Hi Joe,
now that I saw an image of 'regression.PNG' in message # 1157 so I wonder exactly what you are testing?
Specifically, what does the test cover? What are you examining and with what characteristics?
So far, the information on this has been so much that it does not pass this test. OK, but what does this test do?
Hello.
First, that was a well written post.
Its been almost two years since I was actively involved with the firmware. If you're interested in the background and have no interest in the context, I would start reading on page 21.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/rf-microwave/nanovna-custom-software/msg2732360/#msg2732360It is not found in published programs, so guesswork remains.
That is correct. When I decided to release the software to the public, three things needed to happen. Move to a common code base (make it easier to maintain), document the software (avoid simple questions) and remove features no longer in use (clean it up). I had been using the Nano over a year by then and I had long stopped chasing firmware.
I would imagine the people working on firmware have their own regression tests they use to insure the quality of the code they put out. If you're interested in seeing what is being done today, I would start there.
What do you expect from this hardware? Maybe the same expectation as the referenced HP3589A?
The 3589A is limited to 150MHz. It can perform measure S11 but requires an external coupler. I use it a fair amount for low frequency work. I also have a 1970s 8754A. It supports up to 2.6GHz. It includes a transfer relay in the test set allowing it to make full 2-port S-parameters. You can't use it for narrow band work. It drifts a fair amount. On the low end, they claim it's good for 4MHz. It has a mechanical interface... While very crude, I learned most of the basic math from it. It was replaced it with a vintage Agilent PNA. Nice unit. 4 receiver, .... My only complaint with it is the low end is limited to 300kHz.
My point, I don't own a do all VNA that I would consider a gold standard. My home lab is more an active historical museum. Each bit of equipment has it's place. As I have stated many times, my only expectation for the NanoVNA was to help educate a friend of mine on VNAs. It has done that job well. It's $50 and can put out some impressive data in the right hands.
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To make my personal expectations a little clearer, to use the NanoVNA as an educational tool it actually has to work. This means the data coming off it should be void of random errors. The unit should never hang (lockup), especially to the point it requires a power cycle to clear it. Of course, it should meet what ever the claimed specs are. The better the data coming off the unit, the more usable it is for experimenting. Hope that helps answer your questions. I think since the Chinese copied this device and started manufacturing it with some bugs, you have been reading or reviewing information about it ever since. I understand you also want to use it for crystal filter sorting. If you look at the improvements from the manufacturer or the original developer and the others, you will see that neither is aimed at this. So I would love to read about what your expectations are for you.
I was asked by a viewer about building a crystal filter. It wasn't anything I had a need for. I did put together a simple test fixture and some software that allows measuring them. That's in the manual, documented in this thread and there is also another thread dedicated to it.
Had our friend Purpose not been trying to make their own filter using the NanoVNA, I doubt I would have made the software public. I saw what they were attempting to do and thought some of what I had done may be useful.
I really had no expectation when putting this software and fixture together. It was more just a learning exorcise. While I posted a fair amount of data comparing my test results for the crystals as well as the filters with other means, I was never able to obtain a standard crystal.
But not that the frequency command has since been removed from shell commands. This is not true, 'freq' and 'frequencies' are still existing commands and can be easily checked with any terminal prg.
I doubt you will find where I stated or wrote that the command was removed from the shell command or the firmware. What you will find is I stated my software no longer supports it. This is very much a true statement and has been discussed here.
To the best of my knowledge, DiSlord has done and will do a lot in our spare time to make it easier for our users to use. This includes firmware. The regional '.' use (separating the integer and decimal characters) was discussed in the software created by OneOfEleven and solved the automatic recognition.
I have no doubts that various people will continue to make their own changes to the firmware. That seems to be a very popular thing to do since the NanoVNA became available. I have little interest in it.
No, I'm not asking you to get involved, I just remarked that She did. This makes your program great to use if every step in the process is followed. This is aided by the manual, which users tend to read last when they get stuck in what they think is correct.
Finally, I note that it is a novelty for many of us to measure with VNA.
I’m not even talking about how many options we don’t use or just need it sometimes
Thank you for reading..
While I have literally had people tell me the NanoVNA is an antenna analyzer, my friend I am attempting to help, has no understanding or interest in radio. While one radio hobbyists talked about measuring SWR three places beyond the decimal, we are using the Nano to learn about circuit design. I suspect that you will find that the features these two people use differ.