This basically confirms that the NanoVNA is great for what it is... an inexpensive, very portable, network analyzer. Its a step in the right direction... I see this as a great learning tool, that will, in time, blossom into something better in performance and accuracy. It's like the TinySA...a very cool, yet tiny Spectrum Analyzer... I'm amazed at what it can do and size difference, given my other SA is an HP 141T (w/track.gen).. that thing is a beast.
Awesome comparison .. Love it. After buying 2-3 LCR meters and Kelvin probes, I found out that I could use this little thing to measure inductance values I usually have problems with .. like under 1uH. .. i.e. 5 turns on a T37-6. And more to the point I already owned a H4. Thank you.
Great informative video. Not everybody can afford to have HP equipment on their workbench. As a ham radio operator, this little guy fits my needs to the T. I do have a spectrum analyzer w/tracking generator, but I could not pass up purchasing the NanoVNA H4. I mostly use it for checking insertion losses and attenuation. I read how the little Nano works using harmonics. I guessed anything above 1 Ghz would be questionable. My plan was not to use it above 500 mhz. The 50 ohm load that came with the unit was not 50 ohms. I replaced that right away. It wasn't too far off, but the higher you go in frequency, the more influence it had. For $89, the little Nano is a very useful tool. It sure beats spending $40,000 plus. Thanks for posting such a great video. It was really interesting to watch. Barry, KU3X
Frequency absolute inaccuracy (1 MHz) of HP8510B is due to the use of a YIG SOURCE (which is NOT synthesized) instead of the regular HP8340 family of Frequency Synthesizers... When measuring differences, such as phases, this is not so important.Anyway, not so bad for a low cost toy...regards from Italy.
Nano is great up to 300-ish MHz, once it switches to harmonics mode trouble starts. If you got your H4 from Hugen there are published coefficients for his calibration standards that you can use with NanoVNA Saver and get better results. BTW, when a trace is outside of Smith chart, that usually means there is something wrong with the measurement.
Any chance you might sell some of your test boards as kits or plain boards? Those crappy connectors on the available demo bds really stink. Thanks for the great comparison and looking forward to the next iteration.
Can the SAA2N be treated in the same manner as the H4 (firmware etc.) or is the H4 different? I actually wanted the H4 (because the N-connectors are so bulky for test-bench use) but at the time of purchase, they were not available. Anyway, thanks for doing the comparison video. 73...
The fact that a professional user with access to "real" VNAs actually uses the NanoVNA for at least some work purposes is an enormous endorsement. BTW did you make use of his 8510 to characterize your cal set at higher frequencies than 1.5GHz? Wouldn't hurt to see how they perform way up there for future purposes. 😁
No, I did once have him test one of my SMA loads to 18GHz so I know that is good. I also tested a dummy load I made so I know how far I can use that. didn't test the sma female open and short as he did not have a good cal set for that.
always cool to see these old HP analyzers still in use, but are you seriously using an 8350 as your source as opposed to an 8340 or 8360? the specs are so loose on the 8350 measurements could be miles off from what they really are
The errors in the high end come from the fact that the Nano is pushing it hard to the limit....For such a small device it is rocksteady....Specially given its price...
This basically confirms that the NanoVNA is great for what it is... an inexpensive, very portable, network analyzer.
Its a step in the right direction... I see this as a great learning tool, that will, in time, blossom into something better in performance and accuracy.
It's like the TinySA...a very cool, yet tiny Spectrum Analyzer... I'm amazed at what it can do and size difference, given my other SA is an HP 141T (w/track.gen).. that thing is a beast.
Thank you for doing this comparison. I too have the Nano VNA but had nothing to test it against. Its performance is better than I expected.
Awesome comparison .. Love it. After buying 2-3 LCR meters and Kelvin probes, I found out that I could use this little thing to measure inductance values I usually have problems with .. like under 1uH. .. i.e. 5 turns on a T37-6. And more to the point I already owned a H4. Thank you.
Great informative video. Not everybody can afford to have HP equipment on their workbench. As a ham radio operator, this little guy fits my needs to the T. I do have a spectrum analyzer w/tracking generator, but I could not pass up purchasing the NanoVNA H4. I mostly use it for checking insertion losses and attenuation. I read how the little Nano works using harmonics. I guessed anything above 1 Ghz would be questionable. My plan was not to use it above 500 mhz.
The 50 ohm load that came with the unit was not 50 ohms. I replaced that right away. It wasn't too far off, but the higher you go in frequency, the more influence it had.
For $89, the little Nano is a very useful tool. It sure beats spending $40,000 plus.
Thanks for posting such a great video. It was really interesting to watch.
Barry, KU3X
Frequency absolute inaccuracy (1 MHz) of HP8510B is due to the use of a YIG SOURCE (which is NOT synthesized) instead of the regular HP8340 family of Frequency Synthesizers... When measuring differences, such as phases, this is not so important.Anyway, not so bad for a low cost toy...regards from Italy.
I thought so too, my friend tested the generator and it was fine. the error must be in the VNA marker calibration so something.
Woe, the little fellow is quite capable!
Nano is great up to 300-ish MHz, once it switches to harmonics mode trouble starts. If you got your H4 from Hugen there are published coefficients for his calibration standards that you can use with NanoVNA Saver and get better results. BTW, when a trace is outside of Smith chart, that usually means there is something wrong with the measurement.
I noticed the HP VNA calibrates many more parameters than the nano.
@@IMSAIGuy I believe that the HP VNA is a full 2 port device so it has to apply full calibration to both ports.
@@galileo_rs Yes that's true. It also seemed to have some calibration steps that I didn't understand. Maybe related to the two ports
Any chance you can show a video of how to update the firmware to the latest DisLord firmware.
Any chance you might sell some of your test boards as kits or plain boards? Those crappy connectors on the available demo bds really stink. Thanks for the great comparison and looking forward to the next iteration.
boards are here: github.com/imsaiguy/NANOVNA-Demo-Board-SMA
Can the SAA2N be treated in the same manner as the H4 (firmware etc.) or is the H4 different?
I actually wanted the H4 (because the N-connectors are so bulky for test-bench use) but at the time of purchase, they were not available.
Anyway, thanks for doing the comparison video. 73...
Sorry I don't know, maybe there is a viewer that can answer this.
The fact that a professional user with access to "real" VNAs actually uses the NanoVNA for at least some work purposes is an enormous endorsement. BTW did you make use of his 8510 to characterize your cal set at higher frequencies than 1.5GHz? Wouldn't hurt to see how they perform way up there for future purposes. 😁
No, I did once have him test one of my SMA loads to 18GHz so I know that is good. I also tested a dummy load I made so I know how far I can use that. didn't test the sma female open and short as he did not have a good cal set for that.
Hey you hit 10,000 subscribers
always cool to see these old HP analyzers still in use, but are you seriously using an 8350 as your source as opposed to an 8340 or 8360? the specs are so loose on the 8350 measurements could be miles off from what they really are
thank you
The errors in the high end come from the fact that the Nano is pushing it hard to the limit....For such a small device it is rocksteady....Specially given its price...
I have the same one.
Extraordinary, two videos in one day. Very interesting . Thanks for the look.