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Reviews For: RigExpert AA-55 Zoom

Category: Antenna Analyzers

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Review Summary For : RigExpert AA-55 Zoom
Reviews: 25MSRP: 350.
Description:
Graphic antenna and cable analyzer. The analyzer is
designed for measuring SWR (standing wave ratio), return
loss, cable loss, as well as other parameters of cable
and antenna systems in the range of 60 kHz to 55 MHz.
Color display and USB interface to AntScope software.
Product is in production
More Info: https://rigexpert.com/products/antenna-analyzers/aa-55-zoom/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00254.6
K4TK Rating: 2021-12-06
should have got one long ago.... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Don't know why I waited all these years to get one of these? Now, I couldn't live without it. I use it not only in the house with my home station, but it is VERY useful when I go camping and set up my portable Buddipole antenna system. You know the drill, simply set up antenna....hit the button to graph the antenna SWR curve....and bingo, a plot you can look at and QUICKLY determine if you need to shorten or lengthen the antenna.

Of course, it has many more capabilities, like checking cables...a Smith Chart...etc. I got the one with the Bluetooth function (even though when I ordered, it said it would NOT have that feature). I've connected it to my laptop at home and used it with the Bluetooth function.

I've also used the SWR meter function. I got this from Gigaparts on sale for $238. For that price, hard to go wrong..........

I love the thing.........
N6BIZ Rating: 2020-10-05
Great Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought from HRO Anaheim on sale great price
My first analyzer
It’s too cool
Wish I would have bought one a long time ago
Great when making phasing lines
Nice to know how to read a smith chart too
KB2SMS Rating: 2020-10-05
My first analyzer, very easy to use! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After vacillating for a long time on which analyzer to buy I got the AA-55 ZOOM last week and what a great device! Very user intuitive. The screen is easy to read. One of the great features is the SWR2Air feature which allows you to use your 2m HT to hear if you're closing in on a perfect SWR reading. Instead of going back and fourth between the radio and your antenna you just listen for the short or long bursts sent by the Zoom to hear how close you are! Very short bursts you're close to perfect, long bursts you're way off. This saves a LOT of steps and time!

Setting the 2m frequency gave me fits at first but a quick email to Rig Expert got me a fast reply from Alex with clear instructions that worked great! That's great customer IMHO! Thanks again Alex!

I got this on sale for $264.95 at DX Engineering. I consider it a good deal. Try one out if you get the chance!

Tom - KB2SMS
W1SRD Rating: 2020-08-01
South Orkney Approved Time Owned: more than 12 months.
RigExpert kindly donated 2 for use at both VP6D and VP8PJ. When you are thousands of miles from the nearest FedEx, you need gear that is bullet proof reliable, easy to use and sophisticated enough to quickly trouble shoot complex problems. The RigExpert analyzers have performed perfectly and met the expedition needs without fail. I also personally own one and the ability to interface with the computer using AntScope2 allows me to keep a history of antenna performance and spot any drift from the baseline. Far more accurate than an SWR meter and easier to use than a VNA. Highly recommended for your toolkit.
K2BB Rating: 2020-01-31
Better than anything else I tried Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought one in Dayton a couple of years ago. I've been using some other antenna analyzer for many years, borrowed from a friend. That's the only reason why I did not buy the RigExpert sooner. The build quality is outstanding, the color display is much better than typical BW LCD.
I used it at home, building and tuning my antennas - HF and 50MHz. It also was used extensively in two our DXpeditions already - 5R8UM in 2018 and 5H3UA in 2019.
No problem at all - connect coax, turn it on, do a sweep and you have it right there - the chart, frequency of the minimum and SWR/R/X at that point. Edges od ham bands are highlighted. You can sweep whole spectum from 0 to 55 MHz... Good if you have multiband antenna like SpiderBeam... Zoom in, zoom out, move up and down the frequency, switch between SWR and R/X charts in a second.
These are the functions which everyone expects in such device.
It also has Smith charts and a bunch of cable tools, like tuning the stubs, checking the losses etc.
EY8MM Rating: 2019-11-30
Must have device! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am long time user of Rigexpert devices. We used RigExpert AA230PRO during VP8ORK expedition and I brought my personal one to FT5ZM trip.

For recent VP6R trip Rigexpert team donated two of RigExpert AA-55 Zoom devices. As we had two camps there we kept one device in each of them. It was so easy to handle antenna tuning/checking. We had to fix few antennas after storm so analyzers been used constantly.

After CQ WW SSB I went to re-tune our 80 and 160 m verticals back to CW part and it took me less than 10 minutes for both.

Those analyzers has so many other functions built in so in expeditions can replace full lab. My favorites are SWR and R/X charts with selected frequency range. It is instantly gives you full picture. When you under time pressure or in difficult weather conditions that is really matter. 73, Nodir EY8MM
SV2OYO Rating: 2019-10-19
Quality control sucks Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought it from a reseller.Came on my house.When i took it on my hands something was making noice..clinking when I was moving it.I opened battery cover a little screw came out!!! I was lucky that I didn’t operated because the screw could touch something and then?....A friend opened it saw from where screw was missing and tried to put it back...poor quality control
KM6VXX Rating: 2019-09-02
Love it! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This unit makes building Antennas as much fun as working the radio. I store the data on the computer and rescan my Antennas after storms. It takes less than five minutes to compare data on four Antennas. I have had loaned it out twice to Hams that wanted to better tune there systems. Both Hams went and got there own unit. Couldn't play radio without it.
K3ENV Rating: 2019-09-01
Great product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I ordered the Rig Expert after watching online videos about how to use the analyzer. I compared it to others and decided this was the one for me. I'm not an electronic engineer and wanted something that would be easy to use and understand. The documentation is also very well done. I'm very happy with the product. I hope the operator who's unit was dead out of the box got a prompt solution, I'm sure he won't be disappointed. I purchased mine through DX Engineering.
W6OU Rating: 2019-07-11
Failed out of the box Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
When I turned this brand new unit on, the screen turned bright but there was nothing on the screen. Lack of production quality testing.