As a telecommunications engineer, is such a joy to watch your videos, you teach some very complex topics with such a simple explanation, I wish I knew you during my college time. Thank you for your videos.
Brilliant video I am a retired science teacher and have been a ham more than 50 years. I just bought my first VNA. You clearly explain the device and its calibration and use. A lot easier to follow than most explanations I have read.
Well done. I am an engineer, but my speciality was RF. I was an RF engineer and still have HP and a Anritsu Network analyzers. Unfortunately i suffer pretty bad from MS now and i am disabled, but RF was my favorite thing. You did a very goid job explaining the basics on VNA’s. Bravo. I enjoy your channel very much. My friend, mentor and hero in the RF and antenna world passed away this year. His name was Richard (Dick) Austin. He was well known in the US for his ham radio antennas. He also made antennas for lockhead martin, GE, Boeing and more. He was building antennae until his death this Feb at age 85. He taught me so much. He is missed. You made me think about him. Thank you. Bob S.
Thank you for your compliment. It means a lot to me if I read such things from professionals. RF these days is no more so "sexy" as it was in earlier days. This is the reason I made this and other videos about antennas and also SDR receivers. Young people at least should know the basics. And I am not sure if RF is in the curriculum of a typical EE degree anymore. You were lucky to have such a teacher!
I've worked with frequencies up to many GHz for many years and have used but never fully understood Smith charts. Thanks to you, I now do. Your method of explaining a very complex subject in very simple terms is most entertaining. WELL DONE.
Great video, thank you! Sometimes dudes with >$50k VNAs cannot cover the basics at the level of clarity you did. Great explanation on the Smith Chart. While the magnitude of S11 can tell you that things went wrong, the impedance tells you the exact direction of where they go wrong.
Thank you for this video, I am a new ham and am trying to build antennas. I purchased a NanoVNA thinking it would be easy to use and help with building antennas. I was ignorant and built them poorly. I tried to read up on the NanoVNA as well as Smith Charts and ended up confusing myself greatly. Thanks to your video I now understand how to use my equipment properly and read a Smith Chart. I can't thank you enough.
As an ‘old ham’ who only ever used SWR meters to check out an aerial, This video is simply amazing as to just what the Nano can do, always thought this sort of equipment was out of my price range, I’m blown away, Thank you so much for such a well presented and very informative video. Take care, 😃👍
These instruments were out of range for me, too. This is why I love to live now. We can afford a lot of good stuff and have fun with it :-) It is really astonishing.
Glad you know it now! Everything seems to go wireless, but sometimes basic knowledge is not there. RF basics are also not taught at universities anymore. At least for the general EEs
@@AndreasSpiess Thank you Andreas - that means a lot to me, coming from you. I hope my channel is as popular as yours someday! (you have twice as many subscribers!).
Your channel is excellent w2aew, I hope your subscriber base grows, it deserves to given the quality of the information you produce! The guy with the Swiss accent also has some great stuff :-)
Reminds me of when I was in Uni, using old VNA's to tune open-air harmonic transformer coils. This video could be an introduction to the other parameters one uses in electrical engineering (y, h, z, g...). Maybe even explore the stability of such systems, quite advanced stuff though, not sure everyone knows about control theory. As always another great video.
I've never watched a better video of this type. I enjoyed every second of it. If I had teachers like you during my schooling days, I would've been a straight A student.
What a marvelous & concise demo & tutorial. Your presentation of moving the cursor by changing the input really helps many people visualize what, exactly, is happening. Excellent video Sir, & a tip of my hat to you !
I have watched this video a few times and found it to be a very useful reference work. Especially if you, like me, come from a non technical background and are learning in your later years. I understand the principles now and feel I can use my basic, original type nano VNA properly. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.
I shared your video with my fellow classmates. I have gone through a electromagnetics course with RF focus, yet your video simplified it for me that much more! Thank you for this amazing piece!
Someone may have already added this, but regarding the NanoVNA-saver software you can have it run more than the built-in number of sample points. My NanoVNA only does 100 points. I usually do my measurements with 1000 points, though. For that, the NanoVNA-saver program splits the frequency range I entered (and calibrated for) up into 10 segments and then commands the NanoVNA to run each segment from low to high. The NanoVNA itself can only do 100 points, but the NanoVNA-saver software compiles data from the ten segments together, recalculates everything, and displays the results. I'm not fond of the small NanoVNA screen anyway, so I usually use a laptop running NanoVNA-saver. I get to do screen captures and make printouts as well.
I got a kick out of your VSWR comment. I am both an RF engineer and a ham. Before I retired I had to constantly switch gears about impedance matching depending on who I was talking to. In my experience most people working with antennas tend toward VSWR where engineers working on integrated systems talk return loss. My own preference is return loss because for some reason I am better able to envision it. VSWR is a dimensionless ratio whereas return loss is an actual measurement of how much power is being reflected back into the system. Last company I worked for actually reported both VSWR and return loss for their products.
@@AndreasSpiess That's how I found it. I have a AIM 4170D single port to (10 KHz to 180MHz and bought the NANO V2-F to extend the range and get a 2 port device. What I found is that there is a fairly good comparison but, as expected, the AIM unit is accurate enough to actually help tune "things" (like tweaking a filter or an antenna) while the NANO not so much. The AIM information matched several other test instruments while the NANO frequency measurement was off by several KHz (in 3-30MHz range) even though calibrated for as narrow as possible. Still a useful quick see tool for the cost. If you would like to see data get me your email and I'll send Excel and Graphical data.
Endlich hab ich das Smithchart verstanden. Sehr schöne Erklärung. Ich werde jetzt öfter meinen vna kalibrieren. Ich glaube man kann auch Resonatoren mit dem nanovna messen. Ich dachte ich hätte einen Saw Filter aber es war ein saw resonator, da er im nanovna keine Dämpfungskurve anzeigte, sondern nur eine gerade, aber der swr war nur am der resonatorfrequenz perfekt und im restlichen Bereich sehr schlecht, was ja auch hilft andere Frequenzen zu blocken.
Filter haben am Eingang normalerweise ein schlechtes SWR für Frequenzen die sie sperren. Wichtig ist ja der Output... Allan hat ein Video gemacht wo er Quarze ausmisst.
I love my VNA --- electronic hobbiest and Ham radio operator. I made my first two UHF yagis, designed, and tuned them in an unorthodox manner - pure experimental.
Tuning out the reactance in real time on a Smith Chart was so cool! I would almost buy one for that... What I would have given for one of those 40 years ago. But the Bird 43 directional wattmeter was great at its job
It's the first time, I have seen the an simple and graphic explanation of the relation between Smith Chart - SWR and what the VNA does. Thank you very much!!
As a budding ham the concepts and terminologies have been baffling, and after wandering the corridors of antenna information stumbled into your lecture space on VNA. Your explanation of the Nano was so clearly expressed I departed with a solid understanding of the device and its application...much appreciated.
We had a lengthy discussion on our ham radio net last night about nano VNA's, i asserted exactly what you said, but not in the great detail you did. This video explains it very well and accuratly, so I will pass it on to them. Your presentation was excellent, and I had to play with mine while watching, the RF demo board is also a MUST HAVE for learning the VNA, their great for measuring crystals, traps, lots. thanks, Barry VK2FP/AG7VC
Not only an excellent easily digested appraisal of these VNA's, but also a great intro to the Smiths Chart by bringing it to life - THANK YOU so much! :)
Great video! I've been playing around with mine and am pleasantly surprised given its price. Regarding 2:45 a "signal Analyzer" gets phase info, a "spectrum Analyzer" does not.
Thanks for hammering on calibration! I've seen videos that say you calibrate once and you're done forever... My BS meter immediately pegged and bent the needle... 👍
Spectacular video!!! I understand smith charts much better now. Also, I now know what the second channel on my Nano-VMA is for. Thank you for all your works!!!
I ran across this while watching Alan's (W2AEW) videos and found it very worth my time to watch it. I believe I may watch it a second and third time...Thank You!
Wonderful explanation. I feel like I need you on retainer to explain stuff to me. I do not work with any radio signals. I use scopes as an industrial emergency power tech and watch a ton of scope related content . I think this is why the device popped in my feed and sparked my curiosity. Having OCD with needing to understand stuff I found your video after watching about 20 with no help. The demonstration of inductance and capacitance "resonated " with me because I deal with power actor issues from motor loads and VFD drives. I also have to use power factor correction on datacenters . The swift chart is pretty cool. I only understand it now thanks to you!
Great video, I love it! I'm teaching the working principles of a VNA to EE students at the university, and since COVID prevents offline courses, I'm using the NanoVNA with NanoVNA Saver to demonstrate the matching process of an antenna and the basic functionality of the device. Although your measurement with the Nagoya antenna shows that the SWR is over 2, your measurement is not carried out properly if we consider that it shall be used with a handheld radio. The radio's body plays a significant role in the radiation characteristics, so the proper measurement would be done in an anechoic chamber with the antenna attached to the radio. Not everyone has such a chamber at their workplace, so what you can do it the Amateur way: Take the radio and and an antenna with known gain reference antenna attached to a spectrum analyzer and go out on the field with a known distance between the 2 devices. You know the output power of the radio(or measure it), subtract the path loss and the receiver gain from it and then you have the 0dB gain reference level on the spectrum analyzer. With that knowledge you can calculate the radiated power, which is the REAL information that we need. I hope this idea helps someone in the future. :)
You are right. I even did a video on how to test antennas in the real world, without an anechoic chamber. But this was not the point in this video. I just wanted to show the match. If everything is rejected, also a high gain will not help ;-)
This is really well done. I am not an electrical engineer, not even close, but you clearly lay out what this device can do and how to do it so even a layman like me can leverage the tool. Many thanks!
Perferct :) I am working on a DIY project of homecinema powered by 3 class D amplifiers modules. These amplifiers can be linked using a master/slave clock. The problem was impedance matching of the clock line linking these 3 amplifiers. I will be able to check that everything is fine now :)
Well explained, especially Smith charts which are frightening things that should be introduced to students with care. I found my V2 worked to 4 GHz and is quite usable for setting up 3.4 GHz 9cm antennas. You could use it to look at your POTY and figure out how it works.
I looked at it when I built my POTY. It did not expose the two dips described by others. This is why I was worried in the beginning. Now I still struggle with the Ethernet connection of my Pluto...
I am back watching this video again. I like the flow of this and the balance of theory and practical. Thanks for your video! I am amazed that I can even have a network analyzer for home use. The ones we used to use at work were thousands of dollars.
Excellent presentation. But I would point out 2 general things anout antenna measurement. When measuring small unbalanced HT-style antennas, the physical dimensions of the metallic structure they are attached to WILL affect measurements. In addition, good measured return loss/SWR is no guarantee of good radiation performance. If that were true, a dummy load would be a superb antenna! Characterising overall antenna performance is NOT an easy task!
Great explanation of why we need to calibrate when the frequencies change. I'm preparing a test equipment presentation for an amateur radio club and this helps as I am not that familiar with VNAs.
Just watched this as I purchased a cheap nanovna version 1 from aliexpress I ordered it before I realised there was a better version available Still it should be good enough for my needs for now
Das ist eins der besten, verständlichsten Erklärung zum/des NanoVNA die man hier finden kann. Zum allerersten mal verstehe ich was eigentlich gemeint ist. Leider habe ich dein Video erst jetzt entdeckt; möchte mich aber trotzdem sehr für deine verständlichen Erklärungen bedanken..! 👍 🙏 🤝 VG, Holger
Thank you Andreas for this very helpful video! Now I understand the smith-diagram and ordered the hf-demo-kit test board. Very good explanation and easy to understand!
I always like your videos as they are easy to understand and very systematic. I would be very happy if you can make videos on how to tune: - Antenna which is soldered directly to the PCB (no connector/socket) - antenna cable with its connector on both ends (Pl 259 / SO 239 or else than SMA) Thanks you so much in advance.
Bravo! Now I absolutely must purchase one. 2 Suggestions: 1-You introduced the SOLT (thru) calibration a bit too quickly for me. I didn't understand it until the review at the end. 2-Drop the "Byyyye". Change to "adiós" for a sophisticated sound. :)
Excellent video and has answered so many questions. I am learning by watching as many videos as I can with the end goal to tune a chip antenna connected to an ESP32. A video where it shows adding capacitors and indictors to improve the antenna performance would be the best.
Best is always to tweak the antenna instead of adding parts... I would go with the instructions of the supplier. And google for "PCB Antenna - How To Design, Measure And Tune" on RU-vid.
His videos are always well done. Very professional and informative. Most of the other RU-vid videos about antennas are made by guys that are horrible presenters that take a long time to explain anything.
Excellent video! So much practical information provided. Thank you! Btw. just got myself a LibreVNA, will have some fun after I grasp fundamentals like the ones you talked about.
Thanks a lot for crystal clear articulation of complex technical concept focused on emergent vital optical application areas in magical radio art driven by hidden invisible craft.
EXCELLENT introduction to the nano VNA, & one of the best & simplest explanations I've seen on the use of a Smith chart. Thank you, Andreas! I'll be ordering a nano VNA shortly. ;)
Extremely useful video. I finally learned what a Smith Chart measures! Very clear explanations and though I don't have use for a NanoVNA currently, it's amazing what this $50 device can do!
Another thing that I've learned from Senior EEs, always make sure your equipment has warmed up for 30 mins to an hour before calibration or use! You don't want internal temperature drift of the test equipment to ruin your measurements!
Just received my NanoVNA V2 in the mail today. I have to say, watching your videos is starting to get really expensive for me! It started with the wire wrapping set and now I just can't stop myself from buying up bloody near everything, because it's all so cool. Oh well, let's just call this one an early christmass present for myself. But I can't wait to make my own lora antennas that don't actually suck, unlike those coiled wire ones from china,
Thank you Andreas this information was extremely valuable and wonderfully put. You give the basic information that is required to understand the units. I have not found anything else like this!!👀⭐️⭐️⭐️
Muchas gracias, ahora me siento seguro de lo que voy a hacer con mi NANO VNA. Tanks a lot now i feel whith confidence to use my NANO VNA . Sorry because of my bad english.
Extremely interesting video, I learned a lot, thank you! I will use my NanoVNA more efficiently :-) I also use it for measuring cable loss by connecting them between 1.1 and 2.1.
Thanks Andreas, now hovering over the buy button as it looks fascinating, and I have one old router antennae (salvage) I want to use on a D1 mini pro to see if I can boost the wifi reception....
Thank you Andreas as this cleared up a lot of things. The calibration issue worries me however as adapters are needed in most every case, Im not certain how one would know what or how a correction factor/s are used and/or needed to get accurate results.
Thank you Andreas for this excellent video. You present topics in a clear and concise manner that make it easy to understand. We need a Kahn Academy for ham radio. Andreas Academy!
Good explanation on VNA use. Alot cheaper than R&S equipment,makes it ideal for the hobbyist. My first HP VNA 3Ghz cost £6k 15 years ago,shows how technology and cost as improved. VNA for 5G operating at 26GHz and 39Ghz £40K upwards!!
Thank you. We should not directly compare those professional tools with these VNAs, I think. They have their markets. But for us Makers, these cheap buggers can answer most of our questions.
Interesting. I have one question: Would the antenna perform better if there was a metal box around the VNA? I believe it would. Maybe I should check the effect of a ground plane on small antennas using the VNA I have. It will also be interesting if this longer video catch as much interest as the shorter ones. I think it will as long as it can keep the viewers interest. And this one does for those into RF equipment. Good job!
Ground is an important variable for antennas and not easy to handle for handheld devices. So expect big differences if you touch the device or not. I try to have a similar setup as I have in reality. I do not plan the length of the videos. This topic was a little more complex than others...
