How to use a nanoVNA for SWR in theory and practice (
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- Опубликовано: 20 июл 2024
- MAJOR SHIFT FOR DAVE! How to use a nanoVNA for SWR in theory and practice. We look at some key terms for you to understand so that your nanoVNA makes sense. Also. we look at using it in context with a real antenna.
#nanovna #swr #vswr #trace #stimulus #vector #format
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I bought my nanoVNA from an electronics supplier. By doing that you get a good number of extra items, especially the calibration standards need for calibration. It's the nanoVNA-H.
I love it. It has a learning curve but by using this I have a greater understanding of the Smith Chart, and have trimmed many antennas. I have more fun with this devise than my radios. It can be used for much more than just working with antennas and antenna systems, by the way.
I purchased one of these little critters and after using it now for about 4months, I don't understand why every radio operator doesn't have one! I've used it to "tune antennas" several times, live results! And if ones eyes are a little "od" dare I say, use the software on your laptop.! I setup my bothers beam on 27Mhz and all he was amazed. He said," the days of keying through a SWR meter are over!" . This tool is worht the price of admission and after exploring there are a lot of different tests you can perform. I am still learing all the nuances this guy has! Thanks for all the great videos Dave ,, 73...KD2ICI , Dan.
Hey Dave, Glad you decided to take another look at the NANOVNA. They are a fantastic little device. The things it can do for the price is truly amazing. I did notice you were using an older model. You should upgrade to the next level (larger screen, better case, optional "jog" wheel buttons). The newer ones have the ability to add (and change the scale) of various measuring units (SWR, Return loss,etc.). Keep looking, yours may have that. That makes it a little easier to read. This can be a source of new videos and graphical visualizations to simplify those difficult to explain electronic relationships. Keep it coming!
Bill - WA0CBW ARRL Technical Coordinator - Kansas Section
Brilliant, Dave. I struggled with the one I bought a year or so ago, then put it back in the box. With your help I now have a valuable new tool.
This video had been a pleasure and a help with my antenna tuning!😅
A rigid plastic stylus would work better than one with a rubber nub, because the screen isn't capacitive on these. The plastic kind of stylus is much more precise. This actually made it harder for Dave to use because of the blunt squishy tip on the capacitive stylus he was using. Many of these nanoVNAs either come with a plastic stylus or a guitar pick style one attached to the carrying lanyard, just use that.
THANK YOU DAVE! I purchased my Nano VNA for around $55 just because it was so much less expensive than an antenna analyser. I used it while building a home brew version of the Gainmaster 10M / 11M antenna. I was able to get the SWR reading , then change format to Smith Chart and get resistance readings (at the top of the smith chart page) in order to adjust the matching stubb. It has been a steep uphill learning curve, to say the least. A couple of suggestions I gleaned from some lab folks. 1. Get a couple of SMA male to SMA female adapters. It basically extends the SMA terminals on the device. So any wear ant tear or inadvertant thread dammage will occur to the threads on the adapter(which can be changed) and not to the terminal itself! 2. Get a set of calibration tools (open, short, and load) in either PL 259 or N connector (which ever you use). That way you are taking your test measurement at yout point of calibration. Thereby eliminating the possibility of your test cable or adaprers from throwing off your result! Nit picky...yes...but then the guys who run the test lab usually are! I also purchased the small size "apache case" at Harbor Freight to store and protect the Nano VNA. Thanks again for a great video!
Very neat little device and I do have one and know how to use it. It was cheap enough so I figured I should have one. It was fun to play with but my go to is still my RigExpert Zoom 55. It covers all of the frequencies that I use and it is much easier to operate. It's much quicker to use and gives me the same info and it also connects to my phone, tablet and computer. But it if your on a budget I would say it's a must have.
Very clear step-by-step description of the nano VNA. Thanks!
Now I understand it a little better and I think I can use mine now. Thanks Dave, I bought mine around the same time you did and it's been on the shelf ever since.
I have a nanoVNA and have used it with much trouble. I think I will be able to use it better now after watching this. Thank You! 73 W4DES
Thank you. I really appreciate your explanation on this tool.
Good vid Dave. Glad you're finally on-board. Had my VNA for yrs now and it's one the handiest tools in the shack. The menu will become 2nd nature the more you play with it. I have the Large screen and the new features are nice. Wish they had a short-cut key to get to SWR
73 W9DLP
I just got the 2022 version with a 4.3" screen and a rotary encoder instead of the jog wheel. Mine came from Deepelec, the DeepVNA 101, I'm blown away with how good it is after using the expensive RigExpert AA-54 for HF, and the SW-102 for VHF/UHF. This VNA does it all, and for £98 GBP the price is great too.
Thanks Dave - this is a really excellent and informative video...much appreciated... I love your channel... 73's from another Dave...
hi dave i just got a nanovna and it came in that kind of package i got mine from temu app outstanding video it helped me out big time thank you love watching your videos very educational.
Wow. My next purchase for sure. Great resource. Thanks!
Outstanding Dave! I was stuck between which to purchase, a nano nap or an sir meter. Guess what? You sold me. Thank you sir for the time you took to make the video. Very informative with no bull!I will be subscribing.
Good for you Dave, this what the rest of us use exclusively to build, tune and experiment. I use the new LiteVNA with Solver64 on the pc.
Only use the R&L Original VNA with warranty and support.
I have the exact nanoVNA. I love it and am slowly learning how to find the distance in a bad coax/open. I did not get the menu flowchart, thank goodness!
Great coverage of the SWR without trying to cover all the details. Thanks
Thank YOU Dave... you explained that SWR portion... so I think I can understand more better !😅
Thanks David for the major shift! I guess we all have to do it periodically after wrestling with all the changing information.
Thanks Dave absolutely loved it. I bought one a year ago. It took me about a month to figure it out. If you purchase one from R and L electronics they have one that's twice the size and the quality of it is much better. In fact in the middle of your presentation, you had a picture of the box and the very one that I have from R an L electronics it's $90 but it sure is nice. I guess the advantage of those is probably price because they are a little cumbersome to operate. Again thanks so much for everything you do 73s w7GUM.
Dave, thanks for the excellent video. One recommendation is relating calibrations, they have to be made with the adaptors you intend to use and the final cable as well. Also the calibration is dependent on the stimulus range so I do recommend to store one calibration per your favorite favorite HAM band so you can recall them in the field and do things very quickly.
Regards, 73, LUYAI
Excellent presentation! Nice device to have in one's shack or pack! 72's & 73's
I am on OGie. I enjoy Dave's videos and have earn a lot from them.
Lol the flow chart of the menu. You should try a 5.8 VTX. All you get is a button and a blinking led and you have to memorize that flow chart... It's loads of fun, lol...
Thanks Dave for all the years of explaining the concepts of ham radio.When I am puzzled about a concept you are the go to guy for the understandable explanation.
I have a Nanovna and it's a fun but high learning curve tool. Using the software on a computer is a better way of playing with the nano because you can actually read the numbers haha. Nano size print is very annoying as we get older!
This leads my to the next question.Could you demonstrate how to load the nanovna saver software off its website. Its not a very intuitive process and a detailed step by step demonstration would greatly be appreciated by me and hundreds of fellow hams. The nano with the software interface becomes a great inexpensive tool which rivals the RigMaster products at a fraction of the cost. I have both and the Nano saver software is superior to the ANT RigMaster software for multiple details and graphs.
Please Dave can you do this!!
73,
John Limanowski N9DNB
So much easier when hooked to a PC with VNAsaver, you can make all those settings from the VNAsaver. It's great to watch the graph bend and change while playing with an antenna with a tuner. I charted my tuner settings for all the band with it. Find where a short or open is the coax, even with a ballun on the other end. Sorry we all had to shame you into figuring out the nanoVNA, but I'm sure it was worth it. I would be from a link listed so you get an actual device that functions properly.
Oh You convinced me to buy this little thing.
Stimulus is what you put into the system (ie the antenna) a bit like stimulus checks are used to encourage the economy. It is a standard word, it is wise to do the calibration even for a simple SWR measurement, though you can skip the step for port to port. I am glad to see you actually using the device, it may grow on you. FWIW I think when you thought it ignored your input that you entered the 3 twice so it thought you wanted to start at 133MHz which was higher than the STOP frequency so it rightly ignored the input. As for the calibration (and measurements) it is better to do a narrow frequency band because the VNA can only store a finite number of points of the curve. (just 101 of them for the original design). So in effect testing a 20m antenna for example from 13-15 MHz you will get a measurement point roughly every 20KHz. If the antenna looks OK you can then narrow the range down perhaps to 14.0-14.4 MHz and you will get a measurement approximately every 4KHz. If nothing else this will make for a better looking trace if you intend to print it out afterwards. IIRC the calibration routine stores 1024 points so even for HF only it is better to not just do a 1-30MHz calibration in one hit (though I usually do exactly that) better to divide the calibration into the different memories.
Thanks Lots, Dave :)
Good on you for revisiting this with a different approach.
Thanks!
BTW that voltage is RF voltage meaning electro magnetic radio frequency voltage and magnetic field. FYI
GOLDEN!!! You are the man who conquers obstacles!!! I am inspired to go out and find a topic to conquer myself!!! Well done, good Sir, well done!!!
Stimulus is the value of the radio frequency voltage. FYI
Ive been fiddling with my NaNo VNA for several weeks now and still cant figure it out. It seems that every video ive watched on these, everyone seems to have a slightly different variation or the person explaining it, go through the functions much faster than I can comprehend..then it goes back in the fancy display box that you dont have for a few days....then ill take another stab at it.🤯
recently I've started to do lot of measurements with similar device and I find out that this menu simply annoying and messy and really it's much easier to connect to computer and use for example NanoVNASaver application
David you might want to tell hams that before using the vna to measure anything bleed off any static electricity by touching or grounding and let te charge discharge to ground, Otherwise you could easily fry the unit rendering it useless.
Hi David. When I move antenna during measurement, the VNA displays different SWR and impedance. And difference could be radical. So how do I determine which result is the correct one???
One of your best videos. You have greatly simplified. that strange little box with all the squiggly lines. it's a great tool for those of us who only need to check. SWR occasionally
You know us guys with a bit of life experience, (old dudes) need to do the nano saver, (downloadable software to connect to a pc or laptop), bit to read the little thing
Hello!
It's my question that how we can test an antenna for a bipolar monopulse uwb signal for example if that signal has a 5ns width and 100khz repetition..What is the frequency that I have to use as start and stop on nanovna to measure my antenna parameters?????
hi Dave I bought my nano vna right after getting my general to test and tune my first dipole build it made it an easy job to do the trimming to get a great result on 20 meters. well worth the money and time to learn it . then a buddy a fellow ham dropped by one day with literally a pickup load of old antennas he had accumulated over 20+ years of doing radio repair work . i was able to sweep the antennas one by one and note the sweet spots of lowest swr by frequency and ended up with antennas to cover every ham band and several outside the bands air, marine , public service , ect. for free !! I have also tested coax, loading coils and more all with a 35.00 nano vna. best investment ever.. IMHO darrell KF0IDN joplin mo. hope to have a QSO with you someday 73's Dave
I like the little exasperating sigh and the look on you face, both Priceless. I have this NanoVNA and really have not used it in the 3 years since I bought it. Maybe you can change my mind. WOW< I got it to work, very easy. Thank you.
Those things are called terminators, open, short, and 50 ohm load. FYI
Hi Dave, I am trying to figure out how the nanovna can show the resonance frequency of an antenna. As we all know the resonance frequency of an antenna is not the same where the SWR is the minimum. So far, I haven't found a way to pin point where the reactance is zero, thus find the coresponding frequency, so if you can show me how, I 'd appreciate. 73 de SV1SLB.
Glad you broke out of VNA menu jail - THANKS !
Good video, Dave.
I bought a nanoVNA-F (bigger screen) a couple of years ago. The only reason I have to refresh my knowledge is I don't use it that often. I also use the nanovna-saver software on a linux netbook when I do. I like it even though it's smarter than I am!
Thanks for doing this! The package @14:55 is exactly what I received. All Nano VNAs are not equal. The one you have there doesn't look anywhere close to the nice one I bought. Calibration is super quick. About 60secs to complete BTW.
How about you explain to us which is a "nice one"?
@@mlentsch R&L Electronics wise guy
will it
show you if your jumper wires are matched?
I find a 4 inch model much easier to use standalone in the field.
Wow, that's a great improvement on your side Dave. You have gotten rid of the fear and aversion about this tiny little device at least now. Though there are many setbacks in the video especially with regard to your own understanding and conceptions (mis conceptions, to be right) I do appreciate that you have taken it up in your hands to start playing.
Soon you will come to know that the menu system is not that alarming and you would want to lol at one point in time a little later. The menu system of the early type would have been simple to some extent.
Calibration has to be done each and every time to avoid disappointments.
I think the one you have didn't come with the 2×15 CM long RG-174 cables with the SMA connectors.
Regarding the ports it's actually 1 and 2 ; I don't know why the Chinese got it as 0 and 1. You have been deceived there as you thought it is like the binary language 0 and 1.
The scattering parameters designations S11 and S21 stem from there. And you know this is a two port network analyser unlike your "favourite" MFJ or rig expert which are single port analysers.
Soon you will get to know the use of both ports in the Nano VNA.
And I am sure you will start wondering about the precision and elegance of the Smith chart.
Congratulations and I wish you all the very best 👍
I wish you good health.
De VU2RZA
Very nice,73 from wp4cvb
Glad your doing these videos, Dave. The newer ones have come a long way, maybe consider buying an H4 version. Bigger screen is helpful...
I have the larger from ebay. Newer features, must have in the shack
👍👍
Dave, thanks for the quickie tutorial. That gives me a decent starting point for studying my antennas. AB5XZ
You go girl!
excellent explaination. Thank you. VE3GUE
Hey, Dave! I love your content, but I think you are wrong this time about calibration.
I already had some experience with the thing and still I managed to screw up one long wire because I was thinking the calibration is not important.
Just do a calibration for the whole HF at least.
Mine got go badly screwed up I was sure I broke it somehow. It was just the calibration. Play with it, It is an amazing machine. I love mine
Greetings from YO land!
73
Thanks for the tip!
What is going on with your right eye have you had a stroke ?
Thanks for giving it a go!
It has a learning curve, but it works quite well. Some are very cheap knockoffs that have problems though.
lol using a cheap Chinese clone...oy vey.
Good grief - don't buy anything off walmart's online drop-ship b.s.
Thank you. N0QFT
Glad my videos helped you to figure this out! N6FPV
Thanks!
Thank you! 73, Dave, KEØOG