I have an AA-55 as well as the 230 Mhz version and I prefer the AA-55.
It's bigger and is rugged as hell. I would much recommend that to a guy
wanting something he could use for most applications out in the field.
Would not recommend a classic VNA simply due to all the setup nonsense.
The AA-55 has "the right number of knobs" - where these nano VNA have a
thousand settings. Given you can do an OSL on the end of the Rig
Expert, it's my go-to unit for antenna work.
73/jeff/ac0c
alpha-charlie-zero-charlie
www.ac0c.com
On 2/11/2026 7:23 PM, vk3od--- via TowerTalk wrote:
The older Rig Expert AA-55 is good HF unit that has SOL calibration at the end
of the cable. Most of the Rig Expert analyzers have this option. The AA-55 has
a higher output power and can help fight interference when making measurements.
HF and 6 meters only.
I own one and it has been reliable. The only complaint is that the screen is
hard to read outdoors in bright sunlight. They do have small units with screens
that you can read in direct sunlight. I prefer something with a larger screen.
If they release a unit with a large screen that can be read in direct sunlight
with high output power I would get one.
The only feature that it does not have is the ability to save multiple
calibrations for different cables in the standalone unit. I generally do this
with my VNWA where I can save different calibration profiles thats easy to
understand and recall.
I also have a FA-VA4 and it is great general purpose unit with a wider
frequency range. It can also be used the VNWA software for control. I dont own
a FA-VA6.
As for the NanoVna, the recommneded store to buy from is the Zeenko store on
Aliexpress. There may be others that sell the genuine item that is not a crap
clone.
https://www.zeenko.tech/
Good luck with your acquisition.
73
VK3OD
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