I wish I had seen this sooner. My primary use is measure SWR for my ham radio antenna's and for antenna experimentation. I purchased this about a year ago and pretty much put it aside because it looked like it would take a steep learning curve. Watching this video would have saved me hours in learning by trial and error how to calibrate it to use for measuring SWR. Now I will have to learn how to interpret the Smith chart. 73
I'm glad that you found this helpful. There are a lot of comments on this video that may assist in taking that learning even farther. Good luck with those Smith charts - plenty of good learning there! Cheers! 73 - AC3DS
Just got a NanoVNA H-4 . Your video was excellent. Very nicely explained in a slow precise manor. My menu's were slightly different from yours but all worked out. Thank you - KI4AWJ - Vince.
Note that you need to calibrate each range separately before saving the range. The calibration process divides the chosen range into 101 points (100 slices) and needs to go through the Open/Short/Load process for that specific range, THEN save the calibration.
Thanks for this and the SWR measuring video you’ve nailed the introductory audience perfectly. Watched this and the SWR video - any chance you can do one of more advanced features besides SWR? Like inductance for measuring toroid windings?
I had written all this info. down but can't find it so watched it again. I must have forgotten something in the calibration and getting odd readings. Thanks. I now see my 4 element h/b collinear is great at 145.4 MHz and nothing to worry about for all the band. It is said collinears are quite wideband and I agree. G4GHB
I was under the impression that every time you change the frequency range you need to go through the whold open, short, load procedure. Is this not so?
There are some differences in menus since you've done this video. It's either that or one of us has a fake unit. (I got mine from 1 of the 2 allegedly legitimate sources on Amazon)
I found this to be of little help to me infact my VNA no longer works after trying to follow your advice. Because mine comes up with different screens that yours. At the start I only have 2 channels not the 4 that you and all others seem to have. the menus seem to follow along so far, but I don't get the setup frequency screen that you get. It used to go from 500 Hz through, now after follow along with your instructions , which were easy to follow and very clear, suddenly I found I don't have the same screen as you, when it came to setting beginning frequencies, and ofcause I have pressed many buttons. Now its beginning around 300Mhz. So as it stands, it is of no more use to me. Can you help please?
Good question…I’m not sure what the firmware differences are between the H4 and F. I know that they have different processors, screens, and cases, but I haven’t done an analysis on the firmware. There is a groups.io for the H4 which may be a good resource. Please comment back if you are able to confirm any differences. Thanks!
I’m sorry but as many have mentioned you must calibrate for each range. I know you acknowledged this in reply to a comment but leaving this incorrect video up is misdirecting many people. If it were me, I’d take this video down and repost a corrected one.
Horror! You first calibrate between 1-500MHz and save the calibration to slot 0. On the left side of the screen you see C0 (with a capital C). Good. Next you change the range to 7-7.3MHz and you save the calibration to slot 1 without re-calibration. On the left side of the screen you now see c1 (with a small c). Bad. The small c means that the calibration data is now using new data points obtained by interpolation made using the previous data points. This means that your calibration is not perfect. I suppose you made the calibration using 101 points which means your original calibrations points are spaced 4.99MHz. When you change the range to 7-7.3MHz the closest previously calibrated data points are at 5.99MHz and 10.98MHz. So your new calibration data points (101 points from 7 to 7.3MHz) will have been interpolated using points which in this case are all outside the 7-7.3MHz range. I suppose the interpolation algorithm is a good one and the result may not be as bad as it looks. The NanoVNA is not a professional instrument but it is a very good one: calibrate it properly! What is the use of using interpolated calibration point? For me it would be to zoom in: you scan a certain range and you want to zoom in a smaller portion of this range by changing the start-stop frequencies. But it has to be used with caution: the wider the calibrated range and the smaller the zoomed in range the more likely you will get nonsensical results.
Yes, I am pleased that I was not the only one to spot these errors in calibration. To cut a long story short, you need to recalibrate if/when you change the start or stop frequency.
I wish I had seen this sooner. My primary use is measure SWR for my ham radio antenna's and for antenna experimentation. I purchased this about a year ago and pretty much put it aside because it looked like it would take a steep learning curve. Watching this video would have saved me hours in learning by trial and error how to calibrate it to use for measuring SWR. Now I will have to learn how to interpret the Smith chart. 73
I'm glad that you found this helpful. There are a lot of comments on this video that may assist in taking that learning even farther. Good luck with those Smith charts - plenty of good learning there! Cheers! 73 - AC3DS
Brother, you've got a ton of RF in your audio. I'm really glad I watched this though. Ton of great information.
Just got a NanoVNA H-4 . Your video was excellent. Very nicely explained in a slow precise manor. My menu's were slightly different from yours but all worked out.
Thank you - KI4AWJ - Vince.
same here...
Note that you need to calibrate each range separately before saving the range. The calibration process divides the chosen range into 101 points (100 slices) and needs to go through the Open/Short/Load process for that specific range, THEN save the calibration.
perfect, just facts man... awesome. no hands, no bs. thank you.
You do a great job explaining/teaching. TY. I have one of these coming tomorrow
Thanks! you made that easy to understand. This was just what I was looking for.
thank you very much for the tutorial! your tutorial is 100% the best on youtube
Thanks for this...tracked down a bad coax connector in fairly short order. Good explanation and easy to follow. I'm a subscriber!
Thanks for this and the SWR measuring video you’ve nailed the introductory audience perfectly.
Watched this and the SWR video - any chance you can do one of more advanced features besides SWR? Like inductance for measuring toroid windings?
Great stuff . Thank you
I had written all this info. down but can't find it so watched it again. I must have forgotten something in the calibration and getting odd readings. Thanks.
I now see my 4 element h/b collinear is great at 145.4 MHz and nothing to worry about for all the band. It is said collinears are quite wideband and I agree.
G4GHB
Great explanation
Thanks. It was a good refresher for me prior to getting a new antenna. I do enjoy new antennas!
A very nice presentation. Thanks! - Jim (KK7CSC)
Glad it was helpful! 73 - AC3DS
Immediately subscribed due to the channel name. ... Are you still transmitting? It looks like time might be running out...
Thx fine Video 👍
Greetings from JO31bf
awsome. ty
brilliant thanks!!
I was under the impression that every time you change the frequency range you need to go through the whold open, short, load procedure. Is this not so?
There are some differences in menus since you've done this video. It's either that or one of us has a fake unit. (I got mine from 1 of the 2 allegedly legitimate sources on Amazon)
how do you display the scale/div that's on the right side of the screen???
When you did the calibration, it read swr 1.33, shouldn’t it have been corrected to read 1.1?
I think after changing frequency calibration have to be done again. Look at the small "c" on the left.
sure it does.
I think i need to calibrate my NaNo vna with a 2.5lb cross peen hammer!🤯👍
Can’t someone do a video that shows the entire calibration procedure, not skipping the isolation and through steps?
how do you reset it to default?
Hi, something goes wrong, i can only change by the wheel. Touch screen goes away by touch? What i did wrong?
I entered the scale but no numbers a present. How do I get it to display?
hi, help ! i have followed you video, but don't see any scale numbers down the right hand side???
Damn can you make a short story long?
Excellent …. Tnx…..
Glad it worked for you! 73.
What the porpose of terminal 2
Port 2 is used for through measurements.
So, was ‘load’ the cap with the insulator? I keep getting confused at that part…
Yes. There’s a resistor in that one.
How i can reset to factory settings?
I found this to be of little help to me infact my VNA no longer works after trying to follow your advice. Because mine comes up with different screens that yours. At the start I only have 2 channels not the 4 that you and all others seem to have. the menus seem to follow along so far, but I don't get the setup frequency screen that you get. It used to go from 500 Hz through, now after follow along with your instructions , which were easy to follow and very clear, suddenly I found I don't have the same screen as you, when it came to setting beginning frequencies, and ofcause I have pressed many buttons. Now its beginning around 300Mhz. So as it stands, it is of no more use to me. Can you help please?
same, but i think it depends on if you have the same exact model/firmware...
Thank you so much for making this video!. 🎉❤ KF4IZP-Ky
My nano vna is an H4 I am guessing it does not do the scale on the right side as the one you are demonstrating.
Good question…I’m not sure what the firmware differences are between the H4 and F. I know that they have different processors, screens, and cases, but I haven’t done an analysis on the firmware. There is a groups.io for the H4 which may be a good resource. Please comment back if you are able to confirm any differences. Thanks!
go to "w2aew" channel. he shows the h4 in great detail..
I’m sorry but as many have mentioned you must calibrate for each range.
I know you acknowledged this in reply to a comment but leaving this incorrect video up is misdirecting many people.
If it were me, I’d take this video down and repost a corrected one.
Horror! You first calibrate between 1-500MHz and save the calibration to slot 0. On the left side of the screen you see C0 (with a capital C). Good.
Next you change the range to 7-7.3MHz and you save the calibration to slot 1 without re-calibration. On the left side of the screen you now see c1 (with a small c). Bad. The small c means that the calibration data is now using new data points obtained by interpolation made using the previous data points. This means that your calibration is not perfect. I suppose you made the calibration using 101 points which means your original calibrations points are spaced 4.99MHz. When you change the range to 7-7.3MHz the closest previously calibrated data points are at 5.99MHz and 10.98MHz. So your new calibration data points (101 points from 7 to 7.3MHz) will have been interpolated using points which in this case are all outside the 7-7.3MHz range. I suppose the interpolation algorithm is a good one and the result may not be as bad as it looks.
The NanoVNA is not a professional instrument but it is a very good one: calibrate it properly!
What is the use of using interpolated calibration point? For me it would be to zoom in: you scan a certain range and you want to zoom in a smaller portion of this range by changing the start-stop frequencies. But it has to be used with caution: the wider the calibrated range and the smaller the zoomed in range the more likely you will get nonsensical results.
Yes, I am pleased that I was not the only one to spot these errors in calibration. To cut a long story short, you need to recalibrate if/when you change the start or stop frequency.
You lost me
Helped me a ton, thanks! KD4PBA