nanoVNA vs SVA1015X VNA (Need entry level VNA)

[nctnico]

LibreVNA also looks like a neat product

Why not try that one first? From what I've read so far in this thread and other information, it seems to be the best option in your budget range.

Cost is about $600.  Another member had posted about the software not being stable and hanging.  I assume you own one or you would not be recommending it.  Are you seeing similar problems with yours hanging and could maybe provide some additional insight?

I don't own one but would like to try one for sure. For me it would replace two seperate pieces of equipment and add several capabilities. From where I stand it look likes it has the best bang per buck. Software hanging can have all kinds of causes like a dodgy computer or bad USB ports. The software is also updated regulary so maybe the problems have been fixed already. No reason to discard it off the bat. That is why I wrote: try that one first!

[spacehen]

LibreVNA also looks like a neat product

Why not try that one first? From what I've read so far in this thread and other information, it seems to be the best option in your budget range.

I am definitely interested in purchasing a LibreVNA, I've received some good feedback by some users of the product. By the way I was also looking at several other low cost USB based VNA's too such as the miniVNA http://miniradiosolutions.com/54-2/ and the pocketVNA https://pocketvna.com/. You see the only concern I have with the LibreVNA is that it seems more like a "hobby" project (it also has issues such as crashing, overheating apparently), i.e not backed by a professional test equipment brand name and I am looking for a professional tool to add to my bench (I understand this is difficult at a low price point). I could of course be completely naive here and I've heard that the LibreVNA performs on the same level if not better than the SVA1015X from Siglent but most of the comments here are leaning towards the LibreVNA.

Will I be able to measure the input impedance of a simple quarterwave antenna with the LibreVNA for example?

Also are there any good reviews for this product (LibreVNA)?

[nctnico]

I suspect the LibreVNA has no problem measuring your antenna; that is not a super difficult task for any VNA. Most of the differences are in useability.

If you want a professional tool, then look on the used market. Recently I bought a JDSU (Viavi) 745A that is a spectrum analyser and VNA in one but has a seperate VNA and spectrum analyser modules. Viavi may not be well known but this is a huge telecom test equipment company.

[joeqsmith]

I watched all the reviews I could find for the LibreVNA early on.  All of them that I saw were your typical unboxing 5 star reviews.   I never came across one were the reviewer would lead me to think they knew anything more than how to use a knife to open the box.    Nothing against the product itself. 

If you want a professional tool, then look on the used market.

I agree, which is why my home lab looks like a museum.   I would also add that if you go with used, consider making the sale contingent on having the VNA sent to the manufacture for a full inspection.   Maybe the seller pays to have it returned if their are problems, maybe share the costs of repairs.   Keeping in mind that these shipping/checkout/repair costs may far exceed the price of these low cost VNAs.   Which is why I suggest you make sure you understand what you need before buying anything.   

[tomud]

LibreVNA, as I have probably mentioned, is not an ideal product.

However, at this price point, it's hard to find any good VNAs. If you only care about antennas, you can easily try the cheaper LiteVNA recommended here. If you are thinking about something more and need more dynamics (e.g. filter measurements) I would choose LibreVNA.

The Siglent SVA is a nice product, but the VNA as I wrote is just an addition to the spectrum analyzer and does not have great parameters.

Personally, I bought a Siglenta SSA3021X Plus without even thinking about the VNA, it turned out that I can easily convert it to SVA1032X by changing the firmware - so at this price I cannot say a bad word about this equipment.

The sad truth is that you have to pay a lot of money for a good VNA (even a used one).

I think a bit about the Siglet SNA5000 myself, but I will wait for more opinions about this equipment. Probably at a similar price I will look for other solutions in the future (although I am afraid of buying expensive used equipment online - it's easy to be deceived and buy faulty equipment). I have already bought a damaged HP spectrum analyzer (it was supposed to be operational), after thorough tests it turned out to be damaged  . On the other hand, the cost of parts on e-bay is so high that it doesn't pay to repair it. Maybe someday I will find a similar one at a low price to take apart and I will be able to run it 

So if you only care about antennas, I think you can trust joeqsmith's opinion and see how LiteVNA works (especially since it's a small expense). Watching Brymen 869s multimeter tests on Joeqsmith Youtube channel I decided to buy this meter and I am very pleased. So I think you can rely on his opinion on LiteVNA.

[joeqsmith]

OWO had talked about a new product with wider dynamic range.  It appears they released it but the cost is $800.   Again, I have no knowledge of the product.  It appears very similar to the V2Plus4.  Maybe following the Lite's lead to reach the 6GHz.  May be interesting to see some sort of shootout of all the sub $1000 VNAs from someone that actually knows what a VNA is.   Maybe we could talk Brian Walker into it!   May make for a good sales pitch for Copper Mountain.   

https://nanorfe.com/vna6000.html

[joeqsmith]

So if you only care about antennas, I think you can trust joeqsmith's opinion and see how LiteVNA works (especially since it's a small expense). Watching Brymen 869s multimeter tests on Joeqsmith Youtube channel I decided to buy this meter and I am very pleased. So I think you can rely on his opinion on LiteVNA.

  Don't say that!!     It just seemed they were in a similar position as a friend of mine wanting to buy their first VNA without knowing the first thing about it.  That's what sent me down the NanoVNA path. 

I only suggest these low cost VNAs are a great educational tool because of the low risk.  I would still suggest if someone wanted to experiment below 300MHz, maybe learn about PDN measurements, work with very narrow band devices like crystal filters, the original NanoVNA makes a very good choice.  Worse case, your only out $50.   Your not going to ship an HP8753E for that.     
***
lol.  Forgot to finish my sentence. 

[nctnico]

I watched all the reviews I could find for the LibreVNA early on.  All of them that I saw were your typical unboxing 5 star reviews.   I never came across one were the reviewer would lead me to think they knew anything more than how to use a knife to open the box.    Nothing against the product itself. 

I think that is a typical problem with not so professional products in this price range. It is too expensive to take a chance on and very few people buy it just for a review. Fortunately a -to me- local webshop ( Eleshop.nl ) also carries the LibreVNA so it is relatively easy for me to get one to try if/when I'm interested in buying one. If I don't like it, I can return it without hassle.

[joeqsmith]

I watched all the reviews I could find for the LibreVNA early on.  All of them that I saw were your typical unboxing 5 star reviews.   I never came across one were the reviewer would lead me to think they knew anything more than how to use a knife to open the box.    Nothing against the product itself. 

I think that is a typical problem with not so professional products in this price range. It is too expensive to take a chance on and very few people buy it just for a review. Fortunately a -to me- local webshop ( Eleshop.nl ) also carries the LibreVNA so it is relatively easy for me to get one to try if/when I'm interested in buying one. If I don't like it, I can return it without hassle.

If you end up getting a loaner, consider making a review for it.   I'm surprised for the LibreVNA that they didn't consider sending them out for a reviews to stir up the interest.     

[joeqsmith]

Today I was reminded why you may want to consider a very low cost VNA like the NanoVNA to start out with.   Some time ago I produced a video attempting to show hams how not to blow up their NanoVNAs after seeing so many posts from them about how they damaged theirs.   Today I noticed this gem of a post.  They use a standard to drain down their antenna before connecting to the VNA.   Granted it's a $50 VNA and the standards (we use the term loosely) were included at that price.  IMO that is not a good excuse for such a poor practice.

[Marcel G]

Tomud,

Buy a real VNA recently bought a Siglent SVA to see if it is something.

The Spectrum Analyzer function is nice but the VNA is outright toy.

I may also have an Agilent E5062A for sale, but that is in a different price range than, for example the SVA.

[tomud]

Tomud,

Buy a real VNA recently bought a Siglent SVA to see if it is something.

I mention this all the time that in SVA the VNA option is only a limited addition to the spectrum analyzer...
Therefore, I did not buy an SVA but an SSA Plus, and since it turned out that it is possible to convert SSA Plus to SVA, I took advantage of it.

However, when it comes to purchasing a VNA, I'll probably be looking for something in the future, but at least up to 6GHz.

[Marcel G]

I did not buy an SVA but an SSA Plus, and since it turned out that it is possible to convert SSA Plus to SVA, I took advantage of it.

Sorry it,s a converted SSA Plus, a worthless device and a waste of money.

Once you have worked with real VNA you have forgotten ALL the solutions suggested here. (Nanovna, Libre, VNWA, LiteVNA, SVA, SSA etc etc).

My advice is save enough money and buy a real VNA.

[tautech]

Tomud,

Buy a real VNA recently bought a Siglent SVA to see if it is something.

The Spectrum Analyzer function is nice but the VNA is outright toy.

I may also have an Agilent E5062A for sale, but that is in a different price range than, for example the SVA.

Which model as in the SVA range there are 3 different lots of specs.
What did you need the single port VNA to do ? 
They can only do S11 and S21 measurement with the single active port so when you need reverse the stimulus for S12 and S22 measurements so the DUT must be flipped instead.

However SNA5000A VNA's with 2 or 4 active ports are an entirely different beast .

[Marcel G]

Hi Tautech, Would like to try out an SNA5000A or read a good (review) test, but unfortunately they are still somewhere.

Somewhere on this site there is someone who owns a decent device but the test he has done mean nothing in practice.

[tautech]

Hi Tautech, Would like to try out an SNA5000A or read a good (review) test, but unfortunately they are still somewhere.

Somewhere on this site there is someone who owns a decent device but the test he has done mean nothing in practice.

We have a SNA5005A, the 4 port 4.5 GHz model which as yet I haven't done a lot with yet however I do want to get it to my buddy hendorog whom is a VNA whizz kid for some more complex tests and comparison against his HP VNA's.
There's a thread here I started about them:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/siglent-sna5000x-two-and-four-port-vnas-coming/

Then I realize I'm a bit slack as we had it on display at NZ EMEX bidirectionally sweeping one of hendorog's filters and I never grabbed screenshots ! 
If you want to see something from it do ask and we'll take it to the thread.

[tomud]

My advice is save enough money and buy a real VNA.

I have access to a good VNA (Keysight N5242B), but sorry I'm not going to spend that much money on hobby equipment

Another thing is just not me asking in this thread what VNA to buy Maybe in the future I will buy an SNA5000 or some other VNA, but at the moment I do not plan such a purchase... The mentioned E5062A has too little bandwidth for me. I need a minimum of 6GHz and the dynamics is preferably 125dB

[nctnico]

Once you have worked with real VNA you have forgotten ALL the solutions suggested here. (Nanovna, Libre, VNWA, LiteVNA, SVA, SSA etc etc).

My advice is save enough money and buy a real VNA.

I don't doubt that at all but when I looked for a VNA last year, I noticed that a real VNA which has a decent amount of life left (so with at least a TFT screen) sets you back quite a lot of money. Like 4k to 6k euro; even the broken ones go for serious amounts of money (ballpark 3k euro).

[Marcel G]

Tomud,

I have access to a good VNA (Keysight N5242B), but sorry I'm not going to spend that much money on hobby equipment.

Then you know exactly the difference if you don,t have the money for it then it stops and you can,t make demands either.

Tautech,

Please do an extensive test like he has tested the SVA1015 and would also like to see the speed at different bandwidths (full span) and trace noise.

The sales story of Siglent on Youtube could not convince me enough to buy the device.

I called the importer (Eleshop) here in the Netherlands for a test, but they don,t have one in stock.

Regards,
Marcel

[joeqsmith]

I have access to a good VNA (Keysight N5242B), but sorry I'm not going to spend that much money on hobby equipment

Another thing is just not me asking in this thread what VNA to buy Maybe in the future I will buy an SNA5000 or some other VNA, but at the moment I do not plan such a purchase... The mentioned E5062A has too little bandwidth for me. I need a minimum of 6GHz and the dynamics is preferably 125dB

If you are using the N5242B for work, you may not be happy with the low cost VNAs.   The 125bB would certainly be a deal breaker.   

I don't doubt that at all but when I looked for a VNA last year, I noticed that a real VNA which has a decent amount of life left (so with at least a TFT screen) sets you back quite a lot of money. Like 4k to 6k euro; even the broken ones go for serious amounts of money (ballpark 3k euro).

I was looking for something with TFT, Ethernet, 4-receiver,  1kHz to 3GHz.  There was a person trying to sell me a turn key PNA with faster CPU/cal standards/cables for I think 13 USD.   Way over my budget.   I watched them post it and eventually dropped the price to I think under 8.  A very good deal IMO assuming it all worked. 

[tomud]

Then you know exactly the difference if you don,t have the money for it then it stops and you can,t make demands either.

For hobby applications, I have to compromise and I am aware that I will not buy the perfect VNA. Therefore, I tried to recommend a few devices, maybe not perfect, but with a good price / quality ratio. Especially when someone does not have great expectations. Many hobbyists are often satisfied with nanoVNA (e.g. tuning antennas in HF bands). I have nanoVNA myself and its capabilities are sufficient for me to tune the antenna working at 7 or 14MHz in the field (it can even handle 144MHz quite well).

I am also able to give up some functionalities, because most often I need a VNA for duplexer tuning - nowadays the corac would be more useful in the 5GHz band...

For such applications, I can safely look for cheaper solutions (not laboratory equipment).

For example, the SNA5000 looks interesting, because it has an attractive price in relation to used equipment (which is not known in what condition it will be possible to buy it). On the other hand, VNA cannot be thoroughly checked when purchasing and any damage or problems may only come out after a long time, so you will not benefit from the protection of auction sites or paypal.

Apart from the fact that most of the prices on ebay are crazy and the equipment is not worth that much. Such an example of the HP8712 which costs in the range of $1500-2000 on ebay. However, in Poland, you can buy one on flea markets for $260. Recently I tried to sell a frequency meter up to 40GHz (Anritsu MF2414B option 03) for half the price from ebay and nobody wants to buy it for that much 

[tautech]

Tomud,

I have access to a good VNA (Keysight N5242B), but sorry I'm not going to spend that much money on hobby equipment.

Then you know exactly the difference if you don,t have the money for it then it stops and you can,t make demands either.

Tautech,

Please do an extensive test like he has tested the SVA1015 and would also like to see the speed at different bandwidths (full span) and trace noise.

The sales story of Siglent on Youtube could not convince me enough to buy the device.

I called the importer (Eleshop) here in the Netherlands for a test, but they don,t have one in stock.

Regards,
Marcel

As it happens Shahriar has just released Pt1 of his SNA5000A review where he pushes some features to their limits, explores other functionality, engage with Siglent for some improvements and does a teardown.

[Marcel G]

Tautech,

The first thing I noticed was the slow sweep speed hopefully Siglent improves on this.

My 12 year old E5062A is a lot faster.

[tomud]

Tautech,

The first thing I noticed was the slow sweep speed hopefully Siglent improves on this.

My 12 year old E5062A is a lot faster.

The equivalent to the E5062A is the SNA5002A (although the SNA has a band up to 4.5GHz) which costs 6600 Euro net.

E5062A - Measurement speed: 35 ms (2-port cal, 30 kHz BW, 1 sweep, 201 points, correction off)
SNA5012A - Measurement speed (100 kHz - 8.5 GHz, 10 kHz BW, 201 points) Uncorrected 33 ms, 2-port cal  66 ms

I don't know what Agilent means by "correction off", but looking at 10kHz BW at SNA and 30kHz at Agilent - SNA seems to be faster after all.

[tautech]

Tautech,

The first thing I noticed was the slow sweep speed hopefully Siglent improves on this.

My 12 year old E5062A is a lot faster.

Does speed = accuracy ?
Also speed is relative to Span and Points which for SNA can be 10k.

We await Pt 2 from TSP.