I use a cardboard box large enough to get my head into. It blocks the
sunlight enough to be able to read and operate the Nano.
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On Thu, May 14, 2020 at 12:07 PM DougVL <K8RFTradio@...> wrote: Great thread!
I have an MFJ-207, an MFJ-259(no letter), a Mini60 bluetooth, and an early
NanoVNA (received in October, 2019).
The NanoVNA is great indoors, especially used with a PC or android. But
it's nearly impossible for me to see and read it outdoors, at my antenna
location. I hope very much to get the NanoVNA-F, but with so many other
instruments already on hand, the priority is a bit low.
For new users trying to choose between an "analyzer" and a NanoVNA, I'd
say that the Nano is cheap enough that you should get both! If you decide
you don't like one, it shouldn't be hard at all to resell it, maybe on eBay
or the QTH.com classifieds.
Doug, K8RFT
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Hi,
Mine has the Smith Chart. I am not yet proficient with that tool but I have burrowed into the how-tos and tutorials. Until now I had only some vague notions. The fog is starting to clear. It has already helped me improve my station.
73,
Bill KU8H
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On 5/14/20 3:44 PM, David Eckhardt wrote: A bit more expensive and does not have all the plotting capabilities (Smith
Chart) of the NANO's, but can be used in daylight and with a hand shield,
in the sunlight.
Accuracy Agility Instrument (AAI) Model N2061SA
--
bark less - wag more
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A bit more expensive and does not have all the plotting capabilities (Smith
Chart) of the NANO's, but can be used in daylight and with a hand shield,
in the sunlight.
Accuracy Agility Instrument (AAI) Model N2061SA
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On Thu, May 14, 2020 at 1:19 PM Oristo <ormpoa@...> wrote: The NanoVNA is great indoors, especially used with a PC or android.
But it's nearly impossible for me to see and read it outdoors, at my antenna location.
An LCD viewfinder works:
--
*Dave - W?LEV*
*Just Let Darwin Work*
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Re: Are any of the NanoVNA sold on Amazon any better or worse than any others? Is there a better U.S. site to order from?
I bought a NanaVNA-H4 Ver 3.4. Purchased from outstandingdeal on Ebay. Genuine article in Gold lettered box. Received it in 4 days. No problems what-so-ever.
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The NanoVNA is great indoors, especially used with a PC or android.
But it's nearly impossible for me to see and read it outdoors, at my antenna location. An LCD viewfinder works:
|
Great thread!
I have an MFJ-207, an MFJ-259(no letter), a Mini60 bluetooth, and an early NanoVNA (received in October, 2019).
The NanoVNA is great indoors, especially used with a PC or android. But it's nearly impossible for me to see and read it outdoors, at my antenna location. I hope very much to get the NanoVNA-F, but with so many other instruments already on hand, the priority is a bit low.
For new users trying to choose between an "analyzer" and a NanoVNA, I'd say that the Nano is cheap enough that you should get both! If you decide you don't like one, it shouldn't be hard at all to resell it, maybe on eBay or the QTH.com classifieds.
Doug, K8RFT
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Re: Different NanoVNA models
Thanks. It's rather annoying that I have to log in to access it.
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On Thu, May 14, 2020 at 11:06:56AM +0000, Larry Rothman wrote: Please refer to the forum WIKI (link at bottom of every emailed message)
On Thursday, May 14, 2020, 6:40:31 a.m. GMT-4, namerati@... <namerati@...> wrote:
Is there web page with a summary of the differences between the different NanoVNA
models?
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Re: Are any of the NanoVNA sold on Amazon any better or worse than any others? Is there a better U.S. site to order from?
Rich,
Unfortunately, pinning is not supported in groups.io.
That is why the forum owners added links to the WIKI and FILES sections at the end of every emailed post in addition to a HUGE RED ARROW on the homepage that both tells people and points to, the sidebar where the WIKI, FILES and other forum links are.
Sadly, it appears many new Nanovna owners aren't looking in those areas themselves and just want instant answers without any of the footwork.
The biggest issue with an instrument like the 'nano is its calibration - it MUST be calibrated when you 1st receive it and device owners are not aware of that.
The next largest issue is familarisation of the device - New owners MUST? R.E.A.D? at least one of the User Guides mentioned in the forum - and watch several YouTube videos on how to use the nanovna.
Finally, a simple set of tests (open, short, load) can be performed to verify the device is operational at minimum.
There have been a few forum members who have written short essays/instructions on what I've mentioned here - but Newbies need to browse the WIKI, FILES and Message areas.
Cheers,Larry
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On Thursday, May 14, 2020, 7:07:55 a.m. GMT-4, Rich NE1EE <ne1ee@...> wrote: I see the point. Thanks for the reply. I see a lot of thread hijacking, which is why I asked. I think that there are --- and have been for 40 years --- common sense guidelines for managing forum threads and emails. Mostly ignored these days, making it very difficult to find our way around. It is difficult for the newbie to find needed info in the fog of thread confusion. To make matters worse, there are now several hardware, firmware, and software branches. And to make matters worse, there is so much turmoil in the supply chain these days...more confusion. I'd like to buy one of the newer devices (I was an early adopter, and would now like to upgrade), but I find it difficult to see the trees for the forest. Despite being an early adopter, I am not qualified to write a set of reasonable tests and results...I am a software and hardware engineer, but there is much to do with the nanoVNAs that I have not kept up with...partly because it is difficult to do so. Perhaps there ought to be a pinned thread that covers you question...it certainly has been addressed in so many posts. But those posts are difficult to find, because the subject lines often don't relate. I'd love to see such a thread addressing each device and how to "acceptance test" it, and then, just as you say, we would be able to post the names of vendors, what was supplied, and the results of testing....as well as updates months later...are we content or not, and why. On 2020-05-13 18:03:-0700, you wrote: Hi, Rich,
I thought my post was relevant to the? thread .. in that it's hard for newbies to know if we have one of the better/worse nanoVNA's sold on "Amazon" or Aliexpress for instance.
It seems people like me find it difficult to know which buyer to go to, and without knowledgeable feedback like "The device failed xxx test"? - on aliexpress everyone posts 5 starts - which helps nobody.
I didn't find the suggestion below "I would strongly advise purchasing for Hugen's site:" before i bought mine ;(
Danke. -- 73 de Rich NE1EE On the banks of the Piscataqua
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replying to a thread versus starting a new thread
It is tempting to hit reply to an existing email or thread post, change the subject, and send it off.
Unfortunately, the headers in most instances contain thread information, so the reply may still be misplaced into other threads.
Please start a new email with a new subject. All you need online is to start a "new post", and if you are using email, as I am, then simply start a new email. The only thing you need that is extra, when compared to a reply, is to insert the To field. I just copy that from an existing email in the same forum, and paste to the To field, add a subject and hash tags, and off I go.
--
73 de Rich NE1EE
On the banks of the Piscataqua
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Re: Are any of the NanoVNA sold on Amazon any better or worse than any others? Is there a better U.S. site to order from?
Matt, Print off a copy of the User Guide /g/nanovna-users/files/NanoVNA-User-Guide-English-reformat-Jan-15-20.pdfIt's a good starting point for the basics. There are a number of User Guides referenced in the WIKI and forum messages with a lot of practical information as well. A VNA is not a Plug&Play device so you've got some reading to do in order to become adept at using it and updating the firmware in it. Refer to the WIKI - lots of good info there.
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Re: Different NanoVNA models
Please refer to the forum WIKI (link at bottom of every emailed message)
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On Thursday, May 14, 2020, 6:40:31 a.m. GMT-4, namerati@... <namerati@...> wrote:
Is there web page with a summary of the differences between the different NanoVNA
models?
|
Re: Are any of the NanoVNA sold on Amazon any better or worse than any others? Is there a better U.S. site to order from?
I see the point. Thanks for the reply. I see a lot of thread hijacking, which is why I asked. I think that there are --- and have been for 40 years --- common sense guidelines for managing forum threads and emails. Mostly ignored these days, making it very difficult to find our way around. It is difficult for the newbie to find needed info in the fog of thread confusion. To make matters worse, there are now several hardware, firmware, and software branches.
And to make matters worse, there is so much turmoil in the supply chain these days...more confusion. I'd like to buy one of the newer devices (I was an early adopter, and would now like to upgrade), but I find it difficult to see the trees for the forest. Despite being an early adopter, I am not qualified to write a set of reasonable tests and results...I am a software and hardware engineer, but there is much to do with the nanoVNAs that I have not kept up with...partly because it is difficult to do so.
Perhaps there ought to be a pinned thread that covers you question...it certainly has been addressed in so many posts. But those posts are difficult to find, because the subject lines often don't relate. I'd love to see such a thread addressing each device and how to "acceptance test" it, and then, just as you say, we would be able to post the names of vendors, what was supplied, and the results of testing....as well as updates months later...are we content or not, and why.
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On 2020-05-13 18:03:-0700, you wrote: Hi, Rich,
I thought my post was relevant to the thread .. in that it's hard for newbies to know if we have one of the better/worse nanoVNA's sold on "Amazon" or Aliexpress for instance.
It seems people like me find it difficult to know which buyer to go to, and without knowledgeable feedback like "The device failed xxx test" - on aliexpress everyone posts 5 starts - which helps nobody.
I didn't find the suggestion below "I would strongly advise purchasing for Hugen's site:" before i bought mine ;(
Danke.
--
73 de Rich NE1EE
On the banks of the Piscataqua
|
Re: Are any of the NanoVNA sold on Amazon any better or worse than any others? Is there a better U.S. site to order from?
Matt,
Welcome to the forum.
Please note that it is impolite to hijack an existing forum thread with a different topic.
Going forward, please start with a new message and ass any hash (ie: #use #newbie) for your message.
There are many members that are willing to assist you with any issues you have with the nanovna.
Regards,Larry
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On Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 7:09:08 p.m. GMT-4, <matthew.quirke@...> wrote:
I have just recently received a nanoVNA from Aliexpress; Some of the measurements seem very odd - like SWR and the S11 inductance, but I don't have the experience(yet) to gauge if the results are OK or the unit is at fault.
I wondered if someone might be able to suggest a list of tests to preform, like the ‘Specification’ suggestion above, where new users could verify their NanoVNA is functioning well/ just OK or is faulty?
The difficulty might be tests that could be preformed without specialist calibration equipment..?
I would be happy to put it together in a document, with appropriate pics etc.
For instance something like...
Test 1: The NanoVNA should display a signal trace from the START to STOP frequency when testing a inductor in series with port 1(CH0)? - S11
Test 2: ....
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Is there web page with a summary of the differences between the different NanoVNA models?
|
Re: Are any of the NanoVNA sold on Amazon any better or worse than any others? Is there a better U.S. site to order from?
Hi, Rich,
I thought my post was relevant to the thread .. in that it's hard for newbies to know if we have one of the better/worse nanoVNA's sold on "Amazon" or Aliexpress for instance.
It seems people like me find it difficult to know which buyer to go to, and without knowledgeable feedback like "The device failed xxx test" - on aliexpress everyone posts 5 starts - which helps nobody.
I didn't find the suggestion below "I would strongly advise purchasing for Hugen's site:" before i bought mine ;(
Danke.
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Re: Are any of the NanoVNA sold on Amazon any better or worse than any others? Is there a better U.S. site to order from?
Thanks for the input David,
...great, those are exactly the type of suggestions I was looking for!
Unfortunately I didn't think (at the time) to save any of the smith chart plots for the weird traces, but can redo.
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Re: Are any of the NanoVNA sold on Amazon any better or worse than any others? Is there a better U.S. site to order from?
Help us out a bit. After cal, what are you reading with the provided load,
short, and open? Pictures always help. Connect a 100 and 25 ohm resistor
with minimal leads acorss Port 00. Both should read correctly on the 2:1
circle of the Smith Chart. What do the resistors read? Again, pictures of
the display are always helpful. When making these measurements, do not use
a wide frequency range as a stand alone device there are only 101 points
evenly placed over the specified range. Using NANOVNA-SAVER on a PC, you
can specify as many points as you are willing to wait for.
Dave - W?LEV
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On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 5:09 PM <matthew.quirke@...> wrote: I have just recently received a nanoVNA from Aliexpress; Some of the
measurements seem very odd - like SWR and the S11 inductance, but I don't
have the experience(yet) to gauge if the results are OK or the unit is at
fault.
I wondered if someone might be able to suggest a list of tests to preform,
like the ‘Specification’ suggestion above, where new users could verify
their NanoVNA is functioning well/ just OK or is faulty?
The difficulty might be tests that could be preformed without specialist
calibration equipment..?
I would be happy to put it together in a document, with appropriate pics
etc.
For instance something like...
Test 1: The NanoVNA should display a signal trace from the START to STOP
frequency when testing a inductor in series with port 1(CH0) - S11
Test 2: ....
--
*Dave - W?LEV*
*Just Let Darwin Work*
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Re: Are any of the NanoVNA sold on Amazon any better or worse than any others? Is there a better U.S. site to order from?
On 2020-05-13 16:09:-0700, you wrote: Are any of the NanoVNA sold on Amazon any better or worse than any others? Is there a better U.S. site to order from? Why is a post with this title all about a new user trying to use the device? ~R~ 73 de Rich NE1EE On the banks of the Piscataqua -- 73 de Rich NE1EE On the banks of the Piscataqua
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Re: Are any of the NanoVNA sold on Amazon any better or worse than any others? Is there a better U.S. site to order from?
I have just recently received a nanoVNA from Aliexpress; Some of the measurements seem very odd - like SWR and the S11 inductance, but I don't have the experience(yet) to gauge if the results are OK or the unit is at fault.
I wondered if someone might be able to suggest a list of tests to preform, like the ‘Specification’ suggestion above, where new users could verify their NanoVNA is functioning well/ just OK or is faulty?
The difficulty might be tests that could be preformed without specialist calibration equipment..?
I would be happy to put it together in a document, with appropriate pics etc.
For instance something like...
Test 1: The NanoVNA should display a signal trace from the START to STOP frequency when testing a inductor in series with port 1(CH0) - S11
Test 2: ....
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NanoVNA Set Channel: DISPLAY, CHANNEL, CH0 REFLECT Set Trace: DISPLAY, TRACE, TRACE 0, BACK, BACK, FORMAT, SWR BACK, TRACE, TRACE 1, BACK, BACK, FORMAT, SMITH Set Freq Range: STIMULUS START, 140M STOP, 450M Set Scale: DISPLAY, SCALE There are 9 horizontal lines, 0-8 To set each line to represent 1.0 SWR SCALE/DIV, 1, x1 To set line 1 as 1.0 SWR REFERENCE POSITION, 1, x1 ELECTRICAL DELAY should be 0, x1 Calibration: CAL, RESET, CALIBRATE Attach male to male cable to CH0 Attach female to female adapter at the end of the cable Connect OPEN standard to the cable and press OPEN Connect SHORT standard to the cable and press SHORT Connect the LOAD standard to the cable and press LOAD Disconnect the cable from CH0 and connect it to CH1 and press ISOLN Remove the female to female adapter and the LOAD standard Connect the cable to CH0 and CH1 and press THRU Press DONE Press SAVE 0 (0 is the power-on/reset default) WO4ROB ________________________________ From: [email protected] < [email protected]> on behalf of Larry Rothman <nlroth@...> Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 12:17:41 PM To: [email protected] < [email protected]> Subject: Re: [nanovna-users] Pro or Con Go into the config screen and enable CH0 INFO You'll see a screen like this: Please remember, 1. You always need to calibrate the NanoVNA (ideally for the freq range you want to test) before you use it.2. Never transmit into the NanoVNA - it's not that kind of device. Please search the forum WIKI and FILES sections for information on how to configure and use a VNA.The firmware I pointed you to provides a simple display that is good for antenna checks. On Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 3:09:05 p.m. GMT-4, Birdman <ccarrara@...> wrote: On Wed, May 13, 2020 at 12:32 PM, Larry Rothman wrote: This has already been done but unfortunately, it hasn't been updated since
last December.
If you have any nanoVNA or NanoVNA-H, you can play with the firmware:
Last release: I just loaded the big font version you linked, it doesn't seem to have any "simpler functionality", just a bigger font. But I don't see any dumbed down functionality in there.... did I miss something? -- Regards, Chris
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Oristo
Rich NE1EE
morsemuskrat