[Elecraft] K2 OH, NO, a problem!

[jerry]

Well, not a big one.

Somehow, the radio has decided not to do the bar graph on the display.  
Instead, it shows a dot - just one display segment illuminated.  I tried 
the "GrPH" item in the menu - no joy.
"OFF" works.  "dOt" works.  "bAr" does not work - it displays a dot, 
just like "dOt".


???

  It did work before.  Have no idea what I did to mess it up.

  - Jerry KF6VB

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[Elecraft] VNA shootout proposal

[John Harper]

Thanks for the info, John and I don't blame you for wanting to hang on to
it. Test equipment has become a hobby in itself lately, for many of us I
think.

I hadn't thought of measuring crosstalk - that would be a method of
determining 'why' a divergence of two VNA's might exist. I'm mainly
interested in knowing if one exists, by how much and at what frequencies.
Explaining the reason(s) for it might be something to be explored later.

Maybe Rob Sherwood will take an interest and make a chart similar to that
for receivers he's tested. Or the ARRL.

73,

John AE5X
https://ae5x.blogspot.com
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Re: [Elecraft] VNA shootout proposal

[John Oppenheimer]

Hi John,

I use my VNWA every few days. Would miss it if gone for a few weeks :-)

Though some thoughts: VNA's are, if calibrated and temperature stable,
inherently accurate. Requirements are:

Must have Log sample spacing.

2 port must have 12-term compensation. Required to normalize Port 2 Zin
to 50.00 Ohm.

For measurements over 100MHz, must have Arbitrary calibration capability.

A way to test capability is measuring Ferrite complex permeability. An
example is: https://www.kn5l.net/S21adapter/FR43-material/

Web page is in notebook style with several iterations. Final measurement
under heading "FT50-43 Panel Jack Fixture."

Follow link for "Calibration Process"

In the example above, I predict Fair-Rite 43 material measurement, using
HP E4991a with 16454A fixture (1MHz-3.0GHz), has a 2.47nH calibration error.

A dynamic range test:
https://groups.io/g/VNWA/message/20899

John KN5L

On 6/25/21 5:53 PM, John Harper wrote:
> I'm as interested as anyone else who might have one to know the accuracy
> and reliability of these affordable VNA's, whether nano- or the one from
> SDR-Kits.
> 
> I have a variety of VNA's available but am lacking the SDR-Kits model.
> Wouldn't it be nice if we knew where it stood compared to the newer
> nanoVNA's costing a fraction of the price for the same dynamic range and a
> higher upper frequency limit?
> 
> Also, how do the hobby VNA's compare to lab-grade VNA's at HF and up to 1.2
> GHz?
> 
> If you own an SDR-Kits VNA, can do without it for 3 weeks and trust me to
> return it to you, please see my offer here:
> 
> https://ae5x.blogspot.com/2021/06/vna-shootout.html
> 
> John AE5X
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[Elecraft] VNA shootout proposal

[John Harper]

I'm as interested as anyone else who might have one to know the accuracy
and reliability of these affordable VNA's, whether nano- or the one from
SDR-Kits.

I have a variety of VNA's available but am lacking the SDR-Kits model.
Wouldn't it be nice if we knew where it stood compared to the newer
nanoVNA's costing a fraction of the price for the same dynamic range and a
higher upper frequency limit?

Also, how do the hobby VNA's compare to lab-grade VNA's at HF and up to 1.2
GHz?

If you own an SDR-Kits VNA, can do without it for 3 weeks and trust me to
return it to you, please see my offer here:

https://ae5x.blogspot.com/2021/06/vna-shootout.html

John AE5X
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Re: [Elecraft] K2 initial impressions

[jerry]

Hi Don,

  I do have the original manual.  I also found a quick reference card.
Printed it out in color, double sided, cut it down to size, and 
laminated

it.

- Jerry




On 2021-06-25 15:03, Don Wilhelm wrote:

Jerry,

You will quickly get used to the UI.  If you do not have a manual,
download one from Elecraft.
As another 'helper' one of my friends who was just getting used to the
K2 created a chart of all buttons with their functions as well as the
menu.  You can download that chart from my website www.w3fpr.com. 
Look near the bottom of the home page for the link to the chart.  If
you print it, you can make it into a handy tri-fold that is a
convenient 'accessory' to the K2.

The CW/CW-R situation is definitely associated with the BFO 
frequencies.

There are 4 filter widths for each mode and a BFO for upper sideband
and another for lower sideband associated with each filter.

I would wait until you have the KSB2 installed and do any upgrades
that you want before trying to align the filters and their BFOs. If
you change the RF board crystals, you will need to realign the filters
and BFOs - likewise with the addition of the KSB2 option. The KSB2
option instructions give you some suggested settings, but you can do a
lot better by running the K2 audio into an audio spectrum analyzer
running on your computer - the visual display of the receive passband
makes that task easy.
You will need the internal counter probe if one was not included with
your K2, Elecraft does sell a kit of parts.

I can give you help with the Dial Calibration and Filter alignment.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 6/25/2021 4:08 PM, jerry wrote:

Hello all,

  My new ( to me ) K2 arrived yesterday, far in advance of when Ebay 
said it would.  Color me happy :).  I just ordered the SSB adapter.


  My first impressions:  The UI is a little cryptic - a general 
weakness of things with small displays and few knobs/switches/buttons, 
but really not too bad.  I've already got most of the buttons 
memorized.


  Receive is nice & quiet.  When I disconnect the antenna, there is 
very little internal hiss.  The AF gain control was scratchy at first, 
but quieted right down with a little use.


  Had my first QSO with it - with Don Huff, W6JL.  Don gave me a good 
report.  Even though I was only

running 10 watts.

  I notice that the band noise changes tone between "CW" and "CW R".  
Could that be symptomatic of a misadjusted BFO?  Also WWV is a little 
off - switching from CW & CW-R changes the beat note.  Looking forward 
to getting into this; Ebay just yielded up a GPSDO ( GPS-disciplined 
oscillator ) which is supposed to emit 10Mhz accurate to a tiny 
fraction of a Hertz.


  I'll want to start inspecting the radio to see what needs updating.


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Re: [Elecraft] K2 initial impressions

[Don Wilhelm]

Many filters constructed using the newer crystals do not have that tilt, 
especially at narrow filter widths.

Wide filter widths do have both tilt and passband ripple.

Having aligned almost 2000 K2s, I can say this with certainty.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 6/25/2021 6:06 PM, Louandzip via Elecraft wrote:

  The passband of the filter has a tilt (the SSB module's filter is much 
better)  When you switch between CW and CWR, the slope of the filter reverses 
with respect to the base band, so it sounds different.  It's not that unusual 
for other rigs to do this to a lesser degree.  Of course where the filter is 
centered depends on BFO alignment which must be done for each width and both 
USB and LSB.




 On Friday, June 25, 2021, 4:04:34 PM MDT, Don Wilhelm  
wrote:
  
  Jerry,


You will quickly get used to the UI.  If you do not have a manual,
download one from Elecraft.
As another 'helper' one of my friends who was just getting used to the
K2 created a chart of all buttons with their functions as well as the
menu.  You can download that chart from my website www.w3fpr.com.  Look
near the bottom of the home page for the link to the chart.  If you
print it, you can make it into a handy tri-fold that is a convenient
'accessory' to the K2.

The CW/CW-R situation is definitely associated with the BFO frequencies.
There are 4 filter widths for each mode and a BFO for upper sideband and
another for lower sideband associated with each filter.

I would wait until you have the KSB2 installed and do any upgrades that
you want before trying to align the filters and their BFOs. If you
change the RF board crystals, you will need to realign the filters and
BFOs - likewise with the addition of the KSB2 option. The KSB2 option
instructions give you some suggested settings, but you can do a lot
better by running the K2 audio into an audio spectrum analyzer running
on your computer - the visual display of the receive passband makes that
task easy.
You will need the internal counter probe if one was not included with
your K2, Elecraft does sell a kit of parts.

I can give you help with the Dial Calibration and Filter alignment.

73,
Don W3FPR





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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[Louandzip via Elecraft]

 Yeah.  The menu system can be a little daunting, but after using it a bit and 
learning the flow it's not that bad.  You can print out a flow chart of the 
menus to refer to which makes things easier.  I also added some notes to mine.
The nanoVNA I have saves 8 sets of calibrations and settings on the device so 
works FB without appending a computer to it.  It does not save data.  The 
computer software also expand its capability in some respects. 

On Friday, June 25, 2021, 2:56:11 PM MDT, John Harper  
wrote:  
 
 Try it in conjunction with nanoVNA-Saver. Calibrations (and other data) can
be saved and recalled:

https://github.com/NanoVNA-Saver/nanovna-saver

John AE5X
https://ae5x.blogspot.com

>I have a NanoVNA and it does work, but its menu system is horrible and
counter intuitive.
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Re: [Elecraft] K2 initial impressions

[Don Wilhelm]

Jerry,

Look at the crystals again - if they are marked 4.9136-S they are the 
new ones.


73,
Don W3FPR

On 6/25/2021 5:25 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:

Jerry,

Yes, those are the older crystals.  The new ones have a "-S" suffix on 
the label.


73,
Don W3FPR

On 6/25/2021 5:00 PM, jerry wrote:

So - looking at the crystal filter: the crystals are labelled thusly:

ECSX
4.9136
China

...I'm guessing these are the OLD crystals.

 - Jerry
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Re: [Elecraft] K2 initial impressions

[Louandzip via Elecraft]

 The passband of the filter has a tilt (the SSB module's filter is much better) 
 When you switch between CW and CWR, the slope of the filter reverses with 
respect to the base band, so it sounds different.  It's not that unusual for 
other rigs to do this to a lesser degree.  Of course where the filter is 
centered depends on BFO alignment which must be done for each width and both 
USB and LSB. 




On Friday, June 25, 2021, 4:04:34 PM MDT, Don Wilhelm  
wrote:  
 
 Jerry,

You will quickly get used to the UI.  If you do not have a manual, 
download one from Elecraft.
As another 'helper' one of my friends who was just getting used to the 
K2 created a chart of all buttons with their functions as well as the 
menu.  You can download that chart from my website www.w3fpr.com.  Look 
near the bottom of the home page for the link to the chart.  If you 
print it, you can make it into a handy tri-fold that is a convenient 
'accessory' to the K2.

The CW/CW-R situation is definitely associated with the BFO frequencies.
There are 4 filter widths for each mode and a BFO for upper sideband and 
another for lower sideband associated with each filter.

I would wait until you have the KSB2 installed and do any upgrades that 
you want before trying to align the filters and their BFOs. If you 
change the RF board crystals, you will need to realign the filters and 
BFOs - likewise with the addition of the KSB2 option. The KSB2 option 
instructions give you some suggested settings, but you can do a lot 
better by running the K2 audio into an audio spectrum analyzer running 
on your computer - the visual display of the receive passband makes that 
task easy.
You will need the internal counter probe if one was not included with 
your K2, Elecraft does sell a kit of parts.

I can give you help with the Dial Calibration and Filter alignment.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 6/25/2021 4:08 PM, jerry wrote:
> Hello all,
>
>   My new ( to me ) K2 arrived yesterday, far in advance of when Ebay 
> said it would.  Color me happy :).  I just ordered the SSB adapter.
>
>   My first impressions:  The UI is a little cryptic - a general 
> weakness of things with small displays and few knobs/switches/buttons, 
> but really not too bad.  I've already got most of the buttons memorized.
>
>   Receive is nice & quiet.  When I disconnect the antenna, there is 
> very little internal hiss.  The AF gain control was scratchy at first, 
> but quieted right down with a little use.
>
>   Had my first QSO with it - with Don Huff, W6JL.  Don gave me a good 
> report.  Even though I was only
> running 10 watts.
>
>   I notice that the band noise changes tone between "CW" and "CW R".  
> Could that be symptomatic of a misadjusted BFO?  Also WWV is a little 
> off - switching from CW & CW-R changes the beat note.  Looking forward 
> to getting into this; Ebay just yielded up a GPSDO ( GPS-disciplined 
> oscillator ) which is supposed to emit 10Mhz accurate to a tiny 
> fraction of a Hertz.
>
>   I'll want to start inspecting the radio to see what needs updating.
>

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Re: [Elecraft] K2 initial impressions

[Don Wilhelm]

Jerry,

You will quickly get used to the UI.  If you do not have a manual, 
download one from Elecraft.
As another 'helper' one of my friends who was just getting used to the 
K2 created a chart of all buttons with their functions as well as the 
menu.  You can download that chart from my website www.w3fpr.com.  Look 
near the bottom of the home page for the link to the chart.  If you 
print it, you can make it into a handy tri-fold that is a convenient 
'accessory' to the K2.


The CW/CW-R situation is definitely associated with the BFO frequencies.
There are 4 filter widths for each mode and a BFO for upper sideband and 
another for lower sideband associated with each filter.


I would wait until you have the KSB2 installed and do any upgrades that 
you want before trying to align the filters and their BFOs. If you 
change the RF board crystals, you will need to realign the filters and 
BFOs - likewise with the addition of the KSB2 option. The KSB2 option 
instructions give you some suggested settings, but you can do a lot 
better by running the K2 audio into an audio spectrum analyzer running 
on your computer - the visual display of the receive passband makes that 
task easy.
You will need the internal counter probe if one was not included with 
your K2, Elecraft does sell a kit of parts.


I can give you help with the Dial Calibration and Filter alignment.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 6/25/2021 4:08 PM, jerry wrote:

Hello all,

  My new ( to me ) K2 arrived yesterday, far in advance of when Ebay 
said it would.  Color me happy :).  I just ordered the SSB adapter.


  My first impressions:  The UI is a little cryptic - a general 
weakness of things with small displays and few knobs/switches/buttons, 
but really not too bad.  I've already got most of the buttons memorized.


  Receive is nice & quiet.  When I disconnect the antenna, there is 
very little internal hiss.  The AF gain control was scratchy at first, 
but quieted right down with a little use.


  Had my first QSO with it - with Don Huff, W6JL.  Don gave me a good 
report.  Even though I was only

running 10 watts.

  I notice that the band noise changes tone between "CW" and "CW R".  
Could that be symptomatic of a misadjusted BFO?  Also WWV is a little 
off - switching from CW & CW-R changes the beat note.  Looking forward 
to getting into this; Ebay just yielded up a GPSDO ( GPS-disciplined 
oscillator ) which is supposed to emit 10Mhz accurate to a tiny 
fraction of a Hertz.


  I'll want to start inspecting the radio to see what needs updating.



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Re: [Elecraft] K2 initial impressions

[Don Wilhelm]

Jerry,

Yes, those are the older crystals.  The new ones have a "-S" suffix on 
the label.


73,
Don W3FPR

On 6/25/2021 5:00 PM, jerry wrote:

So - looking at the crystal filter: the crystals are labelled thusly:

ECSX
4.9136
China

...I'm guessing these are the OLD crystals.

 - Jerry
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Re: [Elecraft] K2 initial impressions

[jerry]

So - looking at the crystal filter: the crystals are labelled thusly:

ECSX
4.9136
China

...I'm guessing these are the OLD crystals.

 - Jerry
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[Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[John Harper]

Try it in conjunction with nanoVNA-Saver. Calibrations (and other data) can
be saved and recalled:

https://github.com/NanoVNA-Saver/nanovna-saver

John AE5X
https://ae5x.blogspot.com

>I have a NanoVNA and it does work, but its menu system is horrible and
counter intuitive.
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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[George Thornton]

Roughly in the same price range is the Array Solutions AIM UHF.

In the course of my HAM career I have used a variety of analyzers.

I have a NanoVNA and it does work, but its menu system is horrible and counter 
intuitive.  In addition the use of tiny connectors is not ideal for our common 
N and PL 259 equipment.   It also has to be recalibrated a lot more than other 
units and that can be a hassle.  I don't completely trust it because I am not 
always sure I am using it correctly.

My favorite analyzers were the AA series and the AIM UHF.  The AA 600 I owned 
was a stand alone unit and it was pretty trustworthy.  

The AIM UHF seems to be very similar to the VNWA referenced below and was in 
approximately the same price range.   It also worked through a computer.

In the end I much prefer the AIM UHF.  Although it was a bit inconvenient to 
have to bring along a computer, I found that in nearly every situation it was 
worth the inconvenience. For instance, graphing a full SWR curve along a 
frequency range was very helpful to analyze antenna tune.  You can see exactly 
how the curve goes including the lowest point and you could make gradual 
antenna modifications to get perfect tune.  


-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net  On 
Behalf Of w2xj
Sent: Friday, June 25, 2021 5:18 AM
To: j...@audiosystemsgroup.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

The problem with that is it requires a computer and is apparently limited to 
Windows software. Nano VNA is self contained. 





> On June 25, 2021 5:00 AM Jim Brown  wrote:
> 
>  
> On 6/25/2021 1:18 AM, Victor Rosenthal 4X6GP wrote:
> > Only marginally Elecraft related, but I want to buy a Nano VNA.
> 
> In a different price range, but I've been VERY happy with the VNWA 
> designed by DG8SAQ, built and sold as a finished product by these hams 
> in the UK. One of the HUGE pluses is SAQ's software, which is able to 
> compute and plot complex impedance from S11 and S21 measurements. The 
> company also sells very good calibration kits at very reasonable 
> prices, and calibration is key to meaningful measurements. This unit 
> is a serious lab quality instrument, not a toy.
> 
> https://www.sdr-kits.net/introducing-DG8SAQ-VNWA3
> 
> I paid about $700 for the unit with the cal kit, shipped, about 7 
> years ago. The Brexit stupidity has made it about $100 cheaper.
> 
> 73, Jim K9YC
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[Elecraft] K2 initial impressions

[jerry]

Hello all,

  My new ( to me ) K2 arrived yesterday, far in advance of when Ebay 
said it would.  Color me happy :).  I just ordered the SSB adapter.


  My first impressions:  The UI is a little cryptic - a general weakness 
of things with small displays and few knobs/switches/buttons, but really 
not too bad.  I've already got most of the buttons memorized.


  Receive is nice & quiet.  When I disconnect the antenna, there is very 
little internal hiss.  The AF gain control was scratchy at first, but 
quieted right down with a little use.


  Had my first QSO with it - with Don Huff, W6JL.  Don gave me a good 
report.  Even though I was only

running 10 watts.

  I notice that the band noise changes tone between "CW" and "CW R".  
Could that be symptomatic of a misadjusted BFO?  Also WWV is a little 
off - switching from CW & CW-R changes the beat note.  Looking forward 
to getting into this; Ebay just yielded up a GPSDO ( GPS-disciplined 
oscillator ) which is supposed to emit 10Mhz accurate to a tiny fraction 
of a Hertz.


  I'll want to start inspecting the radio to see what needs updating.

- Jerry KF6VB

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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[Wes]

If anyone is interested in these, the designer gave an excellent presentation 
about it:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Z7veGV57o

Wes  N7WS

On 6/25/2021 10:06 AM, I wrote:
The FA-VA5 was designed by DG5MK. 


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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[David Gilbert]

Ahh ... you are correct.  It was designed by DG5MK, not DG8SAQ ... but 
it does work with the DG8SAQ software.


And yes, the interface is a bit weird, but that's because it only has 
three buttons (essentially Up, Down, Select) to page through the various 
menus, change frequency, etc.  I've gotten fairly used to it.


By the way, the battery life is amazingly long.  I use it fairly often 
but find myself changing batteries about once a year just in case.


73,
Dave   AB7E



On 6/25/2021 9:57 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
Yes, this is a very nice unit, but designed by a different German ham 
whose call I've forgotten. It's only shortcoming is a user interface 
that even the programmer's mother could not love.


73, Jim K9YC

On 6/25/2021 9:45 AM, David Gilbert wrote:
I would strongly recommend the FA-VA5 also designed by DG8SAQ.  It 
currently sells for about $190, is rated for up to 600 mHz. It works 
fine as a standalone unit, but it will also work with a computer and 
SAQ's software for some additional capability (like TDR).




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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[Wes]

The FA-VA5 was designed by DG5MK.  The DG8SAQ software will speak to it however.

It is a very accurate instrument hampered by an abysmal user interface,  That 
said, in addition, I have an original N2PK, an upgraded SDR-Kits (DG8SAQ) with 
S-parameter test set, an AA-55 Zoom, and an EU1KY VIA.  Of all of these, the 
FA-VA5 is the only one readable in sunlight.


Wes  N7WS


On 6/25/2021 9:45 AM, David Gilbert wrote:


4X6GP didn't say what he wanted the nanoVNA for, but if he didn't need 2-port 
capability I would strongly recommend the FA-VA5 also designed by DG8SAQ.  It 
currently sells for about $190, is rated for up to 600 mHz.  It works fine as 
a standalone unit, but it will also work with a computer and SAQ's software 
for some additional capability (like TDR).


https://www.sdr-kits.net/VA5-Antenna-Analyzer-Kit

I also own a nanoVNA and an older HF-CIA, but the FA-VA5 is my go to tool for 
measuring just about anything (even resistors).  For me, it has the right 
combination of size, accuracy, and convenience.  The output can be displayed 
as either SWR or R +/- jX, and can be done so for either a single frequency or 
as a graph across a frequency range.


73,
Dave   AB7E



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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[Jim Brown]

Yes, this is a very nice unit, but designed by a different German ham 
whose call I've forgotten. It's only shortcoming is a user interface 
that even the programmer's mother could not love.


73, Jim K9YC

On 6/25/2021 9:45 AM, David Gilbert wrote:
I would strongly recommend the FA-VA5 also designed by DG8SAQ.  It 
currently sells for about $190, is rated for up to 600 mHz. It works 
fine as a standalone unit, but it will also work with a computer and 
SAQ's software for some additional capability (like TDR).


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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[David Gilbert]

4X6GP didn't say what he wanted the nanoVNA for, but if he didn't need 
2-port capability I would strongly recommend the FA-VA5 also designed by 
DG8SAQ.  It currently sells for about $190, is rated for up to 600 mHz.  
It works fine as a standalone unit, but it will also work with a 
computer and SAQ's software for some additional capability (like TDR).


https://www.sdr-kits.net/VA5-Antenna-Analyzer-Kit

I also own a nanoVNA and an older HF-CIA, but the FA-VA5 is my go to 
tool for measuring just about anything (even resistors).  For me, it has 
the right combination of size, accuracy, and convenience.  The output 
can be displayed as either SWR or R +/- jX, and can be done so for 
either a single frequency or as a graph across a frequency range.


73,
Dave   AB7E




On 6/25/2021 2:00 AM, Jim Brown wrote:

On 6/25/2021 1:18 AM, Victor Rosenthal 4X6GP wrote:

Only marginally Elecraft related, but I want to buy a Nano VNA.


In a different price range, but I've been VERY happy with the VNWA 
designed by DG8SAQ, built and sold as a finished product by these hams 
in the UK. One of the HUGE pluses is SAQ's software, which is able to 
compute and plot complex impedance from S11 and S21 measurements. The 
company also sells very good calibration kits at very reasonable 
prices, and calibration is key to meaningful measurements. This unit 
is a serious lab quality instrument, not a toy.


https://www.sdr-kits.net/introducing-DG8SAQ-VNWA3

I paid about $700 for the unit with the cal kit, shipped, about 7 
years ago. The Brexit stupidity has made it about $100 cheaper.


73, Jim K9YC


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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[David Gilbert]

There have been a couple of folks who have compared a legitimate nanoVNA 
to $50K HP lab equipment and found them to be virtually equivalent for 
accuracy up to their fundamental oscillator frequency (300 mHz for my 
unit).  The nanoVNA will work higher on harmonics with slightly reduced 
accuracy.


There are cheap knockoff clones out there, but the legitimate ones are 
VERY inexpensive (maybe $70 now?) and are not toys.


73,
Dave  AB7E


On 6/25/2021 5:08 AM, John Harper wrote:

I've bought several nanoVNA's from "aursinc" on Amazon and have always
gotten a real one, not a clone. Here's another version:
https://amzn.to/3daSrmI

The latest flavor of these devices operates up to 4GHz. Not many hams need
that upper freq limit but, when shopping for a nanoVNA, pay attention to
the dynamic range offered. The 4GHz nanoVNA has 20 dB better dynamic range
than any other model:
https://www.tindie.com/products/hcxqsgroup/nanovna-v2-plus4/

Showing "Out of stock" intermittently.

I know that some may consider these devices as toys but I've found them to
be amazingly accurate when compared to their expensive counterparts at my
work QTH:
https://ae5x.blogspot.com/search/label/nanoVNA

They are also useful learning tools with a lot of people reporting that
they now know how to interpret a Smith chart and make use of the info they
provide.

John AE5X


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[Elecraft] [K3] H2 reset internal KAT3 tuning memories

[Don Putnick]

After referring to both the Elecraft K3 manual and Steve Cady's version,
I'm confused. Is there a simple way to wipe all the KAT3 tuning memories?
Either way yes or no, could you please walk me through it?
73 Don NA6Z
K3 #5495
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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[Louandzip via Elecraft]

 I got a nanoVAN V2 PLUS 4 about four months ago.  It's been FB.  Here's the 
site:
https://nanorfe.com/nanovna-v2.html
There are at least 4 or 5 different nanoVNA designs, V2, F2, H, H4, etc.. with 
a variety of firmware and software programs and versions floating around 
and even more clones of each.  Prices range from $50 to $200... The landscape 
is very complicated. You can go to groups.io, search on nanoVNA and find 8 
groups to join.  I'm happy with what I got, but can't say if I'd be more or 
less happy with any of the others. 



On Friday, June 25, 2021, 6:18:50 AM MDT, w2xj  wrote:  
 
 The problem with that is it requires a computer and is apparently limited to 
Windows software. Nano VNA is self contained. 





> On June 25, 2021 5:00 AM Jim Brown  wrote:
> 
>  
> On 6/25/2021 1:18 AM, Victor Rosenthal 4X6GP wrote:
> > Only marginally Elecraft related, but I want to buy a Nano VNA.
> 
> In a different price range, but I've been VERY happy with the VNWA 
> designed by DG8SAQ, built and sold as a finished product by these hams 
> in the UK. One of the HUGE pluses is SAQ's software, which is able to 
> compute and plot complex impedance from S11 and S21 measurements. The 
> company also sells very good calibration kits at very reasonable prices, 
> and calibration is key to meaningful measurements. This unit is a 
> serious lab quality instrument, not a toy.
> 
> https://www.sdr-kits.net/introducing-DG8SAQ-VNWA3
> 
> I paid about $700 for the unit with the cal kit, shipped, about 7 years 
> ago. The Brexit stupidity has made it about $100 cheaper.
> 
> 73, Jim K9YC
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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[w2xj]

The problem with that is it requires a computer and is apparently limited to 
Windows software. Nano VNA is self contained. 





> On June 25, 2021 5:00 AM Jim Brown  wrote:
> 
>  
> On 6/25/2021 1:18 AM, Victor Rosenthal 4X6GP wrote:
> > Only marginally Elecraft related, but I want to buy a Nano VNA.
> 
> In a different price range, but I've been VERY happy with the VNWA 
> designed by DG8SAQ, built and sold as a finished product by these hams 
> in the UK. One of the HUGE pluses is SAQ's software, which is able to 
> compute and plot complex impedance from S11 and S21 measurements. The 
> company also sells very good calibration kits at very reasonable prices, 
> and calibration is key to meaningful measurements. This unit is a 
> serious lab quality instrument, not a toy.
> 
> https://www.sdr-kits.net/introducing-DG8SAQ-VNWA3
> 
> I paid about $700 for the unit with the cal kit, shipped, about 7 years 
> ago. The Brexit stupidity has made it about $100 cheaper.
> 
> 73, Jim K9YC
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[Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[John Harper]

I've bought several nanoVNA's from "aursinc" on Amazon and have always
gotten a real one, not a clone. Here's another version:
https://amzn.to/3daSrmI

The latest flavor of these devices operates up to 4GHz. Not many hams need
that upper freq limit but, when shopping for a nanoVNA, pay attention to
the dynamic range offered. The 4GHz nanoVNA has 20 dB better dynamic range
than any other model:
https://www.tindie.com/products/hcxqsgroup/nanovna-v2-plus4/

Showing "Out of stock" intermittently.

I know that some may consider these devices as toys but I've found them to
be amazingly accurate when compared to their expensive counterparts at my
work QTH:
https://ae5x.blogspot.com/search/label/nanoVNA

They are also useful learning tools with a lot of people reporting that
they now know how to interpret a Smith chart and make use of the info they
provide.

John AE5X
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Re: [Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[Jim Brown]

On 6/25/2021 1:18 AM, Victor Rosenthal 4X6GP wrote:

Only marginally Elecraft related, but I want to buy a Nano VNA.


In a different price range, but I've been VERY happy with the VNWA 
designed by DG8SAQ, built and sold as a finished product by these hams 
in the UK. One of the HUGE pluses is SAQ's software, which is able to 
compute and plot complex impedance from S11 and S21 measurements. The 
company also sells very good calibration kits at very reasonable prices, 
and calibration is key to meaningful measurements. This unit is a 
serious lab quality instrument, not a toy.


https://www.sdr-kits.net/introducing-DG8SAQ-VNWA3

I paid about $700 for the unit with the cal kit, shipped, about 7 years 
ago. The Brexit stupidity has made it about $100 cheaper.


73, Jim K9YC
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[Elecraft] OT: Nano VNA

[Victor Rosenthal 4X6GP]

Only marginally Elecraft related, but I want to buy a Nano VNA.

There are numerous models and sources. (for example, Amazon has a bunch 
of them ).

They are also all over eBay, Ali Express, etc.

I don't want to mess this up. What model should I get? I would be happy 
with the 2.8 inch display, but I don't have any special requirements.


Replies probably best be off-list so as not to annoy Eric too much.
--
73,
Victor, 4X6GP
Rehovot, Israel
CWops #5
Formerly K2VCO
https://www.qsl.net/k2vco/
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