Which Antenna Analyzer Should You Get?
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Tuning Ham Stick Dipoles; How To Upload Your FT8 Log To POTA; What Antenna Analyzer Should You Get?
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I have a Hamstick 80 meter dipole due to a small backyard. It has been a great antenna for years. I tuned the side that the coax attaches to then adjusted the ground side appropriately the same. Best thing is it’s an 80 meter rotatable dipole.
Hi Mike, I and a friend saw you at the Dayton Hamvention today. It was great meeting you and talking with you. We will be back tomorrow to volunteer in the flea market. Thanks for the free equipment you gave us, we appreciate it.
Regarding hamstick dipoles. I've used vertical hamsticks for quick setups but like hamstick dipoles for POTA. I build my own mounts, both dipole and quad mounts, and would advise tuning to start with making both the same length then adjust both, doesn't matter which you start with, to be the same length until you find the frequency you want. Yes it's a pain in the butt because they have such a narrow Q but once you lock them in use the sharpie to mark them. A friend suggested I try a capacitance matcher to help with tuning once you get the whips set so I tried an MFH909 matched and got a 1.5:1 down to a 1.1:1 on the upper bands. I have the hamsticks from 10 to 12 ft off the ground and have had really good results with this system. This setup works best for digital modes where frequency changes are rare but possible. Thanks for another great video!
The ability to hang the stick pro at the antenna feedpoint and check with your phone is the best feature, you get a true reading without any feedline dark magic skewing the readings.
That sounds great for tuning loop antennas!
I have the comet caa500 antenna analyzer and it works great. 70cm -160m
1:16 One of my first ever antenna projects was building a fleet of hamstick dipoles for every HF band. Still have them and they’re pretty cool but narrow banded and don’t really compare to bigger better wire antennas, verticals etc. but definitely handy for a quick portable setup. To tune them I always moved the whips in and out equally on both sides. Just checked the length of each with a tape measure every time I made an adjustment. Seemed to work just fine for me.
I tried using a hamstick dipole on 80 meters when I lived in an apartment and didn't know what I was doing. I wanted to get on the air for a contest. Surprise, it didn't work, even with a manual tuner. I think I eventually ended up just tossing both of the hamsticks in the garbage.
@@ku4uv the ham sticks are very narrow banded and the lower you go in frequency, the worse it gets. They’re “ok” and you can hear stations but I’ve found they don’t always hear you great. Tuners will tune them but doesn’t make your signal any better getting to the other stations. Just makes your radio happy with SWR and that’s it.
@LaymansSurvival on my vehicle (i say my vehicle because it sounds like the shape of the ground plane dramatically changes performance), I use a manual tuner with the 40 meter ham stick because it's a bit narrow otherwise. 20 is just wide enough to cover the general portion under 1.5:1 at the edges and 1.2:1 in the center. My 17 and and 10 meter ham sticks are wide and flat and cover the entirety of the general portion from end to end under 1.2:1
I have tuned many sets of hamstick dipoles for myhome brew Octopus antenna mount (4 bands). The trick I use is to always start by tuning BOTH sides to the same length, and moving them in or out by the same amount til I get the lowest SWR. Since my setup puts the mount up 18', the longer wavelengths will not tune perfectly. Then I use the OCF dipole trick and move one side out 1/3, and the other side in 2/3. This reduces feedpoint impedance and makes for a better match. NVIS on the long wavelengths sure, but it works pretty well.
For what it’s worth, I’ve only ever calibrated my NanoVNA once, and as far as I can tell it works just fine across all frequencies without recalibration.
NanoVNAs are to cheap as to be recognized as a real good tool👍🇨🇭
Have the newest. AURSINC NanoVNA V3 NanoRFE VNA6000 Vector Network Analyzer 50kHz-6GHz. Works great. It is important to calibrate depending on the hardware setup. That is the reason MFJ uses hardware switches. Each setup is calibrated to that frq band.
If ordering MFJ hamsticks, definitely buy the adjustable whips to screw in the top, instead of having to trim the fixed ones that come with them. MFJ-1963 I believe is the one. Just make sure it's the one that screws into the existing thread on the hamstick.
I have a Stick Pro too. It's quite good. I like too that I can connect to it from my phone or tablet of computer over bluetooth or USB to have a larger screen.
I also have a nano VNA. You talk about having to calibrate it for different frequencies. Yes, but you can save those calibrations in on board files to load for each frequency range you may want to use.
Nano VNA is a must, it’s cheap, add the RigExpert 55 for easy HF if you are in the field a lot and call it a day… If you’re building and designing get real tools, an actual VNA and SpecAn, Siglent makes some decent affordable gear, HP / Agilent / Keysight if you have the budget…
Antscope on your desktop is nice. I have connected it to my desktop computer, and trimmed my antenna while testing through the coax in my house. I do that by taking my tablet out to the antenna, and VNC'ng back into my desktop. It's nice for maintenance, or real world tweaking.
Obviously get a NanoVNA, (if you do microwave, get an Ultra,) because it can not only do much more, it's much cheaper. Duh. The antenna analyzer companies are fighting for their business lives because of the NanoVNA, but a few hams on UA-cam getting free gear won't change reality. That reality is $60, vs $450 for something that does less. Go figure. A NanoVNA, a Tiny SA, an Ankong 1C15 scope, a used function generator from eBay, and a multimeter are a nearly complete electronics lab in your pocket for LESS than the price of that 1 antenna analyzer. He puts the disclaimer at the end, "If saving a couple hundred bucks [nearly $400] is worth it to you," - then get a NanoVNA.
I have a commercial VNA, a nanoVNA, and still looking to get a Rig Expert because it is a task specific unit that is easier to use. Rig Expert is especially interesting to me when I am up on my roof fiddling with an antenna or traveling. nanoVNA is cool and cheap....but not easy and terrible at higher frequencies.
I have a youkits analyzer that works well for me. It has been my only analyzer since they came out. I will be buying a rig expert stick pro once I clean out my shack in some up coming hamfests.
You have the East end of Catalina Island on your desktop. Thanks for the great vids Mike.
Yes I do! It’s actually just my Macs default background.
@K8MRD. Mike, I'm over there as often as I can. One day, I'll take a radio and call CQ IOTA.
🏖🏝Ft-891, Dx Commander, 200' cliff, low takeoff, 25 miles of saltwater due East. Mmmmmmmm. Sorry, I was dreaming. 🏝🏖
AD6DB
Great video like usual.
I had a Comet it is a great analyzer but traded it for a Rig Expert Zoom. Much more accurate and easier to use. Before the Comet I had a MFJ-259 but it was terrible with a hand effect that made it nearly impossible to use. And of course the battery were always dead when I need to use it.
I have used hamstick dipoles. I don't recommend them for bands below about 20 meters, they just won't load good, even with a tuner. If you can them to load, they are extremely narrow-banded on the lower bands. I would start with equal lengths, and then trim or lengthen from there. Much like you described in the video.
Can’t go wrong with a RigExpert. I have the Stick Pro.
When doing a Ham stick dipole tune the side that is connected to the centre conductor of your coax then the other side . I have a problem with uploading log files . First I save them in file ladled Porn 1 or 2 so forth. then I upload them the way you suggested but they keep getting rejected. Do you have any other suggestions 😆😆.. I had an MFJ 269 analyser but sold it because I need the money. I am looking for a NANO VNA but there are so many to choose from . Any particular brand is best ? ...
iusing a shark antenna on a mobile mag mount i need a good analyzer for 6 meter and hf and recommendations
you might enjoy looking at the mini1300.
Hmm, I bought the Rig Expert 230zoom, it worked great until it stopped turning on, unless it was plugged in. I bought it direct from the US supplier and paid full retail, however, it was new to the market so they said. I called them about the problem and was told what it was a manufactures defect. Then they told me, because it was 37 days past the warranty I would have to pay for the shipping to / from Calf, and the repair. The unit works great when I plug it in, but I'm not always near an outlet. I would not buy another due to the problem with the US company.
My 35 zoom died just out of warranty. Screen went crazy. Same issues getting it repaired. Great analyzer, untill it isn't.
@@thed8229 I was pissed when he told me a defect, and I had to pay to fix it.
So glad I just bought the MFJ 233 😩
We use an MFJ 269 on our loop antenna behind the custom made tuner .. it does not make enough RF to get a proper reading. we are forced to us an IC-718 on low power with a stock SWR meter to tune the antenna. On spec that analyzers so not show it their RF output .. do you have any hints on which one has the most RF output?
I'm pretty sure I'm going to get the Comet unit. It just looks easier to use and understand. I'm new to HF radio (and 78 years young). The aging brain can only do so much - ha. I understand the RigExperts seem to do a lot more things, but I think I can sneak by with the Comet. Thanks for your opinion.
Thinking about Comet too.
Great video thank you. Antenna analyser. COMPLETE NEWBIE on a budget. I have a JNCRadio CS-818 auto tuner on the way with built in SWR and power meter to run with my FT-818ND. Am I going to need an analyser out of the gate if I’m not fabricating my own antennas? At what point should I consider buying an analyser? Other than those you mentioned any others that should be on my newbie radar? Thank you in advance..!
That's tough to say. For me, I got an analyzer pretty early on. But I was able to trade a microphone for it so it was a pretty good deal. But I got a $350 analyzer out of it so that was pretty awesome. I got into making antennas very early on as well. So do you "need" one, no. But they sure do come in handy when you want to diagnose a problem with feed line or your antenna. There's probably not a week that goes by that I don't use an analyzer for something, but again, I'm into building antennas so it's very necessary for me. Keep in mind, a tuner will only get you so far. The less resonant your antenna is, the more transformation the tuner needs to do to make your radio happy, and the more loss you will experience. So while it may look like you have a good SWR at the radio, everything else is going to be just as bad is it is. With what you have, I'd say you should be ok for now though.
@@hamradiotube Thank you Sir for the guidance. I will research some more and put it on my radar screen after getting more of the basic essentials sorted.
Does the aa35 rig runnrt. Work on on 2 met
I have tuned a ham stick dipole. They tune the same as a regular dipole. I am VERY careful to keep both sides exactly the same length. I unscrew the whips and make sure the tuning stubs are at thje same height on every tune. Moving both tuning stubs the same for both whips. The SWR will not come in if they are different lengths on both sides. 60m Hamstick dipole. Great way to get on 60m ;)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights (?) I am in process of rebuilding my QTH and mobile stations. Yes using Ham Sticks hopefully vertical and as Dipoles I have MFH 259 ( available 4 sale) analyzer, RIG Expert AA 55 ( Also 4 sale) .just ordered Rig Expert Pro with Bluetooth included so to use with AntScope software. Have you used AntScope ? ?
73 Steve AA4SH
Just go for a NanoVNA. More detailed Z = R + JX analysis and much much cheaper than the MFJ/RigExpert old school analyzers.
Sharpies RULE for tuning!!!
Friends don't let friends buy MFJ!
what are you printing in the background?
Gonna have to get me antenna analyzer so my emcomm antennas are at peak performance
Comet caa500 is brilliant. Walters & stanton radio in the uk have done a youtube review on them.
Thanks Mike.
No grid dip meter in your assortment?🙄
I like my mfj249 they work in the Sun unlike my vna, cannot see the display.
Right side first in northern hemisphere surely? The ZLs and VKs go left side (sinister but required). Their moon is upside down as a result. Rig Expert is a Ukrainian company and so good to support them right now - the Antscope software is great with them too. Good stuff Mike as usual.
Thanks helped
You need that program if you are doing a 2-fer or the second log will be rejected as a duplicate
You Are AWESOME!!!!!!
Nothing beats NanoVNA.
The VNA has the most bang for the buck and it’s easy to use. Looks like rig expert is propping you up a little bit.
so what about when you dont have a shitton of money but need an analyzer? 15mhz to 100mhz. just want to tune antenna, be able to swap radios out without having to worry about SWR , $130 and less.
50$ nano vna
Stick pro hands down for the money
How about the Mini1300? From personal exp, if your Rig Exp pukes out of warranty it's as fun as eating sand trying to get it fixed. 😂
On the floor behind your right shoulder… Is that a banana peel or are you just happy to see us?
Cat toy?
Why is there a banana on the floor ? Is it a special 50 Ohm Dipolar Banana ?
I wish it were something that cool. It's a cat toy filled with catnip.
Hamstick dipoles are a bad idea. We use hamsticks because they are quick and easy and inexpensive. When you make a dipole with them you lose all these advantages. Tuning hamsticks in dipole configuration can be a nightmare. They are too low to the ground for anything other than NVIS propagation. Furthermore, you need 2 of them and a special mount, so you lose the price advantage. Stick with vertical for quick & easy and best DX. I've reached Greece and Ukraine to the east and Alaska and the entire west coast using ground-mounted hamsticks with a few radials for POTA in Connecticut.
is that a bananna peel on your floor. Dude, your gonna poke your out slipppin on that thing. lol
Mike, we need to see you tune a 2200m antenna 😆
Exactly! He said meters but meant megahertz. Would like to see him tune more antennas. Time to find another POTA antenna, but maybe not one costing over $500.00.
Stik Pro or any Rig Expert product. Buy RE once. Work it forever.
RigExpert