开云体育

Please excuse my ignorance but I am not familiar with the RigExpert PC
interface and would like to know what is so attractive about it.
Perhaps many are used to it or has features that other NanoVNA
interface programs for PC do not offer. I just would like to know.

Thanks in advance,

Jose, CO2JA

My friend Rich K0ZX has been using his NanoVNA (original type) outdoors, and asked me about options for improving display visibility. I went searching for possible solutions and ran into a low-cost camera viewfinder accessory (some digital cameras also have ~2.8" LCD display, and are subject to the same visibility impairments when used outdoors.)

A few weeks ago I ordered on ebay the 2.8" LCD viewfinder listed below (now about USD 12; they seem common on ebay and I'm sure there are alternatives to consider...)



It arrived after about a month, and after popping out (inverting) the rubber material eye cup (it's shipped in a backwards configuration reduce size of shipping container) and placing it on my (very much original-era NanoVNA), it does indeed somewhat magnify the display and shield it from ambient light.

A few of caveats:

1. The touchscreen is obviously not accessible while the viewfinder is in place, and my nanovna is pure original vintage, no updates, so the manual button/switch controls leave more than a little to be desired;

2. The focus isn't quite perfect - it seems that it the small gap between the LCD plane and the viewfinder focus point caused by the PC board material takes the viewfinder slightly out of focus, but it's still quite readable, nonetheless;

3. There's no immediately obvious way to fix the viewfinder to the NanoVNA.

In any event, I wanted to pass this along to our user hhcommunity to see if it inspires any further ideas.

A few photos are attached. Please excuse the up/down inverted photos (photography hasn't been my thing since about 1962!)

Comments and observations welcomed!

73 Dave WB0GAZ wb0gaz@...

They were sold out when I checked yesterday. ?Paid a bit more from Gigaparts but still cheaper than Amazon.
Ty K3MM?

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AntScope2 v. 1.1.1 doesn't work also with my NanoVNA-F last firmware, PC with win7.
Giving right COM number, in setting menu, is seen as "connected" but isn't true.

Inviato dal mio telefono Huawei

-------- Messaggio originale --------
Da: DiSlord <dislordlive@...>
Data: ven 12 giu 2020, 19:38
A: [email protected]
Oggetto: Re: [nanovna-users] RigExpert's PC software now Supports NanoVNA and is Open Source #applications #consolecommands #measurement

On Fri, Jun 12, 2020 at 11:28 AM, John wrote:

* I am looking for
a way to either plot Touchstone files or print curves from the NanoVNA
directly. Any suggestions??

You can save the various plots as a graphics file in NanoVNA Saver by right clicking the window you are interested in. You can also change the axis scaling and popout the window to stretch it.

There are many programs that will plot Touchstone files. All of the other NanoVNA PC programs (see wiki for list) import touchstone files. AntScope 2 will also import touchstone files and you can save the plots as a screenshot. There was a discussion of programs that import touchstone in this group earlier this month.

Roger

I had to clean the pocket lint out of the USB-C port on my phone, using a thin piece of plastic. Then the cable that came with my NanoVNA-H worked fine.

Gary AG7TH

After using various USB Type C connectors and Adapters without being able
to connect to my Samsung Phone.
The secret is to use a OTG Cable or in my case OTG Adapter, that is
bidirectional. We're the device connection defines the "HOST" -
"PERIPHERAL DEVICE" relationship.
Hope the helps someone?
Roger
AI6XS

Hello Group; I thought I would let you my experience in purchasing the NanoVNA-H4 from R & L.

*The total price was $68 shipped via Priority Mail from Ohio (3 days), which was hard to beat.
*As received the unit is the real NanoVNA-H4 HW Ver. 4.2 with the 2/21/2020 Firmware installed
*The only odd thing was that the Menu Map was for the H model, not the H4 (H4 version is online, though).
*Everything seems to function as expected from my work thus far.
*So far I have tested some antennas, adjusted the input match to my 4-1000 amplifier, and measured several ferrite beads for comparison.
*Tried out NanoVNA Saver and it worked well with Windows 7. I am looking for a way to either plot Touchstone files or print curves from the NanoVNA directly. Any suggestions??
*Still just getting used to the Menus and settings, but this seems to be a very useful instrument.

**Conclusion: I would recommend purchasing this unit from R & L Electronics.

73, john, K9KA

I found a web page
explaining how to compute the *calibration kit model coefficients* from .s1p files (Load, open, short) from your home made calibration kit..
Usually you get the .s1p files from a calibrate professional VNA.
Is it possible to also use the .s1p files from nanoVNA-saver?

For those who like to calculate themselves, following I describe the software setup under Linux.
The residuals from the calculations are shown in a plot.

Installation instructions for Ubuntu 20.04 in the Terminal + file browser:
$ sudo apt install octave
# Create a data path
$ cd
$ mkdir Install
$ cd Install

# Install Octave library NLopt
$ sudo apt install octave-nlopt

# Install calkit_model.m
$ cd
$ mkdir Install/IN3OTD_CalKit
$ cd Install/IN3OTD_CalKit
# download calkit_model.m from

Here is a "script": click on script and download in folder IN3OTD_CalKit

# install sbox
# copy sbox.zip to folder IN3OTD_CalKit and "expand here"
# copy file nanoVNA1_Load.s1p to folder IN3OTD_CalKit

# now run a calculation:
$ octave
# set path to package sbox (S-parameter toolBox)
octave:1> addpath('sbox/sbox');
octave:1> calkit_model('nanoVNA1_Load.s1p','LOAD')
offs_delay = 43.648469 ps
offs_loss = 0.000000 Gohm/s
offs_Z0 = 49.986443 ohm
Residual RMS error : -44.357936 dB
Octave_CalKit-model-LOAD_nanoVNA1.png

octave:1> calkit_model('nanoVNA1_Open.s1p','OPEN')
offs_delay = 11.793264 ps
offs_loss = 0.744891 Gohm/s
offs_Z0 = 54.943388 ohm
C0 = -153.031826 * 1e-15 F
C1 = -537.445705 * 1e-27 F/Hz
C2 = -184.283709 * 1e-36 F/Hz^2
C3 = -69.580809 * 1e-45 F/Hz^3
Residual RMS error : -33.399417 dB
Octave_CalKit-model-OPEN_nanoVNA1.png

octave:1> calkit_model('nanoVNA1_Short.s1p','SHORT')
offs_delay = 20.000000 ps
offs_loss = 0.100000 Gohm/s
offs_Z0 = 10.000000 ohm
L0 = 0.000000 * 1e-12 H
L1 = 0.000000 * 1e-24 H/Hz
L2 = 0.000000 * 1e-33 H/Hz^2
L3 = 0.000000 * 1e-42 H/Hz^3
Residual RMS error : -30.112093 dB
Octave_CalKit-model-SHORT_nanoVNA1.png

The references 3 and 4 from the web page are changed to:
Reference [3] Agilent Technical Forum, "HP 85032F Cal Kit" thread


Reference [4] Agilent Technical Forum, "Type N cal kit data needed" thread


73, Rudi DL5FA

I try launch AntScope2 vs my nanoVNA H and NanoVNA H4
I think i know why int not work

AntScope2 send 'info' command
And then nothing to do, so i think problem in parse NanoVNA answer, it depend from model and firmware

I hope this help

On Fri, 12 Jun 2020 at 17:48, DJ7BA <dj7ba@...> wrote:

I never needed to recalibrate the AA-600 between ham bands. That's what I
miss most with the NanoVNA.


73, Hans
DJ7BA

You can not avoid the need to calibrate virtually any VNA (RigExpert,
NanoVNA, Keysight etc) if you wish to measure the actual complex impedance
of an antenna because the impedance is changed dramatically by the
connecting cable.

If you only measure at the cable in the shack, then you are not getting as
much information as you can. It is only being used like an SWR meter.

Dave.


--
Dr. David Kirkby,
Kirkby Microwave Ltd,
drkirkby@...

Telephone 01621-680100./ +44 1621 680100

Registered in England & Wales, company number 08914892.
Registered office:
Stokes Hall Lodge, Burnham Rd, Althorne, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 6DT, United
Kingdom

Sorry, sometimes one really should start a new topic name.
Please stay calm anyway: That happens easily. Again: Sorry.

73, Hans
DJ7BA

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: [email protected] <[email protected]> Im Auftrag von gary.sewell@...
Gesendet: Freitag, 12. Juni 2020 13:23
An: [email protected]
Betreff: Re: [nanovna-users] RigExpert's PC software now Supports NanoVNA and is Open Source #applications #consolecommands #measurement

Maybe I am missing something here, but what the hell do all these latest posts on N connectors and other off topic posts have to do with the original post on the new AntScope2 release and issues we are having?




--
Diese E-Mail wurde von Avast Antivirus-Software auf Viren geprüft.

Thanks, Dave, that's interesting. You have a whealth of practical experience, that I don't have.

It is good to have someone as experienced as you are, being part of this NanoVNA group.

Especially thanks for your opinion regarding the Chinese SMA to N Adapters used with my NanoVNA.

As far as my AA-600 N connector is concerned, so far I never saw any problem, and - contrary to my
MFJ-259's N Connector - this AA-600 N connector is really mechanically stable and not torn out easily by
cable stress. It's very tricky to replace the N connector of the MFJ. I had to turn it in to the manufacturer,
as the connector stress, caused by the cable, pulls on the PCB board and disconnects the resistors. That
happened more than once. I could resolder that only once, but next time for these SMD resistors I needed
the manufacturer's help. My AA-600 has been used so much more, but never did I have any such problem as
I had with the MFJ.

I think, it is most helpful for RigExpert to have your feedback. Threads of N connectors vary, indeed. They are mass products. In most cases I din't know who made them. Rigexpert will probably have a closer look now on who will be their supplier.

My MFJ now is used in the house just as level stable, frequency adjustable 50 Ohm oscillator, when that is
needed. All antenna analyzing is done with the AA-600, the NanoVNA being a nice toy and a cheap backup.

For my limited range of uses I never regretted to buy the AA-600. It has a huge number of cal points,
and so many useful applications readily built-in. No need to bring a notebook to the roof.
I never needed to recalibrate the AA-600 between ham bands. That's what I miss most with the NanoVNA.


73, Hans
DJ7BA


-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: [email protected] <[email protected]> Im Auftrag von Dr. David Kirkby, Kirkby Microwave Ltd
Gesendet: Freitag, 12. Juni 2020 12:41
An: [email protected]
Betreff: Re: [nanovna-users] RigExpert's PC software now Supports NanoVNA and is Open Source #applications #consolecommands #measurement

On Fri, 12 Jun 2020 at 09:01, DJ7BA <dj7ba@...> wrote:

Hi Dave,

I saw your N Plug male pin gap measuring gauge pic. Thanks for it, I
never saw such device before. Good point.

I have both, the AA-600 and the NanoVNA, so a comparison is of interest.

Question:

Does that gap matter significantly below the AA-600 range of max. 600 MHz?

Hi
It’s an interesting question and the answer is that the affect of pin depth depends on things that 99% of people will not consider. But, in some limited cases, it can effect amateurs in ways unrelated to measurements.

These are things to consider.

1) Agilent have produced a graph for at least one RF connector, where the affect of pin depth is determined by RF simulation. The research showed return loss will *not* be significantly effected below a few GHz.

2) The specification of the worse N are -0.04” to + 0.0000”. I would not want any connector precessed by any amount, as it can damage others. That was my concern with the RigExpert.

3) Apart from the RigExpert, I have never seen any N *chassis mount
connector* or *adapter* with precession. So one is unlikely to find a precessed chassis mount connector or adapter. Even cheap ones from China seem okay. Others have reported seeing precession, but I have never personally seen any other *N* connectors with the problem.

I believe modern manufacturing tolerances mean it is very easy to make connectors meet the specification.

4) When people assemble connectors on *cables*, there’s a *huge* variation!
If you look at a bunch of amateur assembled cables you will find pins well off centre and pin depths so different that you can see it with the naked eye.

5) Now what I personally think will be the most significant issue. If you are running high power, the heating of the inner conductor is likely to affect the power handling, so it could effect hams at low frequencies. I would want the male pin inserted as far as possible in the female to reduce the resistance and so heating.

6) If you look carefully at the design of N, SMA and 3.5 mm connectors, you should be able to work out that wear will cause the male to enter the female more, so wear on the outer is likely to improve matters - but the inner is likely to wear more, so I am *not* saying worn connectors are betters.

7) On precision 3.5 mm calibration standards, I have seen them go out of specification due to wear. The smaller connectors will wear more, and a precision connector will be closer to the limits to start with. Clearly if a calibration standard has a specification of -0.0005” / + 0.0000”, then wear on the outer conductor of 0.0005” or even less, will put it out of specification. On a typical SMA, which has the pin recessed 0.005”, much greater wear can occur before the SMA will go out of specification.

7) I have seen one precession Agilent N go out of specification.

8) The worse problems with cheap N connectors is the threads are poorly made, so wear on connectors is much higher than desirable. I have seen some N connectors where the thread appears to have been cut with an axe.

Chinese N to SMA adapters - no gap specified.

but surprisingly, my experience is that the Chinese connectors are okay.
They know the tolerance on their manufacturing. If it is +/- 0.010” with a 95% uncertainty (2 standard deviations), then assuming a Gaussian distribution, designing for a gap of 0.02” will put the chances of getting one out of specification to be about 0.01% (4 standard deviations)

73, Hans

Dave, G8WRB

--

Dr. David Kirkby,
Kirkby Microwave Ltd,
drkirkby@...

Telephone 01621-680100./ +44 1621 680100

Registered in England & Wales, company number 08914892.
Registered office:
Stokes Hall Lodge, Burnham Rd, Althorne, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 6DT, United Kingdom




--
Diese E-Mail wurde von Avast Antivirus-Software auf Viren geprüft.

Based on Gerry's post about his version of firmware, I rolled mine back to "Version 0.5.0 Build Time Feb 21 2020 - 12:55:37 Kernel 5.1.0" on my H4 and it works great. It looks like some builds of the firmware are not compatible with tAntScope2.

Hi,

I would just like to share my experience. I got my NanoVNA-H4 two days ago. I did not have any install problems encountered by many and I do not exactly know why. My "operating conditions" for the install are: PC (from Start>>Settings>>About tab) - Windows 10 Home single language, version 1903, OS build 18.362.900; Antscope2 - v1.1.1; NanoVNA-H4 (from boot-up screen) HW version 4.2 Version 0.5.0 Build Time Feb 21 2020 - 12:55:37 Kernel 5.1.0

I installed Antscope2 directly after download (previously was the v1.1.0 which also installed without problems and that version also connected to my NanoVNA H4).

As noted by others, there is a Settings tab when Antscope2 loads that says "Connect to NanoVNA." I just confirmed the correct COM port already filled out in the corresponding box (from Windows DeviceManager). Attached is a screenshot on the SWR tab of Antscope2 of the Cushcraft R7 antenna which was the DUT (I am repairing the R7 antenna which was given to me by another HAM. The whole mast bent with very strongs winds and the 40m and 30m traps were also bent. I have straightened the bent parts and am seeing its performance with the NanoVNA).

The SWR tab of Antscope2 shows a sweep 0-30Mhz; the grayed out vertical bands on the frequency axis are the amateur bands (there is an option in the Antscope2 settings tab to select ITU Region) corresponding to my QTH ITU Region 3. The R7 antenna was designed to work at 7 bands (10m, 12m, 15m, 17m, 20m, 30m and 40m) and the SWRs at the corresponding bands are shown. There is still some tuning that is needed: the lowest SWRs do not fall within the necessary bands (grayed out areas)...

To confirm/compare the measurements made by the NanoVNA, I attached an AWO7A meter to the R7 and made a manual scan of the 7 bands. I tuned the AWO7A meter to the frequency shown by the NanoVNA (as shown by Antscope2) where the SWR is lowest and compared the SWR reading of the AWO7A. Here are results (first SWR numbers are NanoVNA readings; second numbers are AWO7A readings) -
160m - 1.6095Mhz @ 5.71; 1.609Mhz @ 6.7
80m - 3.209Mhz @1.92; 3.209Mhz @ 2.6
40m - 7.0478Mhz @3.53; 7.048Mhz @ 4.1
30m - 9.9269 Mhz @2.33; 9.927Mhz @ 2.4
20m - 13.7657 Mhz @1.9; 13.765Mhz @ 2.0
17m - 17.6045Mhz @ 1.24; 17.605Mhz @ 1.2
15m - 20.8035Mhz @1.22; 20.804Mhz @1.2
12m - 24.9622Mhz @1.15; 24.963Mhz @ 1.1
10m - 29.7607Mhz @ 1.15; 29.761Mhz at 1.0

Attached also are picture shots of the readings per band. The results for the 80m and 160m are inconclusive, since the antenna was not designed for these bands.

The Return Loss tab of the Antscope2 for the R7 antenna is also attached. The diagram is shown as POSITIVE dB (the NanoVNAsaver software has the option of POSITIVE or NEGATIVE dB). I could not find -if any- similar option for the Antscope2 to show the RL diagram in the more familiar NEGATIVE dB format.

I hope this experience could be of help. The NanoVNA H4 with Antscope2 gives very helpful info for my needs as a hobbyist, as does the AWO7A meter. There are certainly more accurate tools available, but these already help tremendously.

Also, it was noted that the Antscope2 does not say anything more (could even be less) than what NanoSaver says of the NanoVNA data. It is just good to have another PC software available. My two cents worth...

73s
Gerry
DU7EYG

Maybe I am missing something here, but what the hell do all these latest posts on N connectors and other off topic posts have to do with the original post on the new AntScope2 release and issues we are having?

On Fri, 12 Jun 2020 at 09:01, DJ7BA <dj7ba@...> wrote:

Hi Dave,

I saw your N Plug male pin gap measuring gauge pic. Thanks for it, I never
saw such device before. Good point.

I have both, the AA-600 and the NanoVNA, so a comparison is of interest.

Question:

Does that gap matter significantly below the AA-600 range of max. 600 MHz?

Hi
It’s an interesting question and the answer is that the affect of pin depth
depends on things that 99% of people will not consider. But, in some
limited cases, it can effect amateurs in ways unrelated to measurements.

These are things to consider.

1) Agilent have produced a graph for at least one RF connector, where the
affect of pin depth is determined by RF simulation. The research showed
return loss will *not* be significantly effected below a few GHz.

2) The specification of the worse N are -0.04” to + 0.0000”. I would not
want any connector precessed by any amount, as it can damage others. That
was my concern with the RigExpert.

3) Apart from the RigExpert, I have never seen any N *chassis mount
connector* or *adapter* with precession. So one is unlikely to find a
precessed chassis mount connector or adapter. Even cheap ones from China
seem okay. Others have reported seeing precession, but I have never
personally seen any other *N* connectors with the problem.

I believe modern manufacturing tolerances mean it is very easy to make
connectors meet the specification.

4) When people assemble connectors on *cables*, there’s a *huge* variation!
If you look at a bunch of amateur assembled cables you will find pins well
off centre and pin depths so different that you can see it with the naked
eye.

5) Now what I personally think will be the most significant issue. If you
are running high power, the heating of the inner conductor is likely to
affect the power handling, so it could effect hams at low frequencies. I
would want the male pin inserted as far as possible in the female to reduce
the resistance and so heating.

6) If you look carefully at the design of N, SMA and 3.5 mm connectors, you
should be able to work out that wear will cause the male to enter the
female more, so wear on the outer is likely to improve matters - but the
inner is likely to wear more, so I am *not* saying worn connectors are
betters.

7) On precision 3.5 mm calibration standards, I have seen them go out of
specification due to wear. The smaller connectors will wear more, and a
precision connector will be closer to the limits to start with. Clearly if
a calibration standard has a specification of -0.0005” / + 0.0000”, then
wear on the outer conductor of 0.0005” or even less, will put it out of
specification. On a typical SMA, which has the pin recessed 0.005”, much
greater wear can occur before the SMA will go out of specification.

7) I have seen one precession Agilent N go out of specification.

8) The worse problems with cheap N connectors is the threads are poorly
made, so wear on connectors is much higher than desirable. I have seen some
N connectors where the thread appears to have been cut with an axe.

Chinese N to SMA adapters - no gap specified.

but surprisingly, my experience is that the Chinese connectors are okay.
They know the tolerance on their manufacturing. If it is +/- 0.010” with a
95% uncertainty (2 standard deviations), then assuming a Gaussian
distribution, designing for a gap of 0.02” will put the chances of getting
one out of specification to be about 0.01% (4 standard deviations)

73, Hans

Dave, G8WRB

--

Dr. David Kirkby,
Kirkby Microwave Ltd,
drkirkby@...

Telephone 01621-680100./ +44 1621 680100

Registered in England & Wales, company number 08914892.
Registered office:
Stokes Hall Lodge, Burnham Rd, Althorne, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 6DT, United
Kingdom

Thanks Larry and Steve.
I am guessing that my NanoVNA2 is lost since it has been stuck now over a month in KY.

Replace the plug with a high-quality one, has it become a problem?

On Fri, 12 Jun 2020 at 07:49, randmental <Randmental@...> wrote:

Dave,

You said yourself you (and the club) had the option to return it for a
refund, but ***YOU CHOOSE NOT TO ***.
Let's leave it at that and stop bashing them on this forum

No, I did NOT choose not to get a refund!

Personally I thought that the N connector looked pretty poor, was out of
specification and should be returned. But the club chose not to.

Yes, we did have the option of a refund. But what annoyed me with
RadioWorld was that they would not swap it for another unit. I think they
were totally unaware of what a connector guage was, and didn’t want a fussy
customer that might reject another.

Dave
--
Dr. David Kirkby,
Kirkby Microwave Ltd,
drkirkby@...

Telephone 01621-680100./ +44 1621 680100

Registered in England & Wales, company number 08914892.
Registered office:
Stokes Hall Lodge, Burnham Rd, Althorne, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 6DT, United
Kingdom