[TowerTalk] Antenna Analyzer Question

[Jim Lux]

As far as bigger screens go, some folks have paired the small screen NanoVNA with a bigger tablet that has a more readable in sunlight screen.
then they run an app on the tablet that does the serial port interaction with the NanoVNA.

There are some variations among the flavors - some have an SD card slot (as it happens, they ALL have the pinout for a SD card slot on the PWB, but the original one didn't have the connector actually installed) - that lets you collect data and save it to the SD card.

I just got a TinyPFA (Phase Frequency Analyzer) which is basically a relabeled TinyVNA-H4 with custom firmware, and it has the slot.  I'll have to see if I have a microSD to try.
(FWIW, you can reflash the TinyPFA to make it back to a TinyVNA and vice versa... sure, the flash only has some 10,000 or 100,000 write cycles, so it's not like you'd want to do this every hour)


On Thu, 12 Feb 2026 01:23:47 +0000 (UTC), vk3od--- via TowerTalk <towertalk at contesting.com> 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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