NanoVNA: Low-cost handheld 4GHz vector network analyzer
1–10 of 72 posts
Re: NanoVNA: Low-cost handheld 4GHz vector network analyzer
#2Make sure you read the "beware of clones" section carefully. There are some real shysters out there. Even the official UK reseller of the "lesser" sub 1GHz NanoVNA has been caught shipping cloned crap that doesn't even pass self test or work properly on multiple occasions.
On to more optimistic things: these are really good. My neighbour is fairly deaf and has her television obnoxiously loud watching snooker until gone midnight. I asked her politely to turn it down before and was told to fuck off. So as it's on digital terrestrial broadcast TV and we have a shared antenna, I looked up the channel and frequency and set up a fairly narrow band sweep across it and connected the NanoVNA to my TV feed line. She got fed up after about 5 minutes of it cutting out every couple of seconds and turned her TV off.
That's not what I bought it for but that has been my favourite use so far. I originally purchased it to test some 70cm HT antennas.
Re: NanoVNA: Low-cost handheld 4GHz vector network analyzer
#3Having this device in college when I was doing E&M would have been an absolute game changer. The closest thing that existed was an MFJ antenna tuner for Ham Radio that only measured S11 at one frequency, and cost around $500. The next step up was to buy used equipment, which was four figures or more. Having something that goes to 1 GHz, does both S11 and S21, and only costs $50? Unreal.
Having used a modern VNA, the NanoVNA would feel cramped now... but still: E&M would have been so much easier to understand with one of these, and a few labs.
Re: NanoVNA: Low-cost handheld 4GHz vector network analyzer
#4Make sure you read the "beware of clones" section carefully. There are some real shysters out there. Even the official UK reseller of the "lesser" sub 1GHz NanoVNA has been caught shipping cloned crap that doesn't even pass self test or work properly on multiple occasions. On to more optimistic things: these are really good. My neighbour is fairly deaf and has her television obnoxiously loud watching snooker until go…
There's probably a market for a sub $1 "smart chip" that can be added to a design. Something that can be factory programmed with a unique serial number. To keep from being cloned, verification operation wouldn't be as simple as reading out the number. Instead, the chip would respond with some sort of hash. Similar to how Apple secures their SOCs.
The security wouldn't need to be perfect. Even something simple would be sufficient to deter an unscrupulous reseller.
Re: NanoVNA: Low-cost handheld 4GHz vector network analyzer
#5So what's the deal with the name "NanoVNA" being applied to like a dozen unrelated projects now?
Re: NanoVNA: Low-cost handheld 4GHz vector network analyzer
#6Make sure you read the "beware of clones" section carefully. There are some real shysters out there. Even the official UK reseller of the "lesser" sub 1GHz NanoVNA has been caught shipping cloned crap that doesn't even pass self test or work properly on multiple occasions. On to more optimistic things: these are really good. My neighbour is fairly deaf and has her television obnoxiously loud watching snooker until go…
There's probably a market for a sub $1 "smart chip" that can be added to a design. Something that can be factory programmed with a unique serial number. To keep from being cloned, verification operation wouldn't be as simple as reading out the number. Instead, the chip would respond with some sort of hash. Similar to how Apple secures their SOCs. The security wouldn't need to be perfect. Even something simple would b…
https://octopart.com/atsha204a-sshda-t-microchip-77761819?r=...
But the original would have to see it coming and put this in the design, AND maintain a registry of all the valid chip serials. No hobbyist wants that headache.
Re: NanoVNA: Low-cost handheld 4GHz vector network analyzer
#7Make sure you read the "beware of clones" section carefully. There are some real shysters out there. Even the official UK reseller of the "lesser" sub 1GHz NanoVNA has been caught shipping cloned crap that doesn't even pass self test or work properly on multiple occasions. On to more optimistic things: these are really good. My neighbour is fairly deaf and has her television obnoxiously loud watching snooker until go…
There's probably a market for a sub $1 "smart chip" that can be added to a design. Something that can be factory programmed with a unique serial number. To keep from being cloned, verification operation wouldn't be as simple as reading out the number. Instead, the chip would respond with some sort of hash. Similar to how Apple secures their SOCs. The security wouldn't need to be perfect. Even something simple would b…
They make ‘em for secure key storage. The kind of drm scheme you’re describing, though, is not going to be too challenging for someone to subvert who’s already willing to use any of a number of methods to have firmware read off a protected chip.
Re: NanoVNA: Low-cost handheld 4GHz vector network analyzer
#8No post body was provided.
Re: NanoVNA: Low-cost handheld 4GHz vector network analyzer
#9Having this device in college when I was doing E&M would have been an absolute game changer. The closest thing that existed was an MFJ antenna tuner for Ham Radio that only measured S11 at one frequency, and cost around $500. The next step up was to buy used equipment, which was four figures or more. Having something that goes to 1 GHz, does both S11 and S21, and only costs $50? Unreal. Having used a modern VNA, the…
It’s utterly depressing watching people fish out cash for an MFJ tuner these days. They still sell the things and they still command a stupid price for a thoroughly inferior device.
The two guys I know who still own them only do so because they are Sinophobes and MFJ stuff is (terribly) assembled in the US still.
Re: NanoVNA: Low-cost handheld 4GHz vector network analyzer
#10Make sure you read the "beware of clones" section carefully. There are some real shysters out there. Even the official UK reseller of the "lesser" sub 1GHz NanoVNA has been caught shipping cloned crap that doesn't even pass self test or work properly on multiple occasions. On to more optimistic things: these are really good. My neighbour is fairly deaf and has her television obnoxiously loud watching snooker until go…
There's probably a market for a sub $1 "smart chip" that can be added to a design. Something that can be factory programmed with a unique serial number. To keep from being cloned, verification operation wouldn't be as simple as reading out the number. Instead, the chip would respond with some sort of hash. Similar to how Apple secures their SOCs. The security wouldn't need to be perfect. Even something simple would b…
1$ in component price is like 4$ in device sales price. It needs more to be in the 5 cents range.