanovna-saver is a Python app, so should not be limited in any way to a specific Linux distro - anything that can run Python3 should be able to run it.
--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
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Some points which seems to have been left out of this conversation are that the nanoVNA and clones have not only TWO ports but also vector(phase) measurements and error correction, which greatly increase their accuracy and versatility, since you can measure two-port devices such as cables, filters, attenuators, couplers and (with limitations) amplifiers, and the error correction enables more accurate measurements despite intervening cables, adapters, etc. There is also valuable phase information available for both transmission and reflection, which can be used for trimming phasing lines, tuning stubs, finding resonances in antennas, etc. The antenna analyzers analyze antennas, well and simply. if that is all you will ever need they may be sufficient for your needs. But the investment in time and effort needed to use the VNAs effectively will be well repaid IMO. I have 3 nanoVNAs and the one I reach for most often is the SAA-2N, which I bought from R&L: https://www2.randl.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_8620&products_id=75242I like the rugged construction of the unit, cables and calibration standards, and the sturdy type N connectors. Having used VNAs since the '70s when they were 2, 6 foot racks and cost $120,000 (~$700,000 today) and took all morning to calibrate, I am astounded at what a $110 instrument which fits in a shirt pocket can do. 73, Don N2VGU
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I have a RigExpert Pro up to 600MHz, and just picked up a NanoVNA-4 to get 915 for mesh. Wow, what a quagmire I’ve stumbled into! I actually was after an SWR appliance, and I’m hoping I’ll find a simple workflow to achieve it.
—
Jeff KQ4CMA DC
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On Jun 3, 2024, at 12:06 PM, Donald S Brant Jr via groups.io <dsbrantjr@...> wrote:
Some points which seems to have been left out of this conversation are that the nanoVNA and clones have not only TWO ports but also vector(phase) measurements and error correction, which greatly increase their accuracy and versatility, since you can measure two-port devices such as cables, filters, attenuators, couplers and (with limitations) amplifiers, and the error correction enables more accurate measurements despite intervening cables, adapters, etc.
There is also valuable phase information available for both transmission and reflection, which can be used for trimming phasing lines, tuning stubs, finding resonances in antennas, etc.
The antenna analyzers analyze antennas, well and simply. if that is all you will ever need they may be sufficient for your needs.
But the investment in time and effort needed to use the VNAs effectively will be well repaid IMO.
I have 3 nanoVNAs and the one I reach for most often is the SAA-2N, which I bought from R&L: https://www2.randl.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_8620&products_id=75242
I like the rugged construction of the unit, cables and calibration standards, and the sturdy type N connectors.
Having used VNAs since the '70s when they were 2, 6 foot racks and cost $120,000 (~$700,000 today) and took all morning to calibrate, I am astounded at what a $110 instrument which fits in a shirt pocket can do.
73, Don N2VGU
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I have a NanoVNA-H4 and a RigExpert Stick Pro.
They have a lot of overlapping use cases but I do use them both for different purposes
* NanoVNA for constructing antennas and dialling them in at home or around the corner at the park
* NanoVNA for constructing chokes and other 2-port projects
* Nanovna for non-antenna projects
* RigExpert goes with me into the field because it is more rugged with better field ergonomics including display (for me)
I got the NanoVNA first and that would be my choice again. But as I spent more time doing radio in the field I felt the need for an analyzer more suited for that purpose. I might even choose a Comet for the field analyzer if I could go back and do it again.
Good luck!
Connie
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It depends on what you want to do. Both the NanoVNA and some antenna analyzers do things the other doesn't. The NanoVNA can be used for a wide range of functions an antenna analyzer can't do. I also have a RigExpert AA-600 antenna analyzer. It has a function called "SWR2AIR." I have used this several times and it comes in handy. You can attach the AA-600 to the end of your coax where your radio is. You can set it up so it will transmit on any desired frequency on an HF ham band or on 2 meter FM. You take a receiver tuned to that frequency with you out to your antenna. You can adjust the length of a dipole. The AA-600 will transmit a series of tones which you can hear in the radio you took with you. As the tones get shorter, the SWR is going down. I've even used this 100 feet up a tower. This is something a VNA cannot do. I'm not even sure if other brands of antenna analyzers can do it. It may be a proprietary function of RigExpert. Zack W9SZ < http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> Virus-free.www.avg.com < http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> On Sun, Jun 2, 2024 at 2:47 AM gwilson001 via groups.io <gwilson001= gmail.com@groups.io> wrote: Antenna analyzer is much easier to use and the best of the bunch for ease
of use is the Comet CAA-500 MKII. Connect your antenna, turn it on, select
the band/freq. and see your measurement on both a meter and a digital
display. Rigexpert analyzers are also good but a pain with all the menus
to wade through.
The Comet is super simple and accurate. It beats the Rigexpert for ease of
use. NanoVNA works as well but not so easy to use.
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Here's the deal.... NanoVNA is very excellent and has complex abilities. It operates over a wide range of Frequencies and will test or can be used for developing devices besides Antenna.s However it requires a learning curve...
The antenna analyzer, some only plot SWR over a frequency range. and I can do that with a $10 CB SWR bridge and pencil and paper.
Last Ham Radio Swap I went to had 350 tables, I saw 3 MFJ259 antennna analyzers. USED...
I've had a MFJ259 for 20 years.. I've had a NanoVNA- I sold after a year or two, then a NanoVNA-H4... Mind you the NanoVNA is excellent, provided you understand it is even better when connected to a lap top. That gives you a better screen and the ability to save or print patterns.. I do no think any Antenna Analyzer will print a graphic...
Because... a year or so down the line when you want to recall an old plot, you have it on paper or in a laptop file. Not so with others. The NanoVNA -H4 has more range besides the larger screen. If you "got to have it all" at a reasonable price... NanoVNA-H4... randl.com sells the "real ones" , and guarantees them for 1 year. They are in Oho...
Regards,
Larry W8LM
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there seems to be a debate as to where or how to purchase a nanoVNA. They are all made in various factories in Mainland China. the issue is not so much (in my mind) if it is a clone as in reality they are al a clone of the original open source work. It is more of finding and dealing with a reputable source. or use another intermediary such as Amazon where if there is a problem you can return the item to Amazon. this a all beside attempting as a new comer to the technology choosing which of the multiple firmware versions supported or not supported software versions. This is on the nanoVNA.com site they list the vendors they deal with the supply a known product,
Those of us who have worked with the Lab Grade Network Analyzers will be amazed with the actual performance of a similar device we can now hold in our hands that for instance we can use to test our antennas. The lab grade device does not lend itself to working in the field (I actually had one equipped in a purpose built field work case) While the Lab Grade is a wonderful piece of kit you cannot beat the fact you can now hold in you hand a device you can use while at the top of a tower attached directly to the antenna in question.
As long as you obtain one that works and you become accustomed to the controls and learn the techniques of using the device you will be very pleased with have the convenience of delving into the mystery of wonderful world of antennas and how to improve them beyond the simple SWR at the desired operating frequency. I hope that helps. Dave VE6LX
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It has long been established that R&L electronics is one of the most reputable sources of the NanoVNA, if not THE most reputable source. This link brings up a search on all the variants of the NanoVNA that they have available -- and at the lowest prices I have seen, IMHO: https://www2.randl.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=NanoVNA-- Rich WB2GXM On Sun, Dec 29, 2024 at 11:56 AM VE6LX via groups.io <dclarke2= telus.net@groups.io> wrote: there seems to be a debate as to where or how to purchase a nanoVNA. They
are all made in various factories in Mainland China. the issue is not so
much (in my mind) if it is a clone as in reality they are al a clone of the
original open source work. It is more of finding and dealing with a
reputable source. or use another intermediary such as Amazon where if there
is a problem you can return the item to Amazon. this a all beside
attempting as a new comer to the technology choosing which of the multiple
firmware versions supported or not supported software versions. This is on
the nanoVNA.com site they list the vendors they deal with the supply a
known product,
Those of us who have worked with the Lab Grade Network Analyzers will be
amazed with the actual performance of a similar device we can now hold in
our hands that for instance we can use to test our antennas. The lab grade
device does not lend itself to working in the field (I actually had one
equipped in a purpose built field work case) While the Lab Grade is a
wonderful piece of kit you cannot beat the fact you can now hold in you
hand a device you can use while at the top of a tower attached directly to
the antenna in question.
As long as you obtain one that works and you become accustomed to the
controls and learn the techniques of using the device you will be very
pleased with have the convenience of delving into the mystery of wonderful
world of antennas and how to improve them beyond the simple SWR at the
desired operating frequency. I hope that helps. Dave VE6LX
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Clyde Lambert
AF7XT
n9wys
Donald S Brant Jr
Larry Macionski
VE6LX