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| Reviews Summary for mRS miniVNA 0.1-180Mhz |
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Reviews: 28
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Average rating: 4.2/5
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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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Product is in production.
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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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EI3GD
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 6, 2013 15:28
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Very handy
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Decided on the MiniVNA over the MFJ portable version.
Best decision I've made in a while. The MiniVNA is very versatile and CAN be used with an iPad. Just download Teamviewer app and you can have your PC desktop on the iPad, from there it's simple to use the miniVNA remotely.
The is also third party software for the miniVNA that is easy to use and works a treat.
Readings can be saved and plotted to PDF or JPG for reference or explaining issues on forums.
Antenna tuning is a delight when you can see the whole band.
And if you need reactance, return loss, distance to fault, cable length measurement, cable impedance measurement etc then it's all in one box.
Highly recommended to antenna builders.
73's
Ray
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VA7ION
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 15, 2012 12:20
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does the job
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Bought it many years ago. Highly recommend you "transplant" the device in an aluminum enclosure; I assume the bad rep comes from the inability of the plastic box it comes mounted in, to keep the rf out, and the digital noise in. I live close by to an AM station, and before the "transplant" it was basically useless by been overwhelmed by noise: could not do a decent measurement. Same with the incredible strong digital noise coming out of the box, so unless you shield it in a new aluminum enclosure, don't expect any decent performance. Software is good, and the product does what's expected to do. I would rate it 2 if left in the plastic box, and a 5 if you decide to take the time and make an aluminum enclosure.
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G6UWK
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 18, 2012 01:27
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does the job
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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My MiniVNA has opened up a new world to me, the parameters available to see and the effects being visible has certainly piqued my enthusiasm and desire to learn more.
Others have said that the manual is rubbish. Well I notice that the latest version is 126 pages long with lots of screen dumps showing the points described.
When I bought my MiniVNA it was the same price as the MFJ-259B and I personally felt that the lack of portability was more than made up for with the information and detail that the unit could provide.
In its simplest form it is nice to do a check on antennas from the shack to see if they deteriorate over time. At it's best it gives a very detailed set of information which I am slowly starting to get my head round.
I would suggest buying a short bnc-bnc 50 ohm patch lead for calibration. It would be nice to have calibrated test plugs as well but if you want to do this it is not that difficult.
It makes the SWR meter if not redundant then just an object to see needles moving as you talk.
Jon
G6UWK
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W3ACO
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 9, 2012 10:31
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Much better
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This is my second review. After 9 months I did get a replacement unit thru W4RT. I also got an apology. The second unit is working as advertised. I am using Software V2.33. I have a problem with the latest revision. Otherwise its working fine.
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NA6MA
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Rating: 3/5
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Sep 20, 2011 20:08
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Useful instrument, inadequate manual
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased the instrument approximately 1 year ago. It is a useful device and allows me perform various measurements.
Unfortunately, the user manual is marginal at best. I like good and detailed user manuals. This one is not. Possibly, the reason for the inadequate manual is that it was written by the developer of the miniVNA who is very familiar with the device and assumes that users are just as familiar.
Also, the company fails to reply to user’s questions. I submitted two questions and never received an answer. This is the main reason for my 3 rating. A better manual would have earned a 5 rating.
For the price, they should have better manual and support.
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K0TF
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Rating: 0/5
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Aug 30, 2011 09:32
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Unsupported junk...
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I got "PRO" version for x-mas last year. wasn't able to make it work at all on XP sp3 machine. Support nonexistent, software... alpha releases at best, not acceptable for commercial product with quite high price tag. Bottom line, I just smacked damn thing against the brick wall. BTW feel much much better now...:-D
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KE7SA
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Rating: 5/5
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May 30, 2011 14:12
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The new miniVNA Pro with the SMA connectors
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Just got back from Dayton Hamvention a few days ago and unpacked my treasures. The miniVNA Pro was the first to check out. If you're new to what a VMA is or does, I recommend you study up on that first as the user's guide is a little vague and assumes you have used one before. Being a retired professional RF engineer used to working with top end lab and field equipment, I am very impressed. Install the drivers and the software, plug it in, set the COM port and the device model and then calibrate via the window in three button pushes. Then save the calibration setting to a file. Took a test drive for about an hour to understand the software and how it works. I've spent the last day or so measuring every antenna and feed line I have. Quickly found my tri-band beam needs a tweak and found two less than good coax cables to the VHF-UHF radio antenna. I had used a borrowed MFJ-269B but the readings were not repeatable and did not have a sweep function. Measurements are now repeatable with the miniVNA. At the time of purchase, there were only 3 units left, in 1 minute they were all sold and I got the last one. That was a close call. Looking forward to the Expander that will take the VNA to 1.5 GHz. They said that it should be available this fall. It's already on my list. Now on to test some filters and RF beads and torroids for a project. I highly recommend this product.
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G8NLY
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 7, 2011 12:36
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Brilliant!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Made sure I got a decent [class 1] bluetooth dongle for remote use [antennas 15m from shack, wanted to remove cable effects from the measurements], this is a great little VNA. Took my time [half an hour!] to learn the basics, I am finding it a nice piece of test equipment, with a good battery life!
I am also using this as a signal source [up to 0 dBm] very reliable, stable and repeatable for frequency and power output in this mode.
Worth the short amount of time needed to learn to use it properly
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QRPNEW
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Rating: 2/5
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Feb 1, 2011 12:40
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Poor documentation
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The manual is terrible with little information on how to use this instrument in the real world.
As an example the only practical example given is for measuring simple inductors. I can do that with a dip meter and dont need to spend 500 dollars to do this. This is the only example of how to use the instrument in the manual! Buy a VNA to measure an inductor very smart Batman!
Sure you can do basic things like VSWR and impedance sweeps. However I can do this with my LP100 and several other analyzers for much less money.
Any advantage over a simple analyzer like the MFJ269 will never be realized because the manual is so bad.
I agree with other reviewers about the calibration procedure which is very poorly documented.
The manual just waffles on about calibration however does not explain what files are needed for complete accuracy across its frequency range.
The writer who wrote this manual is obviously the designer who understands everything and who feels that he does not have to explain anything to the end user!
The software has many features which are not working, and it is the most primitive software that I have come across in a long time. It has included a very odd assortment of utilities that can be got off the internet for free!
The blue-tooth is very unreliable and buggy. It wont work with most standard bluetooth adapters because of the dual serial port configuration problem.
In short if you new to the VNA world I would suggest you buy a product that has a better manual because you will need it. There is a Yahoo group however that appears to be dead and has very little information because there are so few users.
The PROMINIVNA has great potential, it is however let down by its poor manual and software.
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K1KP
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 21, 2011 10:59
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Actually it does work with Win 7
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This extremely useful tool can be made to work with Win7. The problem is not with the device but with all the changes thrown in by Bill Gates. It takes some fiddling with the serial/usb driver, and you need to always 'run as administrator' but it does work. I find this my #1 RF tool in the shack.
-I use it for sweeping filters
-I run an SWR plot on my antennas on a regular basis to watch for changes due to wx, degradation, coax problems, etc.
-I use it as a precision signal source
-I use it to measure feedline loss
And on and on it goes. As useful for RF as a DVM or VTVM is for DC.
If you need help figuring out how to use it, check out the Yahoo Group for it.
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