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NanoVNA for CB radio tuning
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Hi all,
As the title says, I may be way in over my head here.... That being said, I'd like to learn more. I bought a NanoVNA after I read a few subreddit posts saying I'd get the best bang for my buck if I got a NanoVNA instead of a standard SWR meter(for the same price) used for tuning CB radios. After all, who's going to pass up a deal like that? I was then pointed here to get more info on the NanoVNA and have been befuddled since. I have gone through the Wiki and the Files, downloaded the NanoVNASaver and android app. I have a basic idea on how to get the device to show me the SWR reading, but the progress stops there for me. I also did a topic search for CB radio and CB, but came up pretty empty-handed. I recently purchased a Midland 75-822(1) and an external antenna(2) and would love to learn how to use this device to make sure I'm tuned in to the best possible setting. I've seen folks tune the CB radios using a standard SWR meter, but I feel there are a few more steps involved when using the Nano. Both the radio and the antenna are sporting a PL-259 connection, which off the bat, won't work with the Nano. So I went out and bought a set of connectors(3) to hopefully match up with the antenna, radio, and Nano. I am a total newbie to the radio world, but willing to learn. Feel free to let me know I should back out now, while I still have some money left. But I¡¯d really like to learn more about this tool and how I can go about helping others get the best tuning out of their setups as well. Thank you for taking the time to read this monstrosity, Z (1) (2) (3) |
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Well, there is a WARNING before you start burning things:
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Contrary to a SWR meter, the nanoVNA can not be used with the transmitter and cannot be left online while using the radio, as a SWR meter is normally used. It has his own RF source for measuring the antenna (and a lot of other things), so you first measure your antenna connected only to the nanoVNA and when you are satisfied with it, disconnect the nanoVNA and connect the radio to the antenna. The way to measure the antenna is explained in the manual, presentations and YouTube videos. Best regards, Ignacio El 19/03/2020 a las 0:19, zfanibanda@... escribi¨®:
Hi all, --
El software de antivirus Avast ha analizado este correo electr¨®nico en busca de virus. |
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Being a CB'er I must email you a *HUGE CAUTION*, since you are learning
about the NANOVNA: *UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES CONNECT THE NANOVNA TO THE RADIO AND KEY THE MICROPHONE. Better yet, don't E V E R CONNECT IT TO THE TRANSCEIVER. * Doing so and keying the microphone will immediately destroy the NANOVNA!!! The NANO, however, is good for looking at SWR on CB antennas both at the antenna and at the end of the feedline to the antenna. Dave |
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John Galway
Reach out to me at jjgalway@... and I will walk you through setup?
On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 18:19, zfanibanda@...<zfanibanda@...> wrote: Hi all, As the title says, I may be way in over my head here.... That being said, I'd like to learn more. I bought a NanoVNA after I read a few subreddit posts saying I'd get the best bang for my buck if I got a NanoVNA instead of a standard SWR meter(for the same price) used for tuning CB radios. After all, who's going to pass up a deal like that? I was then pointed here to get more info on the NanoVNA and have been befuddled since. I have gone through the Wiki and the Files, downloaded the NanoVNASaver and android app. I have a basic idea on how to get the device to show me the SWR reading, but the progress stops there for me. I also did a topic search for CB radio and CB, but came up pretty empty-handed. I recently purchased a Midland 75-822(1) and an external antenna(2) and would love to learn how to use this device to make sure I'm tuned in to the best possible setting. I've seen folks tune the CB radios using a standard SWR meter, but I feel there are a few more steps involved when using the Nano. Both the radio and the antenna are sporting a PL-259 connection, which off the bat, won't work with the Nano. So I went out and bought a set of connectors(3) to hopefully match up with the antenna, radio, and Nano. I am a total newbie to the radio world, but willing to learn. Feel free to let me know I should back out now, while I still have some money left. But I¡¯d really like to learn more about this tool and how I can go about helping others get the best tuning out of their setups as well. Thank you for taking the time to read this monstrosity, Z (1) (2) (3) |
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Tuning the ¡°CB¡± antenna will be EXACTLY like any other antenna, just follow the docs in the wiki for the rest of them. There¡¯s definitely a learning curve though, the nice smart folks on this site make it all sound soooo easy, but that¡¯s because they know what they are doing and understand the theory¡¯s behind all this stuff. I¡¯m still trying to figure out who this guy ¡°Smith Chart¡± is!!! ;-)))
-- Regards, Chris |
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I mean, you could run it in-line, like an SWR meter... but you probably
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won't find it very useful soon after that. ^.^ Just to chime in for Chris' comment about Smith Charts... I found this video by Alan Wolke (W2AEW) great. (I find most of his stuff super informative, and helpful). ~Josh W0ODJ On Thu, Mar 19, 2020 at 11:44 AM Birdman <ccarrara@...> wrote:
Tuning the ¡°CB¡± antenna will be EXACTLY like any other antenna, just |
Chris K2STP
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