Which NanoVNA Should I buy? - TheSmokinApe
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- Опубликовано: 20 июл 2024
- Which NanoVNA Should I Buy - TheSmokinApe
In the "Lid Tips" series where we discuss topics of intereast to Ham or Amateur Radio Operators. In this episode we discuss my buddy Stan and his desire to purchase a NanoVNA.
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NanoVNA for HAM Radio Introduction: • NanoVNA for HAM Radio ...
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This is a great presentation, just what I was looking for.
Glad it was helpful, thanks for watching 👍
Thanks for the clarification on the nano VNA variants. This video will save many from the confusing nature of this mysterious product.
No problem, there are a bunch of options and variants out there 👍
Great video... just bought mine and love it. Every ham needs one of these, as well as a TinySA. Amazing how cheap they are for what they do. 73 de KT1R Lou
Agreed, thanks for watching Lou!
Thank you so much The Smokin Ape! An excellent video!☺️
Thanks Mary, appreciate you watching them 👍
thanks so much great job. learned a lot as I'm looking into tech stuff. Rod from maui
Thanks Rod, glad you liked it 👍
I love the way you expalin things bro thanks.
Thanks Miguel, glad you like the videos 👍
Another good addition to the line-up, hopefully Stan is watching.
He said he watched twice!
The best video I have seen describing the various NanoVNA types, capabilities and where to get them. Thank you for a very informative video. 73, KE8NQL.
Awesome, glad you liked it 👍
Great video! Stan should go for it.
Worth stating, for those that maybe aren't aware. The measurement points are not hardwaer specific... there are firmwares that increase the measurement points to 201 for the -H and -H4. This does slow the sweep down a little, but a sweep still completes in
Good info, thanks for sharing. I haven't attempted a FW upgrade but should look into it!
Really appreciate that you tell it as it is.
Thanks Mark, glad you like the videos.
N6EF-I just got an H4 from R&L last week. I'll watch some of your videos on how to properly use it. Thanks.
I've been really happy with the H4, thanks for watching!
I have a white NanoVNA. It is a nice to have and I'm pretty much satisfied.
As for the shielding, mine is partially shielded, where it matters. However, it lacked the coaxial cable, but at least had the terminators and the USB cable.
If it works and you like it, that’s what matters 👍
Excellent video in a series of videos....I'm putting my order info R&L for the high end NanoVNA as part of my antenna tool kit.
That’s Kyle, glad it was helpful 👍
👍👍👍 Thanks for the info and heads up. Muchly appreciated. ...Alan in 🇨🇱
Hey Alan, thanks for checking it out 👍
i loved the NanoVNA; never understood the devise so a hunting I went and spent to many hrs; hi hi; learning the vna was enjoyable.and now use it with my antennas; however not relying on it because I don't trust myself. Great video thanks.
Glad you liked it! These are fun little analyzers to play around with 👍
As of this writing (12-20-2020), I got a nanoVNA H off of eBay for $39 tax and free shipping from a Chinese dealer in Rowland Heights (Southern California) that arrived in five days with the Christmas postal clog. The auction showed a picture of the open board like in the video but I actually received one with a nice enclosure. The 2.8 inch display was small but very readable. For the money, it operates well and I am MORE than satisfied with the unit.
I'm a big fan of these devices; reasonably priced and packed with features.
Have been looking at NanoVNA's and have been confused of where and which one. I like the larger screens. First time I have heard there is software that is Mac compatible. This has helped, thanks.
Glad it was helpful, thats for watching 👍
I think when trying to use a different antenna for the first time it’s like understanding what the impedence at the feedpoint based on everything else being right. The nanoVNA takes out the guesswork. Anyway that’s my expectation. It’s also half the price of a Comet in Australia
Good input... I feel like an informed buyer that has begun my due diligence. Some friends and I are tackling the idea of some antenna builds, and designs, so that's why I want an analyzer. Thanks for some of the clarification. I'm a 44 year ham, ZERO year analyzer user. Happy airwaves... K4KID
Thanks Terry, glad you liked the video. We are all new when we start, as you progress all the parts start to come together. Welcome to the hobby 👍
@@TheSmokinApe I think you misunderstood my comment... I'm not a 44 year (old) Ham I am a 73 year old ham... I've been a Ham for 44 years - K4KID... I'm NEW to the analyzer... although my XYL... N4ANF... has said all along I should have an Analyst if not an analyzer. You might enjoy my QRZ.com / K4KID page. Thanks again for your insights.
@@SKYGUY1 Haha, my mistake. Well, good luck with the analyzer 👍
This is very helpful. Thanks 🙏
Awesome, glad to hear it Jing
You know man I want you to know that you're saving a lot of soul. Keep it up man. Thanks a ton 👊
As an RF/microwave/antenna design engineer, I find these nano vna's kind of interesting. I have been using vna's for almost 30 years. It's kind of fun to see the technology come so far since the days of HP/Agilent/Keysight/Rohde&Schwarz/Anritsu and the lab type units which weighed on the order of 70 or 80 pounds. Now I have something new to add to my home RF lab.
Yeah, the TinySA and the NanoVNA have been game changers for folks who tinker with RF. Thanks for watching Brian 👍
Hi Ape, I’ve only one comment. Thank you your the boss, I’m 64 and I’m still learning
Howdy Ivor. Thanks for the comment, I just try to share what I am working on or my experiences. When I need to learn Ham "stuff" I have a hard time finding usable content that's understandable, so that is how I want to give back.
Great video I am hoping to buy the nanovna h4. I think I am Stan. My dad's is called Stan too.
Fantastic work man. Motters M7TRS 73's
I love my H4, glad the video was helpful!
@@TheSmokinApe I am always looking for them on ebay and amazon ebay is around £60ish and amazon is around £79. When I am back in work I will hands down be getting one. Motters M7TRS 73's
I've just bought a 2023 model DeepVNA 101 from Deepelec, with a rotary encoder instead of the rocker switch or the jog wheel. Absolutely pleased as punch with it. I use it alongside my RigExpert AA-54. It came with all the leads, calibration plugs and a hard shell case for about $100.
I haven't seen that one, Ill check it out. Thanks man 👍
@@TheSmokinApe Thanks for the reply. I think you will be impressed with the Deepelec DeepVNA 101.
The rotary encoder also allows you to bring up/select the menus without having to tap the screen too.
@@neilfoster814 I like that idea 💡
What about the SAA-2N/NanoVNA? The one with the n-Type connectors on top, and 4inch LCD
R&L are selling clones. Best to purchase the latest nanoVNA V2 Plus4 from an official distributor; that goes up to 4.4GHz, supports 400 samples/sec and can plot 65536 sweep points per chart on USB. Also, it has a 4" screen and Aluminium shielded case for a lower noise floor.
Currently out of stock, but I'm happy to preorder knowing I'll be getting the best version available (which hasn't yet been cloned!).
Who is 'Official distributor?"
@@brokenpencil57Tindie
Can't wait to see your review of the SV4401A .
Lol, that thing is like 4 hundy! Thanks for watching Garth 👍
Still a whole lot less than the pro stuff. Give them a call, they will probably send you one!😃
I have been checking them out, they look pretty sweet
Nice video, that's hellping a lot. 👍🖖
Glad you liked it 👍
1:23 It’s me. I’m Stan lmao. 6:00 I’d say static electricity just from walking around with clothes on all day could potentially ruin the chip too, I’ve lost a RPI to a good static shock.
Oh man, I’d hate if I cooked a pi!
Like aliens protection use aluminum fold
That’s why I walk around naked half of the day! 😉
just purchased the nano vna h4 8/18/23 thru C&L electronics. Just tinkering around with CB band rfor now and will eventually move up to armature radio.
Awesome, stuck with it they can be confusing at first 👍
@@TheSmokinApe researching now for any and all the pdf files and read up. Plus there are many videos out there. Thanks for your reply and hope that some day I can be heard out there. Lahaina Hawaii has taught me a lesson when it comes time communicate when all else fails. Aloha and I’ll keep in touch
This is the voixe of the future saying you made a excellent liquid refreshmr choice. Three years later, Bud Light would not have been wise.
That said, your videos are great for their consistent quality and information conveyed !
Thank you WP, glad you like them! 🍻
Let's make some "go box" firmware for this thing: Power On, Tap Ham Band, Tap Sweep, See Chart. Then when you're not in the field, Power On, Tap VNA, Do VNA stuff... whatever that is...
Yeah, that would be awesome 👍
I highly suggest buying from R&L, I've bought from them numerous times. Great customer service and if you don't live in Ohio, no tax.
They are great, thanks for the info 👍
Great information. I would only buy from R & L because I know they will stand behind it if there was a problem. I keep leaning towards the H4.
I love my H4 👍
Awesome, I am Stan 😊
We all are 👍
I lost 17 minutes of my life, did not learn how to differentiate a clone from an original a good clone from a bad.
And the original website of nano VNA explicitly say to not buy from R&L Electronics.
R&L electronics - still selling clones despite being asked not to by the original developers
Go for it Stan watch utube vids order adapters. Go with 4” version 😉 it’s more then a one button ant analyzer. It’s a multi tool. Definitely want to run a resonant antenna and to do that you need to know what your working with. Also measuring that lossy coax is a must to know how much that coax is eating your signal. Vna can do that. KC3ONO
Thanks for the post Kevin, I like my 4” 👍
TheSmokinApe sure beats trying to find the magic buttons with the mini 2.8” version. Even with a stylus I miss the buttons 😉
Nice...
Thanks!
Why do I feel like I personally know this Stan guy? 🤣
I try to stay away from mirrors. Stan is alway there when I look.
We are Stan
There's a little bit of Stan in everyone :)
Poor Stan. Lol
I think I have an idea of which one I have? I need to learn it or find something easier.
Regardless, thanks for the video
Hope it was helpful, thanks for watching Mike!
Any production test tool with limit line test function, just like the agilent ENA did
👍
Thanks for your explanation off al types nanovna !!
Q: what make the choice between a NanovNA versus an Antenne analyser ( MFJ 2950, RigExper aa230 ..) ?
73, Theo PA0HTY
Glad you liked the video, I think the biggest advantage is the price point 👍
Thanks for this video. I'm looking at getting one if these, but in with so many fake out there.
The fales are a real concern 👍
@@TheSmokinApe I think I want the Nanovna-F, but R&L doesn't have it listed on their page. Is there another place you would recommend getting a trustworthy unit? I thought about getting the SAA2, but the screen is small. The SAA2-N looks like a good option, but I don't like the N connectors on it. I don't want to buy a bunch of adapters. Thoughts?
I don't have any experience with the F but I have a buddy who loves his, he got it off Amazon. I'm a fan of the SAA2-N but it is probably a little big for in the field.
@@TheSmokinApe Thank you for all the information. I like how you talk about the increased data points for the SAA2 N in your video. I think I'm leaning that way. Your videos are short and informative. Just what I'm looking for. Thanks again.
Thanks, glad you like them!
I got mine from R and L Electronics so Im hoping I got a good one. I was worried about amazon.
Yeah, less worry when dealing with RandL, thanks for the comment 👍
Was that a Bud light in your hand?
You know a lot more about them than this old ham newbie vna guy. Could you please put up an English version explaining how to update the firmware on different versions especially the nanovna F? I am somewhat computer wise but not vna. Thanks Kd5jvv
Glad you liked the video, I’ve never updated the firmware. I’ll look into it and possibly do a video 👍
Anyone looking at the mini1300? I hope I made the right choice cause I decided to go with the Mini1300 because it looks like the menus are easier to navigate and it seems to have more feature. I will find out soon if I made a good choice.
Hey Turtle, I’ve never used one
I am a new ham. I watched all your NanoVNA videos (and many of your other videos) and appreciate them. From DX Engineering, I recently purchased a Chelegance/Sysjoint NANOVNA-F V2 3 GHz. It appears to be well made and to work fine standalone. Unfortunatly I have a problem when I run nanovna-saver on my laptop or PC (I tried two different computers). On both computers Nanovna-saver starts up fine, and if my nanovna is connected via USB cable and turned on, then it detects the port that the Nanovna is on. However, when I press the connect button, Nanovna-saver crashes. When I talked with DX Engineering and Chelegance about this problem they direct me to newer version of nanovna-saver. But when I try the newer version it cashes in the same way. Since you have many versions of nanovnas, have you ever had that nanovna-server crash problem that I described? If so, how did you fix it?
Did I make a mistake in choosing the NANOVNA-F V2 3 GHz model. If so, since this video is 3 years old, do you have an updated recommendation on which version is a best best?
Hey Cary, I made a video answering your question: Ape Answers 001: NanoVNA-Saver Common Problems Solved
ruclips.net/video/2qacmLljMAA/видео.html
@@TheSmokinApe Yep. I noticed it right away and watched it. It is very helpful. Thanks! I'll let you know if that solves my problem. I'll bet it will.
TheSmokinApe---Which one would you recommend if i only wanted to it for antenna analyzer???????????? TY
The H4 is what I typically suggest 👍
APE DO YOU KNOW❓🤔 Is there any software available for Apple iPad oS15, i do not have a Computer my wife and i both use iPads and i do have the 2021 M1 iPad Pro with all the dongles. I haven’t use Computers in years and have not had any problems except software for ham radio applications. Thanks 73. KV5P
He Mike, I am not away of any…. Sorry man
@@TheSmokinApe I did not think so but had to ask just in case.
@@mikemiles3068 no worries, hopefully something comes out
"Require constant calibration" is not accurate if you know how to save the calibration and only do about 5 bands. It does cone with the four pieces needed to do calibration, too.
I know
Why use open slug to calibrate? If you're measuring an open, it seems that it wouldn't matter if slug was there or not.
People way smarter than me say to do it as a best practice.
At higher frequencies, an "open" connector is not a very accurate/pure open impedance (fringing capacitance, unequal lengths of inner vs outer conductor, etc.). "open" standards are designed to be closer to a pure open impedance.
Actually, any three (or more) significantly different impedances can be used IF the VNA knows the accurate actual impedances of the standards. Even the early high-end VNAs simply used open-short-load. Newer ones allow entry of the impedance of the standards.
How could you hook this up to rg8 coax go analyze etc??? The connect looks so small
You need an sma male to so-329 adapter
Total confusion. I need something that does Gmrs to 80 meter. I can’t decipher all the tech speak, it’s overwhelming as a new guy in radio!!!
Stan reminds me of me! Cheap!
Haha
do i always have do calibrate the vna and the saver software? not enough calibrate either this or that...?
No, you can save calibrations.
thank you!@@TheSmokinApe
Well shit, i didn't do any research and got the gecko white one. I thought it was all the same anyway, i guess i got a fake/clone.
It does seem to be working fine though, i had to upgrade the firmware which went smoothly, and then tested some of my antennas and i could use it no problem, calibration and everything.
I think i am going to upgrade to either the F or the V2 soon. Thanks for the video, very informative!
73s
If it works than it works. Thanks for the comment 👍
Got a 2.8” nano VNA from eBay for $63. It was rubbish! It came in a plain box, with no instructions. It looked very different from what was advertised. The battery didn’t hold a charge more than 30min. The touch screen didn’t work, and it wouldn’t handshake with the software. On closer inspection, the circuit board soldering looked dodgy and the toggle switch kept sticking. It was a cheap Chinese ripoff from a dealer that claimed they were local but weren’t. It’s these dealers that give legitimate dealers a bad name.
D’oh! I’ve have similar experiences with Chinese resellers
Thanks fr mecico
Any time
If one does not know why you need bandwidth of at least 3 times your highest frequency of interest then one does need a vna and probably should just pick up an old radio shack SWR meter off of ebay, it would be money better spent.
Are you sure the V2 sold by R&L is 200 scan points/s. The R&L Website mention only 100 scan points/s.
Here is what I see on the site: Sweep rate: 100 points/s, Maximum sweep points (on device): 201,
Maximum sweep points (USB): 1024
@@TheSmokinApe Thanks. Will recheck. Would like review of F v2
The V2 sold by R&L is a fake. The original developers of the V2 pointed this out on their website.
Having used the multi-kilo-$ Rhode & Schwarz FSH-3 at work, these appear to be nearly as good. (If you've not used it, then note that the FSH-3 is not actually all that good, IMO.) These nanoVNAs are so cheap that it's not inconceivable that someone might buy one of each, or even spares.
There are a few around here. Thanks for the perspective JH, I appreciate you commenting on the video!
I have noticed radio towers set up around the mountains the mountains but I believe that they're multi-purposed. I recently have been subjected to hearing voices. And I have a theory on what it really is. I won morning woke up with a bunch of pin holes on my body and then started to gradually hear voices they were not positive and they try to be funny. A couple of elderly men had done a newscast from Palm Springs seems like they did a lot of research to I have my theory posted on my Facebook. Unfortunately I have like 10 of them. I have put in my theory underneath a couple of hearing voices videos. My theory is that Meta and M.E.G are working together. Im sure there's more but I also noticed that there are a bunch of data collecting boxes in the middle of the desert. When you look at Desert Hot Springs through the satellite imaging it does not show all of the trailers and trash everywhere. What is going on in Southern California.
Huhn. R & L does not seem to carry the V2.
In the past, I have seen them for sale there. I haven’t checked recently…. This video is almost 2 years old.
tnxs need one r&r
Thay are pretty handy 👍
Damn.. it Ape, really?!?! This has just moved up on my Gear to Have list. And as a nobody, I to enjoy and recommend R and L Electronics. I bought my 7300 from them (and other gear) and have nothing but positive experiences. 73
Lol, they are a great vendor 👍
The photo make the nanovna appear to be larger than it actually is.
The camera always add five pounds 👍
I am Stan.
We all have a little Stan in us, thanks for watching Karl 👍
Where's the SAA-2 ???
I made this video before the SAA-2 was a thing
Just got the H
Nice, great vna 👍
Stan owns a baofeng and fake Nagoya. This has me super triggered right now lol. I'm looking to make jpoles for my gmrs family members and also want to be able to make other antennas as I step up in ham world
If you’re building antennas, the NanoVNA is what you want. Keep us posted on the progress 👍
My name is not Stan! lol
Haha, thanks for watching Rick 👍
Clones, copies and fakes - this is funny - just the classic fear, uncertainty and doom.
I agree that clones and fakes of proprietary equipment are completely sub-par and should be avoided for obvious reasons, but when the designs and software are open sourced, it costs more time, money and effort to make it not standard than is does to just absolutely create it as per the design. There are very few components which could be substituted for cheaper/inferior items without major changes to the software and operation.
That said, buy from a reputable dealer and source - good positive ratings on Amazon or eBay will get you 99% of the way there - and with anything like this, you will see the ‘natural’ price where they sell at, that is the price where most vendors sit, and avoid the outliers (too cheap or too expensive), and be wary of what is implied and what is stated e.g. “kit” may imply lots of additional bits but check what they actually are.
So we agree? I’ve seen dozens of people end up with bricked fakes after applying firmware updates.
weirdly funny... reminds me of reggie watts but with sense in your words
lol
They beat 300 dollar antenna analyzers hands down.
Agreed, I love them.
Certain parts are shielded.
Correct 👍
@@TheSmokinApe You have yourself to blame when you make it virtually impossible not to write exactly that sentence in a comment ;)
If you are smart enough to pass a ham test you should be able to learn to use a nannovna!
I agree, it just takes some time and patience 👍
your right about the gecko it is useless
For sure!
Did not cover fakes
Pretty sure I did
@@TheSmokinApe You highlight different versions and on ebay but not say if any were clones
If you think these are complex and not plug and play, you couldn't have passed your license tests.
I've meet Generals who can't explain SWR, I don't think the test is that high of a barrier.
@@TheSmokinApe, you are correct. I should have said anyone who could pass the test without memorizing the answers and their first and second radios weren't Baofeng's. If you own a Baofeng, the NanoVNA would seem complicated.
Thanks, great job. Greetings VK6AKO
Thanks for watching Karl 👍