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Reviews For: NanoVNA-F

Category: Antenna Analyzers

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Review Summary For : NanoVNA-F
Reviews: 4MSRP: Expect $130 - $150 from China
Description:
This is a completely different VNA. This VNA has a 4.3" screen
Product is in production
More Info:
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0044
K4GTE Rating: 2021-10-04
Works As Advertised Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Works as advertised, great price, but not near as user friendly as my Rigexpert.
KN4ZVJ Rating: 2021-10-04
Great test instrument for the money Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought this NanoVNA-F last year, mostly to help tune antennas, check VSWR on various terminations and check cables. It was only $101 on Ebay at that time. I've been very happy with it and use it all the time. The manual is not the best and the touchscreen is hard to use; otherwise it works great. In fact, I am happy enough with it that I would rate it a 5, except for the touchscreen which can be irritating at times, so I rated it a 4. I have found mine to correlate well with my other SWR meters. It came nicely packaging with a case and a calibration test set.
G8FXC Rating: 2020-09-01
Not perfect, but very powerful.... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've been trying to tune up a multi-band HF vertical and the interactions between the various elements was making it very tedious. I had been reading about the various NanoVNAs and decided to give one a try. Following research on the web, I decided to go for the F model because of the larger screen and the metal case. I didn't want to wait for multiple weeks for it to arrive from China, so I purchased through Amazon from a vendor who promised that their stock is genuine Deepelec products.

It arrived promptly and certainly seems to be the real thing. The supplied instructions are rather superficial although they are written in decent English. But there is a lot of information out on the web and I soon had it configured and calibrated. I hooked it up to my antenna and very quickly got a detailed plot of its characteristics and tuning. I was quickly able to adjust the various coils and elements and get it tuned properly to all the bands that are of interest to me.

So, why is it "not perfect"? Well, the measurement functions are excellent and the screen is large and clear, but the touch screen and buttons need work. This is a common problem - read posts on the user forum and you will find many reports of these problems. No matter how carefully you calibrate the screen, the touch functionality is pretty hit-and-miss. The operation of the buttons is equally unpredictable. I don't believe that this is a hardware problem - I have experience of developing similar hardware running under FreeRTOS and the behaviour smacks of some shortcomings in the interrupt handling code in the firmware. This is an early release of the firmware and I hope that the developers will improve it over time.

The current behaviour of the user interface is, undoubtedly, irritating at times and I am sure that some would find it unacceptable. I've adjusted to it - and I can cope with it. At a little over £100, it delivers functionality that would cost ten times that - or more - for a second hand laboratory grade instrument. If you spend much of your time measuring RF circuits and antennae, then this is probably not the device for you. But if, like me, you will end up using it for a couple of hours, two or three times per year, then it seems like a no-brainer - put up with the shortcomings of the interface and save hundreds of pounds.
N4UE Rating: 2019-11-17
Great upgrade from the 2.8" version Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased the 2.8" Gecko model VNA a month or so ago. It is a game changer when it comes to RF testing. I have a SA/TG in the shop but the original model was excellent. I purchased a 3D case for it as well.
Along comes the "F" model. Yes, it's more $ but it has that great 4.3" touch screen. Also, it has a metal case, etc.
These are not (yet) available from USA sellers. The 2.8" VNAs are even on Amazon and WalMart!!
Both model have on-going Firmware updates (almost daily) that continue to add to both devices capability.
TDR function just added.....

There are MANY of these 'F' models available on eBay.
My advise:
1. buy from a store with a LOT of sales and GREAT feedback
2. don't expect to get an 'F' model for $40
3. put a SMA F/M connector on the VNA to protect the threads. This requires a re-calibration. Yes, they are THAT sensitive!

It takes time to get through Customs (battery issue?) but you will be VERY happy with your new device.

Awesome little tools.

ron
N4UE