开云体育

Dear Shirley,

Thankyou, I have been very busy and displaced from my electronics den for a year, but it is nice to know that what I saw using rtlsdr recievers was actually genuine narrowband signals. My search for such a facility can therefore end. Its only disadvantage is the pc attached to the sdr dongle and the lack of reliable amplitude calibration.

I am still waiting for Tinysa to arrive and looking forward to using it, especially for tracing hf interference which I suspect is caused by the data ( internet, tv channels etc) down the telephone wires.

The days of my HP and other boatanchor equipment are now diminishing.

Steve L. G7PSZ

On Sat, Aug 8, 2020 at 04:29 PM, Jim Lux wrote:

1) front end tracking filter and good image rejection
2) front end attenuator with a fair number of steps (helpful to know if you're
seeing IMD in the analyzers front end, among other things)
3) stability over time

How does the tinySA compare to these requirements?
--
NanoVNA Wiki: /g/nanovna-users/wiki/home
NanoVNA Files: /g/nanovna-users/files
Erik, PD0EK

Excellent, thank you!
Jerry, KE7ER

On Sat, Aug 8, 2020 at 07:17 PM, Larry Rothman wrote:

Questions:

1)? What differences to expect between this code:

and Hugen's code:

2):? What different flavors of hardware can the above firmware choices work
on?

Last Edy555 code v0.8
Hugen use v0.6 add some mods and this all.
In all cases v0.8 from edy555 better (added a lot of fixes from v0.6)

This all for NanoVNA or NanoVNA-H.

For H4, only Hugen provide firmware (it also based on v0.6)

PS just for info
You can found on forum my firmwares for H and H4 v0.9.3.4 vs SD card support
/g/nanovna-users/topic/nanovna_firmvare_compiled_by/73181877
And no SD card last stable 0.8.4.5
/g/nanovna-users/message/13054

Larry,

From the wiki homepage, I can click on "Documentation", then "Tutorials",
at which point I see:

######################################
nanoVNA User Guide 2019-07-11 (PDF) (original guide by hugen)
Cho45's NanoVNA User Guide (PDF formatted for printing - updated monthly)
Another great user guide written by Gyula Molna
Webpage is in Hungarian but has a built-in translation feature at the top of the page.

Calibration steps, briefly (or, refer to other user guides here)
Firmware Help
from theory to practice! - Luc ON7DQ V2.01 February 2020 UBA Section OST presentation
Getting Started by Gunthard-Kraus, DG8GB
Forum thread discussing the User Guide
Updated English & German User Guides (PDF)
Getting Started with NanoVNA (Aug 31, 2019) by HexAndFlex
Setup and Calibration
Configuring Traces, Channels and Formats
VNA Saver – PC Software
Guide to the NanoVNA - Kindle Edition $2.99 @ Amazon
NanoVNA Introduction PowerPoint PDF by Doug Hart, AA3S
Rudolf Reuter's user guide - very good practical examples

Touchscreen menu interactive map diagram
for original firmware
for Sep - Oct 17 firmware
for recent firmware
NanoVNA-H4 PDF by ON7BA 27 Feb 2020
Touch Screen Calibration procedure
Tips for New Users (Oct 9, 2019 PDF) by mike watts
USB Shell Commands better: PDF formatted for printing
VNA Tutorial - MegiQ videos (3 parts)
######################################

That's a bit overwhelming for a new user wanting to measure
the SWR of an antenna. I doubt any of it would be comprehensible
to somebody who didn't yet know what a complex impedance is.

I first tried Hugen's guide and cho45's guide when I got my nanoVNA.
Neither one got me very far.
I simply couldn't figure out the standalone GUI.

Yes, HexAndFlex is in there, good. That's what got me going.
But that would be awfully hard for a new user to stumble upon in the wiki.

Gunthard-Kraus's "Getting Started" is also listed, went up long after I got my nanoVNA.
Looks like it has a lot of good information, I intend to check it out thoroughly.
But not exactly a "quick start".

There are several other tutorials in there now that should be worth investigating.
But really, it is simply overwhelming.
Perhaps we could create a guide to the user guides?
Or perhaps settle on one good beginner's guide, put it at the top of the wiki?

I assume most of them are aimed at the nanoVNA-H and friends.
The new wealth of variants may require a reorganization of the wiki.
Hopefully the standalone menu structure is at least somewhat similar on all of them,
but that seems doubtful.

As Oristo mentioned, there is nothing stopping ANY forum member from making edits to the Wiki page.

That's good and bad.
You might have somebody like me whacking at it.
Somebody who thinks the code at
is only suitable for the edy555 kit.

I have personally used the groups.io search function to find information in
our forum and it works quite well as long as use it properly, hence the quick
tips doc.

I can generally be successful searching for stuff here.
But reading the forum posts and wiki contents can be a challenge
if you haven't been following the discussion for a few months.
Even if you sort of know what you are doing.

Jerry, KE7ER




On Sat, Aug 8, 2020 at 07:11 PM, Larry Rothman wrote:

Jerry,
There are links to at least 2 quick start guides in the user guide section of
the Wiki, written by forum members.
One of the problems is users sometimes just want answers without the footwork.
I created a forum search tips document that is the very first item in the
Wiki, but many users don't (won't?) read it.
I have personally used the groups.io search function to find information in
our forum and it works quite well as long as use it properly, hence the quick
tips doc.

As Oristo mentioned, there is nothing stopping ANY forum member from making
edits to the Wiki page. I have mentioned this many times but no one wants to
other than a couple of us early members.
So? Decide on what you think needs to be changed and how. Then, create a hard
copy and transfer to the Wiki via the edit function at the very bottom of the
page. Keep it simple and to the point.
... Larry

On 8/8/20 7:11 PM, Larry Rothman wrote:

Jerry,
There are links to at least 2 quick start guides in the user guide section of the Wiki, written by forum members.
One of the problems is users sometimes just want answers without the footwork. I created a forum search tips document that is the very first item in the Wiki, but many users don't (won't?) read it.

to be honest, most search functions sprinkled here and there across the internet are just plain horrible. And while reading a search tips can help, one doesn't really want to search each website or wiki in its own special way.

So that's why users don't/won't read it -

I have personally used the groups.io search function to find information in our forum and it works quite well as long as use it properly, hence the quick tips doc.

Yes, but see above - that's reminiscent of the iPhone 4 - you're holding it wrong, if you short the antenna feedpoint with your hand.

This is NOT to say that the tips aren't valid (they are) or that they don't work (they do) - it's just that user behavior has been conditioned that search functions are horrible, and search tips are either horrible or so peculiar to that particular website that it's not worth even looking.

My curse is on lameness of inter/intranet sites in general. And, by this, I include the intranet search where I work. - Searching for, say, LNA (something we do work with) will turn up EVERY document that has that in it, including "Purchase order tracking list May 2009" where some poor soul ordered an LNA. (as well as June, July, August, and then the Received orders list, and then probably, a bunch of "invoices received" documents, and on and on.

So users are justifiably leery of "search the archives"

It is MUCH better to provide roadmaps built into the wiki content (but that is significantly more difficult, and is all about "curation" - a thankless task, but valuable). One of the virtues of the web (or a Wiki) is that it doesn't force a single "view" of navigation.

As Oristo mentioned, there is nothing stopping ANY forum member from making edits to the Wiki page. I have mentioned this many times but no one wants to other than a couple of us early members.

Again, you're fighting against an internet phenomenon..
a) there's a bit of imposter syndrome - an individual thinks "I'm not worthy" to contribute and is shy about leaping in. (the same thing happens with git repos, by the way)
b) there are trolls and evil people who beat up on people making changes in pages they consider special or their own property. (Wikipedia has this phenomenon...)

Someone who dips a toe in, and then gets flamed because they didn't use exactly the right form, or the description is a bit clunky, or they wore the wrong color socks that day. A few experiences like that and you say "I'm never going to do that again".

Again, clearly not the fault here in this forum or wiki, but just how life is.

What works?

Individual mentoring - (and Larry is doing this a bit with this email) - Encourage someone to contribute, offer to help write the entry, let them enter it, check it, say "well done". And then if something "bad" happens (no matter how many trolls get beaten up by the biggest billy goat, there's an infinity of trolls - measureless to man, to rip off Coleridge), the mentor can stand up for the new contributor.

In my experience the best mailing lists and forums are ones where "google is your friend" and you can just google your question with the site:example.com in the search. Google has MUCH better search engines and structuring than anyone is going to implement on their own, or with some commercial product.

So? Decide on what you think needs to be changed and how. Then, create a hard copy and transfer to the Wiki via the edit function at the very bottom of the page. Keep it simple and to the point.
... Larry

Jerry,
The original Nanovna from last year and the H version are all essentially identical and can use any Nanovna or Nanovna-H firmware from ttrftech, Hugen or DiSlord.?
The H4 has different LCD drivers and memory layout so H4 FW will only run on H4 hardware.?
You can't brick the H or H4 and after the first couple of times flashing, it becomes a simple excersise.?
... Larry



On Sat, 8 Aug 2020 at 9:56 PM, Jerry Gaffke via groups.io<jgaffke@...> wrote: Christos,

Thanks for that comment.

I had seen the trftech firmware, but the photo at the top showing edy555's kit
made me think it might not be appropriate for Hugen's version.

Looking further, there's this toward the bottom of? ?
? Authorized Distributor? Nooelec? ? Switch Science(ja) NanoVNA-H NanoVNA-H4
? Credit? @edy555
? Contributors? @hugen79? @cho45? @DiSlord

Following the distributor links, it appears to be Hugen's adjustment to the design, including the -H4.
I had thought the nanoVNA-H4 took slightly different firmware to deal with the larger display,
is that not the case?

Good to see Hugen, cho45 and DiSlord all listed as contributors.


Questions:

1)? What differences to expect between this code:?
and Hugen's code:? ?

2):? What different flavors of hardware can the above firmware choices work on?


Well, I guess I'll just try burning in the ttrftech code that Christos pointed me to.
At worst, I get a $50 education in what not to do.

Jerry, KE7ER

Jerry,? ??
There are links to at least 2 quick start guides in the user guide section of the Wiki, written by forum members.? ??
One of the problems is users sometimes just want answers without the footwork. I created a forum search tips document that is the very first item in the Wiki, but many users don't (won't?) read it.? ?
I have personally used the groups.io search function to find information in our forum and it works quite well as long as use it properly, hence the quick tips doc.?

As Oristo mentioned, there is nothing stopping ANY forum member from making edits to the Wiki page. I have mentioned this many times but no one wants to other than a couple of us early members.?
So? Decide on what you think needs to be changed and how. Then, create a hard copy and transfer to the Wiki via the edit function at the very bottom of the page. Keep it simple and to the point.?
... Larry


On Sat, 8 Aug 2020 at 8:25 PM, Jerry Gaffke via groups.io<jgaffke@...> wrote: Thanks for the response.
A few more comments:

Not sure what part of that nanoVNA-Q discussion wants adding to the Wiki,
but you are more than welcome to edit the Wiki, based on your experience.

Maybe this part, with appropriate editing and updating:
I've had my head in the sand for a year, no idea what's going on these days.

######################################
hwalker12/04/19? #7822? ? ? On Wed, Dec? 4, 2019 at 06:47 AM, Larry Rothman wrote:
The H version has slight hardware mods but both versions are essentially
identical (except some clones are crap).
Slight mods include better RF shields, onboard v+ filtering, fixed USB-C
interface resistors.? Nothing spectacular.
==================================================================================
The NanoVNA-H version also comes in an ABS plastic case that you would have to pay about an additional USA $10 for as an add-on to the Nano-VNA.? It has the diode already installed for utilizing the battery voltage icon.? The firmware is 0.2.3.2 which is already updated to extend operation to 1500 MHz
########################################

.. so, it should be deleted or pruned, to avoid wasting folks' time?

I'm not advocating the dumbing down of the wiki, but it should
be organized into something that's vaguely comprehensible for a beginner.
Perhaps there should be a quick-start guide for new owners.

And given all the hardware choices out there these days, there should
be a comprehensive description of each, specs, differences, firmware
suggestions, suitable host software, ...

The problem is, those in the forum who know these things have
no interest in updating the wiki, they have moved on to more interesting stuff.
And certainly no interest in making it understandable to the beginner.

Jerry, KE7ER




On Sat, Aug? 8, 2020 at 01:29 PM, Oristo wrote:

H Jerry -

Thanks for taking time to provide actionable feedback.
As it happens, I mostly stopped making Wiki updates
when I stopped downloading firmware updates.

Unless you already know pretty much everything, the forum wiki
creates more questions than it answers:
/g/nanovna-users/wiki

.. so, it should be deleted or pruned, to avoid wasting folks' time?

For example, exactly what are the differences between the edy555 nanoVNA,
the Hugen nanoVNA, the Hugen nanoVNA-H, and the Hugen nanoVNA-H4?

Owning only an early worst clone, >>I<< am not in a position to make
definitive comparisons,
beyond /g/nanovna-users/wiki#Hardware-versions

Here's a start, the wiki should have this and much more:
/g/nanovna-users/topic/65362239

Not sure what part of that nanoVNA-Q discussion wants adding to the Wiki,
but you are more than welcome to edit the Wiki, based on your experience.

Wiki also needs information for the new user who has just unboxed a
nanoVNA.
I was totally stumped last year till I found this:


/g/nanovna-users/topic/65362239
The current wiki is not any better in that regard.

My efforts, at least, were not intended to replace work such as that at
hexandflex.com,
which are in fact linked in the Wiki under User Guides.
Again, if updates are wanted based on your experience, please feel free.
I think that every group member has edit permission.

Here's a very old thread, at least some of which had to do with creating
a tutorial to get the new user going:
/g/nanovna-users/topic/34589622

Despite being implicated in that thread, I am unsure how to refactor it
to a new user tutorial that would be an improvement over those listed in User
Guides:
/g/nanovna-users/wiki/12475
and Application Notes:
/g/nanovna-users/wiki/13116

Lots of current discussion in the forum about the highly regarded
work of DiSlord and OneOfEleven, should I consider moving to that instead?

Only my opinion, but without access to source code
and structured testing of those beta firmwares,
I do not recommend them for new users
unless they provide some needed function[s] unavailable from Hugen and edy555
releases.

Christos,

Thanks for that comment.

I had seen the trftech firmware, but the photo at the top showing edy555's kit
made me think it might not be appropriate for Hugen's version.

Looking further, there's this toward the bottom of
Authorized Distributor Nooelec Switch Science(ja) NanoVNA-H NanoVNA-H4
Credit @edy555
Contributors @hugen79 @cho45 @DiSlord

Following the distributor links, it appears to be Hugen's adjustment to the design, including the -H4.
I had thought the nanoVNA-H4 took slightly different firmware to deal with the larger display,
is that not the case?

Good to see Hugen, cho45 and DiSlord all listed as contributors.


Questions:

1) What differences to expect between this code:
and Hugen's code:

2): What different flavors of hardware can the above firmware choices work on?


Well, I guess I'll just try burning in the ttrftech code that Christos pointed me to.
At worst, I get a $50 education in what not to do.

Jerry, KE7ER

Thanks for the response.
A few more comments:

Not sure what part of that nanoVNA-Q discussion wants adding to the Wiki,
but you are more than welcome to edit the Wiki, based on your experience.

Maybe this part, with appropriate editing and updating:
I've had my head in the sand for a year, no idea what's going on these days.

######################################
hwalker12/04/19 #7822 On Wed, Dec 4, 2019 at 06:47 AM, Larry Rothman wrote:
The H version has slight hardware mods but both versions are essentially
identical (except some clones are crap).
Slight mods include better RF shields, onboard v+ filtering, fixed USB-C
interface resistors. Nothing spectacular.
==================================================================================
The NanoVNA-H version also comes in an ABS plastic case that you would have to pay about an additional USA $10 for as an add-on to the Nano-VNA. It has the diode already installed for utilizing the battery voltage icon. The firmware is 0.2.3.2 which is already updated to extend operation to 1500 MHz
########################################

.. so, it should be deleted or pruned, to avoid wasting folks' time?

I'm not advocating the dumbing down of the wiki, but it should
be organized into something that's vaguely comprehensible for a beginner.
Perhaps there should be a quick-start guide for new owners.

And given all the hardware choices out there these days, there should
be a comprehensive description of each, specs, differences, firmware
suggestions, suitable host software, ...

The problem is, those in the forum who know these things have
no interest in updating the wiki, they have moved on to more interesting stuff.
And certainly no interest in making it understandable to the beginner.

Jerry, KE7ER




On Sat, Aug 8, 2020 at 01:29 PM, Oristo wrote:

H Jerry -

Thanks for taking time to provide actionable feedback.
As it happens, I mostly stopped making Wiki updates
when I stopped downloading firmware updates.

Unless you already know pretty much everything, the forum wiki
creates more questions than it answers:
/g/nanovna-users/wiki

.. so, it should be deleted or pruned, to avoid wasting folks' time?

For example, exactly what are the differences between the edy555 nanoVNA,
the Hugen nanoVNA, the Hugen nanoVNA-H, and the Hugen nanoVNA-H4?

Owning only an early worst clone, >>I<< am not in a position to make
definitive comparisons,
beyond /g/nanovna-users/wiki#Hardware-versions

Here's a start, the wiki should have this and much more:
/g/nanovna-users/topic/65362239

Not sure what part of that nanoVNA-Q discussion wants adding to the Wiki,
but you are more than welcome to edit the Wiki, based on your experience.

Wiki also needs information for the new user who has just unboxed a
nanoVNA.
I was totally stumped last year till I found this:


/g/nanovna-users/topic/65362239
The current wiki is not any better in that regard.

My efforts, at least, were not intended to replace work such as that at
hexandflex.com,
which are in fact linked in the Wiki under User Guides.
Again, if updates are wanted based on your experience, please feel free.
I think that every group member has edit permission.

Here's a very old thread, at least some of which had to do with creating
a tutorial to get the new user going:
/g/nanovna-users/topic/34589622

Despite being implicated in that thread, I am unsure how to refactor it
to a new user tutorial that would be an improvement over those listed in User
Guides:
/g/nanovna-users/wiki/12475
and Application Notes:
/g/nanovna-users/wiki/13116

Lots of current discussion in the forum about the highly regarded
work of DiSlord and OneOfEleven, should I consider moving to that instead?

Only my opinion, but without access to source code
and structured testing of those beta firmwares,
I do not recommend them for new users
unless they provide some needed function[s] unavailable from Hugen and edy555
releases.

there is a link to a “nanovna firmware guide for idiots” Which I followed step by step.
It worked the first shot for me

Thanks for the pointer and testimonial; added to Wiki
/g/nanovna-users/wiki/Home#Help

On 8/8/20 11:16 AM, Shirley Dulcey KE1L wrote:

If you're looking for an inexpensive wideband spectrum analyzer, the
tinySA project may have what you are looking for.
For narrowband spectrum analysis, it's hard to beat a good SDR receiver.
The spectrum display will show you what you're looking for, with excellent
resolution.

generally true - I find my RTL-SDR a pretty handy little widget. And, I've done a LOT of work in the last few years with 4GHz SignalHound. However, there are times when the $20k Keysight FieldFox is the thing to have.


what inexpensive(<$100) analyzers don't give you:
1) front end tracking filter and good image rejection
2) front end attenuator with a fair number of steps (helpful to know if you're seeing IMD in the analyzers front end, among other things)
3) stability over time

What medium priced USB analyzers ($1000-2000) give you:
filters, attenuators, wide bandwidth (DC-12 GHz)


Most of those mid priced Spectrum Analyzers are basically a specialized SDR - a tunable down converter/digitizer with attenuators and filters, and some software on the back end to do all the features. Generally better stability and aging, too.

One other thing that "real lab gear" gives you is a lack of radiated emissions. The USRP, for instance, is a very popular device, but also radiates a significant amount of the Local Oscillator from the input cards. So that requires some care to "do it right" rather just slapping together some gnuradio blocks.

If I'm not mistaken, I think that the best and most recent firmware for the -H is the one that resides in edy555's repository latest release.

Bob,
I have the same issue, no transform button. I took the leap today and upgraded my nanovna of unknown pedigree. I used this as a tutorial.

In the first sentence, there is a link to a “nanovna firmware guide for idiots” Which I followed step by step. It took me about 20 minutes to read thru the guide once and then a second time when I actually executed the steps. It worked the first shot for me And I now have the new features.
Dallas, N5fee

H Jerry -

Thanks for taking time to provide actionable feedback.
As it happens, I mostly stopped making Wiki updates
when I stopped downloading firmware updates.

Unless you already know pretty much everything, the forum wiki
creates more questions than it answers:
/g/nanovna-users/wiki

.. so, it should be deleted or pruned, to avoid wasting folks' time?

For example, exactly what are the differences between the edy555 nanoVNA,
the Hugen nanoVNA, the Hugen nanoVNA-H, and the Hugen nanoVNA-H4?

Owning only an early worst clone, >>I<< am not in a position to make definitive comparisons,
beyond /g/nanovna-users/wiki#Hardware-versions

Here's a start, the wiki should have this and much more:
/g/nanovna-users/topic/65362239

Not sure what part of that nanoVNA-Q discussion wants adding to the Wiki,
but you are more than welcome to edit the Wiki, based on your experience.

Wiki also needs information for the new user who has just unboxed a nanoVNA.
I was totally stumped last year till I found this:

/g/nanovna-users/topic/65362239
The current wiki is not any better in that regard.

My efforts, at least, were not intended to replace work such as that at hexandflex.com,
which are in fact linked in the Wiki under User Guides.
Again, if updates are wanted based on your experience, please feel free.
I think that every group member has edit permission.

Here's a very old thread, at least some of which had to do with creating
a tutorial to get the new user going:
/g/nanovna-users/topic/34589622

Despite being implicated in that thread, I am unsure how to refactor it
to a new user tutorial that would be an improvement over those listed in User Guides:
/g/nanovna-users/wiki/12475
and Application Notes:
/g/nanovna-users/wiki/13116

Lots of current discussion in the forum about the highly regarded
work of DiSlord and OneOfEleven, should I consider moving to that instead?

Only my opinion, but without access to source code
and structured testing of those beta firmwares,
I do not recommend them for new users
unless they provide some needed function[s] unavailable from Hugen and edy555 releases.

I have a "classic" nanoVNA from Hugen, splash screen just
says "gen111.taobao.com", powers up with four traces.
Has been quite useful as it was shipped.

I plan to load Hugen's current nanoVNA-H firmware:

and then use nanovna-saver on an Ubuntu box:


Lots of current discussion in the forum about the highly regarded
work of DiSlord and OneOfEleven, should I consider moving to that instead?
Perhaps some other firmware and (hopefully linux friendly) host software?
Here's Oristo's list of the various firmware options as of 10/2019:
/g/nanovna-users/message/5949

But that doesn't fully describe things, and is badly out of date.

I haven't had time these last 12 months to follow along in the forum.
The nanoVNA universe is expanding rapidly, it's awfully confusing.
Unless you already know pretty much everything, the forum wiki
creates more questions than it answers:
/g/nanovna-users/wiki
For example, exactly what are the differences between the edy555 nanoVNA,
the Hugen nanoVNA, the Hugen nanoVNA-H, and the Hugen nanoVNA-H4?
Here's a start, the wiki should have this and much more:
/g/nanovna-users/topic/65362239

Wiki also needs information for the new user who has just unboxed a nanoVNA.
I was totally stumped last year till I found this:

/g/nanovna-users/topic/65362239
The current wiki is not any better in that regard.

Here's a very old thread, at least some of which had to do with creating
a tutorial to get the new user going:
/g/nanovna-users/topic/34589622
I'm still planning to write a tutorial on complex impedances,
aimed at the ham with with an understanding of little more than
Ohms Law and perhaps SWR readings.

Jerry, KE7ER

If you're looking for an inexpensive wideband spectrum analyzer, the
tinySA project may have what you are looking for.

For narrowband spectrum analysis, it's hard to beat a good SDR receiver.
The spectrum display will show you what you're looking for, with excellent
resolution.

The development is driven by multiple entities with various commercial
interests often in
competition with each other. The confusion comes from the name, multiple
projects with
practically the same name.

Попросить можно, но не сдесь!:)

On 8/8/20 9:32 AM, Hugo wrote:

I ask myself a question, does the development of several other "NanoVNA" products with the same spirit not overshadow all of the products? Will he not be later more difficult to have support and software development on all products?
I have the impression that the products will die by themselves for lack of development and that they will be considered as disposable ... I am looking for the best product with the best "hardware" AND software but I wonder if I should wait for the 3 other products that have been announced instead of taking the NanoVNA 2 N ...
This is a constructive reflection and not a criticism.

That's an interesting question - a couple thoughts:

1) The products are inexpensive and technology is advancing rapidly. Rather than try an upgrade a 3 year old nanoVNA, I suspect it would be more effective to just buy the current $50 VNA. Would you try to resurrect that old Pentium sitting in the garage?

2) Later products do benefit from the development of the earlier ones - more from finding usability issues, features that are either not worth it or "wow that's really handy".

3) This kind of thing is revolutionizing the test equipment market all up and down the price spectrum. The days of buying a big hunk of RF test equipment (like a HP 141T or a 8663B) and carefully maintaining it for 20-30 years are essentially over, even in the top end market. There is always a market for highly specialized features, but in the main line, it's really changing - USB pod RF power meters are now a standard lab item that cost around a kilobuck for a high quality one. In professional environments, the ability to have the cal tables and docs embedded in the instrument is really useful. Sure, I love my 848X thermistor heads and they gave great service as I connected them to successive generations of meters. But I think the modern parts work better, especially in a system. And if I really, really had to have something specialized, I'd have to either build it, or find someone who knows how - and they're omnipresent. You want that NIST Type IV RF power meter because you have to duplicate some measurements from 1980 - you can do it.

But for day to day "how much RF is in the wire" - that $600 pod is pretty attractive - and if I blow it up, I can get a new one in days.

In the RF world, products like the USB signal generators, spectrum analyzers, and VNAs are really handy - they're sort of the RF equivalent of the DMM (or oscilloscope).

ANd the fact that a lot of the functionality is in software - and mass producible hardware with cheap parts - means that you CAN get a $50 VNA that is smaller, easier to use, etc. It may not have the HP/Agilent/Keysight name on the panel. It may not have NIST traceable calibration from the factory. It may not have a warranty. But the vast majority of uses don't need those things.