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write your own review of the VK5JST Aerial Analyzer.
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ZS1JHG
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 6, 2009 01:09
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Fun to build project
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This is a super project highly recommended and will produce an Analyzer that performs as well as the commercial units.Not a kit for first time builders unless you build with a Technically competent Ham.
For full details on the build see www.scribd/ZS1JHG
In summary :
The software is upgradeable and open source.
You can make repairs to your own analyzer
You can recalibrate your analyzer.
It’s a fun to build project producing a vital piece of test equipment at an affordable price.
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PA0RCL
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 9, 2009 11:06
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Great value for money
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought my VK5JST analyser from a fellow ham who no longer needed it, so my experience is confined to the use of the unit, not the actual building of the kit. For the invested money, it is a pretty accurate instrument because of the digital readout.
According to VK5JST his analyser is a simple tool comparable to a grid dip meter. This is a far too modest statement!
The only comment I have is about the coarse tuning as I find it a litte too coarse, whereas the fine tuning is a litte too fine in my opinion. Perhaps one day I will replace the unit's polyvaricon by a varicap, controlled by a 10-turn pot. Nonetheless, I give this analyser a five without any hesitation.
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VK2CU
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 11, 2009 06:23
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Works Well, Great Value!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Bought mine two years ago, and in that time I have tuned several HF antennas. This unit is easy to construct, works very well, and unlike some commercial competitors, you can make sure your quality control exists! Another advantage is that like an old Heathkit, if it breaks, you can fix it! I'm not saying all this just because it comes from a fellow VK, it really is a great product and far cheaper than any equivalent. If you have a licence, you can build this.
73's
Justin VK2CU
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G6CPZ
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Rating: 5/5
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May 9, 2009 09:42
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Excellent kit. Does what it says on the box.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have had a lot of kit building, & general constructing experience over the last 30 years, & this rates with the very best. My first thought was PROFESSIONAL. Well designed,with a well thought out pcb (I've seen some with more trackside wiring than topside due to poor design!!!). The whole experience from ordering to building to using was brilliant. It's a v.good piece of test equipment. Most of my thougts have already been written by others, so I will not repeat them.
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VK2FADZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 29, 2009 17:41
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Highly recommended
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This Antenna Analyser is a very useful device for a radio Ham. It is well designed and the PCB is of good quality, so constructing it is straight forward for an experienced solderer. A few tips of advice are:
(1) Test the connections on the rotary switch before soldering because the rotary switch can be different to that shown in the component overlay diagram.
(2) Before plugging in the Picaxe chip, check that the voltage at TP2 is double the voltage at TP3 and TP4, with a 50 Ohm resistor across the input terminals at 2 MHz. Also make sure that the voltages at TP2 ,TP3 and TP4 never exceed 4.7 Volts at the lowest frequency 1.3 MHz and higher frequency ranges by adjusting potentiometers P1 ,P2 and P3. Otherwise the Analogue to Digital Converter in the Picaxe chip can be damaged, resulting in erroneous impedance and SWR readings. I had to order a new Picaxe chip to get it working correctly.
(3) An electric drill will make completing this kit easier, to drill holes in the plastic case of the right size for the switches, input terminals and fine tuning potentiometer.
The Picaxe chip was delivered already loaded with the software. However, I found it was easy to connect the Picaxe chip (when plugged into the PCB) to the serial port of a PC using alligator clips. Then the software can be modified. I put my call sign alongside the battery voltage.
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PE2BZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 28, 2009 02:33
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Well Done !!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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It took me just 5 hours to build the kit and get it to work (including 1 hour to locate a misplaced diode who was reverse mounted by myself...)
If any kind of measurement tool is worth it's money it certainly is this kit.
Now, my shortwave antenna experiments are a lot more fun !!
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K7MDO
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 4, 2009 16:40
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Best kit in years!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Received my kit from SCARC.org.au in Australia just before Christmas. Got it together by New Years and am extremely happy with it, both as a kit and as a tool. Very easy build.
Some suggestions I have are to pop rivet the battery holders on the ouside bottom of the unit. This allows you to change the batteries without opening the case. Also add a chassis mount BNC or a -259 for direct attachment to your coax.
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PA0FRI
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 22, 2008 05:42
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Cleverly designed
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The designer calls this 'AERIAL ANALYSER' a simple tool with the accuracy of a grip dip meter. This is not doing justice to a cleverly designed piece of equipment. It compares favourably to many commercial analysers, even more so if one looks at the price – performance ratio. Most hams are mainly interested in low SWR @ 50 Ohm and take measurements to they can adjust aerials or antenna tuners in the HF region. At times they are interested to know the input and output impedance of broadband amplifiers.
This is one option to home-brew at a reasonable price is a very usable piece of equipment and it has a professional look when finished. If one puts the kit together without making any mistakes then it will work perfectly first time round. A bonus is that the schematic is supplied and you’ll know it functions on the inside. And then afterwards you may opt to apply below mentioned modifications.
The range can be extended above 31 MHz by letting the oscillator works up to 60 MHz. At the high end of those frequencies the output on TP1 is too low to obtain reliable and useful measurements. For up to 50 MHz it is an usable and a worthwhile extension.
If you have to choose between a RF1 analyser or rolling your own from this kit then the latter is the better option.
See for some mods:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~pa0fri/Diversen/VK5JST/Ant%20analyzereng.htm
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VK5LA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 8, 2008 17:47
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Just Brilliant!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've had mine for a couple of years now and I'm well pleased...The kit went together without any problems but you'll need to go slow and steady as it's not a first timers kit.
My unit is stable, accurate and the handiest piece of test gear I own. I have used it over and over for adjusting moxon's, loops, verticals and dipoles.
Like many others, I run mine from 10 2500mA AA cells and added a DC/charge jack, a 10 turn pot for the fine frequency adjustment, and an S0239 socket in addition to the Banana plugs to make the unit even more versatile.
The fact that this is a kit should make it a compulsory item that every new ham must build as a part of getting their license!
You will learn a lot about electronics and have a very useful piece of test gear at the end of it.
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KF7NN
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 19, 2007 09:56
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great product
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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came together nicely, although it soon lost the
program and would only display squares. I got the
software off the internet and reloaded the pic,
works good again! i also installed 10 nimh cells
and a charge jack, in addition i brought out the
serial port to a stereo jack to program it easily.
seems to be accurate as far as i can tell, at least the rig agrees. took me about 4 hours to complete.
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