It is important to use the right equipment for the right measurement to get results that are accurate. Precision millimeter-wave (mmWave) measurements normally require a VNA with built-in capability or mmWave extenders to augment the frequency range. This equipment may be used to evaluate mmWave mixers which are commonly used to up-convert or down-convert 5G signals back and forth from baseband frequencies.

This is a recording of a presentation given (via Zoom) to the W6SD San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club on 18 Feb 2020. It is a combination of several videos that I’ve done in the past – including an introduction to Smith charts, using the NanoVNA (and Smith charts) to look at the impedance and SWR of your antenna system and matching network, with a bit of “extra credit” showing L-Network design using the Smith chart. Enjoy!

What you’ll learn:

Understand the network diagram for VNA measurement error terms.
What are the effects of various residual errors on the outcome of the measurement?
Learn the only viable solution to the problem of return-loss measurement of a DUT at the end of a lossy feed line.

Because suppression ferrites aren’t marked, its difficult to know what frequencies they work on. Now you can use the popular NanoVNA along with free software to graph the unknown ferrite’s impedance over frequency.

This video demonstrates some of the new features in the V1.3317 firmware update.
Most important change is the new TRACE menu allowing full flexibility on how to use the three available traces.
An advanced feature demonstrated is how to compensate frequency dependent gain of an amplifier or antenna using a stored trace defined by a table modeling the main versus frequency

Link: https://youtu.be/UHQ5YeBzwUU
NanoVNA is a useful tool in telling if an antenna is a good one or not. In this video, we use the same for maximizing our range and hence rewards by identifying the best antenna for our hotspots/gateways.

Instructables for the project: https://www.instructables.com/Antenna-Testing-Tutorial-How-to-Use-NanoVNA-V2-SAA/

GitHub for this: https://github.com/akarsh98/SAA-2N-NanoVNA-QT-Software

I will give you a handy tip when tuning your antennas on the spot, have the NanoVNA running with the desktop software (Nanovna saver or something like that) and install a remote desktop tool (Teamviewer, anydesk, etc.) to your mobile. Now you will be able to see a live update of SWR, Z on your mobile while tuning your antenna atop the mast.

https://nanovna.com/?page_id=90

Julkaistu 17.11.2020
360 Degree automatic antenna pattern tester made from lego and a BASH script.

Mark Steele asked why I didn’t get a turntable, excellent idea! So I half inched the kid’s Lego Mindstorms to make an antenna test turntable and I wrote some code to move the antenna around two degrees at a time and take a measurement.

I then put those measurements into a spreadsheet and made a radar chart so we can compare the antenna patterns of the Harvard antenna and the same antenna with a reflector on the back.

It was fun!