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| Reviews Summary for mRS miniVNA 0.1-180Mhz |
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Reviews: 15
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Average rating: 4.6/5
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MSRP: $315 or 240 Euro
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Description: * Frequency coverage 0.1Mhz to 180MHz
* DDS Generator with 0 dBm output
* 2 Ports allow Transmission Measurements e.g. filters, traps
* USB1.1 and USB2 compatibility
* RS232 optional socket for Pocket PC`s or Remote Displays
* Fast Scan (typical 0.6 sec for 500 points)
* Use of an internal Industrial Directional Coupler
* High Reflection Dynamic Range 40dB to 35dB (VSWR 1.06:1 or better)
* Wide Transmission Dynamic Range > 50-55dB
* Measures VSWR, RL, Rs, Z +/-jx, Phase, Cable lenght, R/L/C
* Finds Minimum VSWR automatically
* New transparent box with LED indicators for the operation status
* In-Circuit-Programming for future firmware onboard CPU upgrades
* Operation from 3.6V Phone Batteries possible (current drawn <150mA)
* Software compatible with Windows and Linux operating systems.
* Save and Load of previous measurements
* Software for Pocket PC available
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More info: http://www.miniradiosolutions.com/
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write your own review of the mRS miniVNA 0.1-180Mhz.
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HB9OAY
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 7, 2009 01:29
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A must to have!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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When I got it and used it, after an Ham-friend tryed to persuade me to buy one for almost one year, my first thought was: I should have bought it before!
Pros: all listed below, because the graphic interface allow you to have the best picture on how the antenna (or filter) act and from that picture, is much easyer to figure out how to made changes when needed.
Cons: SW, the original one shows its limits after a couple of measure, but third party SW (especially from F4CLB) do the job better .. and are included in the original CD (so, not a real con).
This miniVNA has the best price/performance ratio on the market!
73
Mauro - HB9OAY
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IEP
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 13, 2009 16:27
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WOW
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I must preface my following statements. I am a new HAM General Class April, 09. I am a beginner antenna experimenter. I have never owned an analyzer prior to the miniVNA. Now for the comments.
WOW! Before my eyes I saw clearly the pertenant information from my antennas. I was transfixed as I brought in my tuner and saw first hand inductance (freq.) and capacitance (Q) at work in real time. I also saw secrets of my antennas that only a picture could describe.
I can only think that time will allow me to verify the miniVNA performance, but what I know now is that when I build my 160 meter inverted T I will see my changes in real time and will be able to better understand the words in the ARRL antenna book that I've been pouring over for a couple of months now. Isn't technology great?
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G8JNJ
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 17, 2009 09:08
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Good in the workshop
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I have owned a Mini VNA for about a year and have found it to be an immensely useful workshop tool, especially for measuring the performance of baluns and other antenna related items.
For the price the performance is very good, and the size of the unit makes it very portable and easy to carry around with a laptop PC, especially as it is powered via the USB port.
I had some problems making measurements when I initially started using the unit, but I soon realised that the USB connecting cable was forming part of the device under test (this is true of all analysers which add extra cables into the equation). The problem was mimimised by adding a large number of clip-on ferrites to the USB cable.
I find that I use Zplots software more than miniVNA or IG miniVNA as it allows imports from EZNEC which is quite useful for comparison purposes.
The downsides ? Accuracy is not as good as it could be due to a limited calibration method. Impedance measurements tend to be limited to a maximum of about 2K ohms. Strong signals from broadcast stations can corrupt measurements when connected to large antennas (especially on 160m).
Generally I’d recommend the unit as a workshop tool, especially as it can be used to measure gain and loss in addition to impedance, which is very useful when building items such as amplifiers and filters.
However if you are serious about antenna construction, and not to bothered about being able to measure through loss, then I’d go for the Array Solutions AIM 4170B, which is much more accurate under ‘real world’ conditions. This is especially important when building matching networks or trying to phase multiple antennas correctly.
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K1KP
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 4, 2009 05:47
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Incredibly Useful Tool!!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I bought my miniVNA 3 months ago, and it is one of the most useful tools in the shack. It gets used almost every day. It has proven to be very accurate and easy to use. It has many more uses than I imagined. Here’s a partial list of things I have used it for:
-Diagnosing antenna problems
-Checking performance of rebuilt antennas
-Monitoring antenna performance periodically after installation
-Measuring feedline losses
-Finding defective feedline adapters
-Sweeping out and aligning bandpass filters
-Signal generator for aligning receivers
It is very easy to use. There are at least 3 freeware software packages available to operate it – I prefer IGminiVNA. There is also a user group on Yahoo. The software provides a complete sweep of SWR, Return Loss, Phase, MagZ, etc as a function of frequency. You can define the frequencies you want to see or use the predefined band limits. The plots can be saved for later comparison.
I highly recommend this most useful tool.
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TANAKASAN
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 16, 2008 13:32
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You Get What You Pay For
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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This unit is OK but you get what you pay for.
1) My unit has a calibration error and frequency measurement is 4.2 KHz out. This can be zeroed out using the software but it doesn't take account of drift.
2) There's no manual and if you don't know how to interpret parts of the display then you need to hit the Yahoo forum.
3) Some antenna measurements have a very noisy display due to reception of broadcast signals.
4) It's in a plastic case with no RF shielding.
Tanakasan
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OK1RR
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Rating: 2/5
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Dec 5, 2007 06:16
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#4 still alive!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is my second review of my #004. The hardware works as expected but the software is a bottleneck. Still no Linux support, the announced JC's Linux software does not work and its development stopped a long time ago. I wonder if the manufactirer will stimulate the Linux software development. Therefore my 2 rating - the miniVNA really does need help!
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FRASER
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 26, 2007 07:25
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Amazing value and performance
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I had a need for a simple VNA for frequency response tests on amplifiers, filters, feeders and antennas. I could not find a built unit anywhere near the price in Europe. Building one was an option but was more expensive. The MiniVNA fitted my requirements perfectly. I can now plot the required frequency responses with ease and carry out real-time adjustments in a Shack or Field deployment.
The small size of the MiniVNA is far more convenient than my bench mounted Spectrum Analyser and Tracking Generator. This unit also blows away my MFJ259 antenna analyser. Graphical displays of SWR etc. are a joy to use.
The 100kHz to 180 MHz 0dBm DDS output makes a very useful and accurate CW signal generator when set to fixed frequency mode and combined with a suitable attenuator.
I can recommend this unit to anyone with a similar requirement to mine and accepts that it is a simple VNA with an excellent price point / performance ratio. It would be unfair to compare it to the expensive offerings of HP and the like.
The software is adequate for the task and there is good 3rd party software support including DOS and Linux varients :-) I had the miniVNA up and running within 10 minutes of unpacking it.
I recommend that any purchaser of this product join the miniVNA Yahoo Group where they will find plenty of information and help.
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VA7DH
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 18, 2007 16:16
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A useful RF tool with some limitations
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I would give the miniVNA a 5 but for one snag that I just ran into. I was trying to sweep a Buxcomm 7 band OCF antenna. I had already used an MFJ259 to see how well the antenna would match up on the areas of interest on different bands. I fired up the miniVNA on the antenna and instead of getting a nice trace on my PC saw a lot of noise. I live at the edge of Victoria BC and can only assume that I was seeing a lot of QRM from commercial radios of all types. I couldn't get a decent trace. I decided to run the antenna through my B&W VS300A antenna tuner. I tuned up on the various bands with that using the tuner as a preselector. It cleaned the trace up quite nicely. Unfortunately the tuner masked the antenna VSWR. I was concerned about that possibility when I bought the miniVNA. RF noise areound a city is just a fact of life. I can still check out 2m and 6m antennas reasonably well. I can also use the minVNA to tune filters, that sort of thing. I guess if I want to tune up dipoles I will have to take them with me out in the country where strong RF isn't present. So, buyer beware. This could be a problem for you and could be for most antenna analyzers in a similar situation. I'm not disappointed in it overall. It's still a fine tool. You just need to be aware of its limitations.
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SM0GAW
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 22, 2007 01:34
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Great VNA
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Before I didn’t know what I did and I didn’t see what I did . With the VNA I saw what I did and I started to understand antennas. The very best antenna learning tool I have seen!! I have both versions and I am very happy with them. With screenshots you can rather exact compare antennas before and after and keep a copy of your antenna data. If something happen to the antenna or coax you can see that by comparing data.
This instrument was for 10 years ago 20 kg of equipment 220 V to a price of 50 to 100 000$
I am convinced this instrument is one of the best and cheapest on the market.
Order one (mini) greatVNA today and you will never regret that step. It is the best buy you ever have done for your shack.
A big thanks to all involved in the development
Best regards
SM0GAW
Curt
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IZ3ATV
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 17, 2006 00:48
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Analyze me please!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I own #282 and I'm using it connected to a low-cost VIA C3 notebook.
I started measuring antennas and other items around my shack and ended recalibrating s-meter readings of my olfd IC-725 with help of a couple of attenuators.
I agree with some criticism about software and phase measure readings, BUT miniVNA is the best buy for my hobby EVER.
What I can confirm is that this analyzer worth much more it costs and in my opinion is a must-have. It can improve your homebrewing a huge.
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