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Hi All,

Warning controversy ahead :-)

I've been following the threads on this group for a while now and there have been some really excellent postings on various topics.

The subjects of calibration, reference planes, poor back to back SMA connectors and other similar issues seem to have been the dominant subjects over the past week or so.

I think we are in danger of loosing sight of the fact that we are talking about a < $50 instrument. At that price its almost a disposable item and yet folks are discussing cal kits that are good up to many GHZ (and would probably cost more than a box full of Nano VNA's) and comparing results against very expensive commercial VNA's.

There may be so far undiscovered errors in both the firmware and software, which would make sub dB calibration errors inconsequential in comparison, yet everyone seems fixated on the hardware.

The firmware and software development effort is to be commended and I'm highly appreciative of what has been released so far. I'm just concerned that in the mad dash to get new features rolled out, we may be missing something more fundamental that will come back to bite us at a later stage.

I'd suggest that rather than trying to squeeze the last fraction of a dB of performance from very low cost hardware, it may be more productive to concentrate on improving the firmware and software, adopting the correct measurement methodology and terminology and trying to establish a strong foundation for any further enhancements.

Just my observation, your milage may vary.

Regards,

Martin







--
Regards,

Martin - G8JNJ

Martin, I'll keep my answer short. I agree.

I for one won't try to tell people what they should or shouldn't use their
hobby time on. If they want to compare against very high class standards,
good on them. If they want to improve software, good as well.

--
Rune / 5Q5R

On Fri, 11 Oct 2019, 12:27 Martin via Groups.Io, <martin_ehrenfried=
[email protected]> wrote:

Hi All,

Warning controversy ahead :-)

I've been following the threads on this group for a while now and there
have been some really excellent postings on various topics.

The subjects of calibration, reference planes, poor back to back SMA
connectors and other similar issues seem to have been the dominant subjects
over the past week or so.

I think we are in danger of loosing sight of the fact that we are talking
about a < $50 instrument. At that price its almost a disposable item and
yet folks are discussing cal kits that are good up to many GHZ (and would
probably cost more than a box full of Nano VNA's) and comparing results
against very expensive commercial VNA's.

There may be so far undiscovered errors in both the firmware and software,
which would make sub dB calibration errors inconsequential in comparison,
yet everyone seems fixated on the hardware.

The firmware and software development effort is to be commended and I'm
highly appreciative of what has been released so far. I'm just concerned
that in the mad dash to get new features rolled out, we may be missing
something more fundamental that will come back to bite us at a later stage.

I'd suggest that rather than trying to squeeze the last fraction of a dB
of performance from very low cost hardware, it may be more productive to
concentrate on improving the firmware and software, adopting the correct
measurement methodology and terminology and trying to establish a strong
foundation for any further enhancements.

Just my observation, your milage may vary.

Regards,

Martin







--
Regards,

Martin - G8JNJ

On Fri, Oct 11, 2019 at 12:29 PM, Rune Broberg wrote:

I for one won't try to tell people what they should or shouldn't use their
hobby time on. If they want to compare against very high class standards,
good on them. If they want to improve software, good as well.

Hi Rune,

I don't disagree.

I just think that we as a group are in danger of obsessing on specific aspects, and that may be distracting from fundamental issues, which may be a more important or significant part of the 'bigger picture'.

Concentrate on the big rocks first, before sorting through the gravel :-)

--
Regards,

Martin - G8JNJ

Hi Martin. I agree, let us focus of enjoying this wonderful machine and get the best out of mutual good and helpful spirit
Kind regards
Kurt
-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
Fra: [email protected] <[email protected]> P? vegne af Martin via Groups.Io
Sendt: 11. oktober 2019 12:27
Til: [email protected]
Emne: [nanovna-users] What's important ? - Discuss

Hi All,

Warning controversy ahead :-)

I've been following the threads on this group for a while now and there have been some really excellent postings on various topics.

The subjects of calibration, reference planes, poor back to back SMA connectors and other similar issues seem to have been the dominant subjects over the past week or so.

I think we are in danger of loosing sight of the fact that we are talking about a < $50 instrument. At that price its almost a disposable item and yet folks are discussing cal kits that are good up to many GHZ (and would probably cost more than a box full of Nano VNA's) and comparing results against very expensive commercial VNA's.

There may be so far undiscovered errors in both the firmware and software, which would make sub dB calibration errors inconsequential in comparison, yet everyone seems fixated on the hardware.

The firmware and software development effort is to be commended and I'm highly appreciative of what has been released so far. I'm just concerned that in the mad dash to get new features rolled out, we may be missing something more fundamental that will come back to bite us at a later stage.

I'd suggest that rather than trying to squeeze the last fraction of a dB of performance from very low cost hardware, it may be more productive to concentrate on improving the firmware and software, adopting the correct measurement methodology and terminology and trying to establish a strong foundation for any further enhancements.

Just my observation, your milage may vary.

Regards,

Martin







--
Regards,

Martin - G8JNJ

I think the discussions about cal kits and calibration are over the top. I need to measure impedance (usually at HF) that is generally higher than 50 ohms and after running tests against other instruments, the accuracy falls way off so why beat on cal kits. The best I can do is estimate the Z with the nano, make circuit changes and then re-measure and see where things are heading.....better match or worse....that kind of thing. I can't use the SMA cal kit anyway....using mostly BNC so I needed to make my own short (not a big deal at all). For spot frequencies I will continue to use the old GR-916, 1606 and a few others. 73

I agree with Rune.? Comparing our inexpensive amateur gear with the best professional gear is natural, interesting, and useful.? It helps drive us forward.? It also has a long and rich history in ham radio.
Mike WY6K


"... somewhere in the distance, there's a tower and a light, broadcastin' the resistance, through the rain and through the night..."

muting uncompelling topics is 2 clicks

Well at least I tried to raise the issue :-)

So I guess it's back to the endless calibration threads.

Thanks for suggesting the 'mute' option.

Regards,

Martin - G8JNJ

Well at least I tried to raise the issue :-)

Folks might care more if firmware optionally supported
replacing multi-function switch by e.g. rotary encoder with pushbutton

Unfortunately they only ship within the continental USA but they have a really nice selection at good prices.?


On Sat, 12 Oct 2019 at 9:42 AM, Oristo<ormpoa@...> wrote: > Well at least I tried to raise the issue :-)

Folks might care more if firmware optionally supported
replacing multi-function switch by e.g. rotary encoder with pushbutton

Rotary encoder available on eBay from many vendors, search for Rotary encoder with switch.

One example at