Nano VNA like sand on the sea- Who is the "good one" ?

[Martin72]

Hi folks,
Quick question:
I just want to play around with a VNA and a cheap Nano VNA seems to be the perfect solution.
However, if you search for it, there are countless variants.
Which one is the "good" one, which one should I get?
Thanks in advance.
Martin

[Aldo22]

There are different screen sizes and bandwidths etc.
I don't know if there is the one "good one".

I have one of the cheapest (as always) from the "SeeSii Factory Store Store" which seems trustworthy/recommended: a NanoVNA-H.

It has an SD card slot, the inputs are shielded, you can update the firmware from the usual sources and I got a pretty big battery (1300mAh), but don't know if that's standard.

It's good enough for me.
More expensive ones are probably better if you have a use for them.

[tszaboo]

For the Nano, the H4 is recommended by a lot of people. I just bought a LiteVNA, which is a bit faster than the Nanos.
What is even more important is to buy it from reputable sources. Because there are a lot of interior clones out there. They might be missing the shielding. Or the PCB is not impedance controlled. Or the cal kit which comes with it is trash.

[Geoff-AU]

What is even more important is to buy it from reputable sources. Because there are a lot of interior clones out there.

This is the most important factor.  Buy a genuine one.

[joeqsmith]

Hi folks,
Quick question:
I just want to play around with a VNA and a cheap Nano VNA seems to be the perfect solution.
However, if you search for it, there are countless variants.
Which one is the "good" one, which one should I get?
Thanks in advance.
Martin

As you said, they are cheap, and if you just want to play, I don't think it really matters too much.  Later as you refine your requirements, you can always buy something that better fits.   

I continue to use the LiteVNA64 for some experiments.   We purchased ours from:
https://www2.randl.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=75669

[BrokenYugo]

nanovna.com suggests a specific Aliexpress store.

https://nanovna.com/?page_id=121

https://zeenko.aliexpress.com/store/1101394653

[KungFuJosh]

nanovna.com suggests a specific Aliexpress store.

https://nanovna.com/?page_id=121

https://zeenko.aliexpress.com/store/1101394653

That actually makes sense. That's also the official store for the TinySA.

[ch_scr]

For Europe/Germany, buying the LiteVNA from Eleshop seems like a reasonable solution.
It depends on usage though, if you want to use it as an LCR meter up to 300MHz the much cheaper ones might even be preferred.
For antenna / filter measurement over a wider range, I'd get the LiteVNA.

[Aldo22]

nanovna.com suggests a specific Aliexpress store.

https://nanovna.com/?page_id=121

https://zeenko.aliexpress.com/store/1101394653

That actually makes sense. That's also the official store for the TinySA.

Yes, but Seesii is also OK and at least the Seesii Amazon store is officially recommended for the tinySA.
I have tinySA and nanoVNA from the Seesii Aliexpress store and both are flawless.
You can also buy directly from Seesii.

[woody]

For Europe/Germany, buying the LiteVNA from Eleshop seems like a reasonable solution.
It depends on usage though, if you want to use it as an LCR meter up to 300MHz the much cheaper ones might even be preferred.
For antenna / filter measurement over a wider range, I'd get the LiteVNA.

+1 for this one. Get the 64.

[kripton2035]

I did not buy one actually, but I narrowed also to the eleshop litevna 64 some times ago ...

[Aldo22]

+1 for this one. Get the 64.

I did not buy one actually, but I narrowed also to the eleshop litevna 64 some times ago ...

It's a question of whether you want to spend around €50 or around €200.
More expensive is usually better. The question is what you need and whether the extra cost is worth it for you.

I don't really need to ask the forum for the tip: "buy the most expensive one". 

[ch_scr]

It's a question of whether you want to spend around €50 or around €200.
More expensive is usually better. The question is what you need and whether the extra cost is worth it for you.

It's a question of frequency range. Up to 300MHz -> 50€; Up to 6GHz -> 200€.

[Aldo22]

It's a question of whether you want to spend around €50 or around €200.
More expensive is usually better. The question is what you need and whether the extra cost is worth it for you.

It's a question of frequency range. Up to 300MHz -> 50€; Up to 6GHz -> 200€.

Sure, that too, but doesn't the 50€ version go to 1.5GHz?

If you know that you need 6GHz, then buy the 6GHz version.

The OP said:

I just want to play around with a VNA and a cheap Nano VNA seems to be the perfect solution.

[tszaboo]

It's a question of whether you want to spend around €50 or around €200.
More expensive is usually better. The question is what you need and whether the extra cost is worth it for you.

It's a question of frequency range. Up to 300MHz -> 50€; Up to 6GHz -> 200€.

Sure, that too, but doesn't the 50€ version go to 1.5GHz?

If you know that you need 6GHz, then buy the 6GHz version.

The OP said:

I just want to play around with a VNA and a cheap Nano VNA seems to be the perfect solution.

Indeed, the model depends what you are trying to do.
Bacon radio or ham radio, 300 MHz is plenty.
Sub-GHz radio, test equipment like oscilloscope probes, coax cables, then the 1.5 GHz model is recommended.
More modern digital radio interfaces work in the~3 GHz bandwidth, so the 6GHz LiteVNA model makes sense. It's 4x the frequency for 4x the price, which is a very good deal. To put it in perspective, I paid more just for a calibration kit for a "proper" VNA in the past.
And while these units are not going to give the same dynamic range (decibels) as standalone units, 30dB of noise free range is plenty for anything antenna related.

[ch_scr]

Sure, that too, but doesn't the 50€ version go to 1.5GHz?

"The 50K-300MHz-Range has a dynamic range of more than 70 dB. The extended 300M-900MHz-range has more than 60 dB and 900M-1,5-GHz more than 40 dB"
As usual "it depends" but above 900MHz you'll really want the "better" one.

[Martin72]

Hello,
Thank you for the numerous replies.
What I was able to filter out for myself is that there is such a thing as "authorized" distributors.
And it also sounds good that you can use the smaller, cheaper ones for LCR measurements, because that's what I'm interested in.
However, I find the "larger" screen to be quite small, so the 2.8" models are a no-go.

On the Nano VNA page, AURSINC is mentioned as an amazon dealer, which would be this device, for example:

Nano VNA-F V2
That would be OK then?

[ch_scr]

Hello,
Thank you for the numerous replies.
What I was able to filter out for myself is that there is such a thing as "authorized" distributors.
And it also sounds good that you can use the smaller, cheaper ones for LCR measurements, because that's what I'm interested in.
However, I find the "larger" screen to be quite small, so the 2.8" models are a no-go.

On the Nano VNA page, AURSINC is mentioned as an amazon dealer, which would be this device, for example:

Nano VNA-F V2
That would be OK then?

I don't get the appeal? For like 5-10€ more you get the 6GHz LiteVNA already, and from a proper distributor. It comes with cables and cal standards as well.

[Aldo22]

However, I find the "larger" screen to be quite small, so the 2.8" models are a no-go.

That's a matter of taste.
The 2.8" model fits easily in your pocket and if you need it more convenient, there is the PC software.

[pdenisowski]

For the Nano, the H4 is recommended by a lot of people.

I have a "vintage" NanoVNA and an H4.  The H4 is much nicer, and I can do a FW swap to turn it into a phase and frequency analyzer.

[pdenisowski]

The 2.8" model fits easily in your pocket and if you need it more convenient, there is the PC software.

If I'm putting my NanoVNA in my pocket (so to speak), I'm probably using it outdoors to do things like antenna and cable testing, and this is where a larger unit, better controls, and a nicer screen make a big difference.  I would gladly buy yet another NanoVNA if someone would package it with better controls and a much larger/brighter screen.

[Martin72]

The 2.8" model fits easily in your pocket and if you need it more convenient, there is the PC software.[/quote

Some of the models are dramatically cheaper and that can't just be down to the smaller screen, can it?

[Aldo22]

Some of the models are dramatically cheaper and that can't just be down to the smaller screen, can it?

You said:

I just want to play around with a VNA and a cheap Nano VNA seems to be the perfect solution.

That sounds like the 50€ version to me. 
If you need more range/bandwidth or a bigger screen, then compare the specs and buy the one that fits.

I already said that in my first answer:
There are different screen sizes and bandwidths etc.
I don't know if there is the one "good one".

More is usually better... and more expensive.

[bingo600]

Martin i'd buy from eleshop.eu or eleshop.nl (eu shows prices wo VAT) - eleshop is authorized reseller.

I'd also get a litevna64, if you need to play with freq's over 300MHz
https://www.eleshop.nl/litevna-64.html

Or you could start with a H4' , if Freq under 300MHz - But "Murphy" says in 2 weeks you want to check your 433MHz or WiFi antenna ....
https://www.eleshop.nl/nanovna-h4.html

But if you go cheap (H4) - Then once you grow out of your H4' , and get a litevna64 
You can reprogram the H4 as a TinyPFA , and play w. phase analysis of Xtals or GPSDO's

Don't get the NanovnaH - The F072 MCU is too weak.

I have a H4, a litevna64 , a V2Plus4  - But usually reach for the litevna64.
I also have the TinySA Ultra - Cute little tool at the right price.
 
Ps: The litevna64 battery draining issue that i have, should be fixed in the newer verions.


/Bingo

[joeqsmith]

Its not just a matter of upper frequency.  The LiteVNA's narrow band performance is really poor.  The original NanoVNA will far out perform it in that case.   If you attempt to measure power distribution networks, again the original NanoVNA will out perform the Lite.  They are so cheap, you can spend $250 and have both.   

I am not aware of any 1.5GHz units.  You can certainly use harmonic with the original NanoVNA / H4 that will allow you work up that high but the performance is really poor.  Not to mention other problems it can cause.

I always use the PC so the screen size and other options really are not important.   That said, the original NanoVNA & H4 use a different protocol than the LiteVNA.   If using them with a PC is important, make sure that what ever software you plan to use supports the VNA (before you buy). 

***
Should mention that the LiteVNA64 also supports harmonics.   Attached comparing the floor of my LiteVNA64 compared with my Agilent PNA.   You can operate the LiteVNA64 even higher but as you can see, the performance is poor. 

Also, people will ask if their XXXXXXX brand/name cheap VNA will work with my software.  I have a version that supports the older protocol.  The firmware installed in these makes a big difference on how stable they are.  I abandoned that project some time ago and now only support the LiteVNA64.   There is also the V2Plus4 that supports the newer protocol.  It will work with my software but because the firmware, it has fallen far behind.  I have not used mine since I bought the LiteVNA64.

The LiteVNA64 also has a new version of hardware.  This new version improves the dynamic range a small amount but also appears to have a problem where the frequency is not stable.   It doesn't appear to be firmware related but rather the hardware.  The frequency seems to dip 50Hz from time to time.  Both of my older revisions to not exhibit this problem.  Just something to be aware of.