[TowerTalk] Suggestions -- VNA, Smith Chart Software

[Jim Lux]

On 5/8/12 3:07 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
> I'm looking for suggestions for upgrading my antenna design and analysis
> resources.  Something like six years ago I bought the version of the
> TAPR VNA marketed by Ten Tec.  It's nice as far as it goes, but six
> years is a long time in the development cycle of products like this, and
> when my neighbor called looking for suggestions, I didn't have a good
> answer.  I've consistently heard good things about N2PK's design, but
> it's surface mount, and  my eyes and soldering skills aren't up to it.
>
> Second, I'm looking for Smith Chart software suitable for modeling
> antennas.  I need to be able to exchange files with W7EL's EZNEC and
> measurement software like the TAPR.  I don't anticipate working above a
> few hundred MHz with it.
>

what do you want to do with the software?  Design matching networks, or 
just display stuff?  Do you have experience with Matlab?  There's a 
bunch of nice Smith chart manipulation stuff with Matlab (and most of it 
seems to work with Octave, too)

> Suggestions/experience welcome. Please keep it on the list -- I suspect
> others may have interest in these issues, and any suggestions may invite
> comments/review from others.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
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