The new tinySA "Ultra+"

[mehdi]

I got this yesterday. Apparently it's the successor to "Ultra"
Comes in 2 variants: ZS406 and ZS407. The former goes up to 5.3GHZ (as the Ultra) and the latter goes to 7.3GHZ.
Here's the official comparison page: https://tinysa.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=TinySA4.Comparison
The 4 main differences are:
1. Bigger battery (5000mAh)
2. Normal mode up to 900 vs 800MHZ
3. On the ZS407 version: Ultra mode up to 7.3 vs 5.3GHZ
4. Better phase noise

I haven't had time to test it properly (especially on the phase noise improvements)
Physically, the device is identical to "Ultra" (30g heavier, due to the bigger battery) and uses the same firmware as Ultra.
Price for the 5.3GHZ version (ZS406) is the same as Ultra.
HW version is "V0.5.4" while my Ultra is "V0.4.5.1"

Let me know if you need specific comparisons between the two (I have the regular Ultra and also the Ultra+ ZS407)

[mehdi]

Early teardown pictures: I can only see minor changes on the PCB without opening the RF shields (there are some components removed/added)
Obviously the battery is the biggest visible change.
Pictured: tinySA Ultra, and tinySA Ultra+ ZS407

[mehdi]

Still testing and comparing the Ultra+ to Ultra.
One difference I missed, is the display: the LCD on Ultra+ is new (new connector, new part number, and even different colors! Colors are warmer on Ultra+. Also, a dot matrix is visible. Not sure what it is: touchscreen grid?)

[W4PJB]

I love mine. It's obviously somewhat limited compared to a bench instrument, but it's certainly easier to carry than an 8566 I also like the idea of having a $139 S/A to plug "questionable" loads into, before I plug it into something MUCH more expensive and difficult to repair.

One thing I do wish for is the menu to be full-screen (like the frequency entry keypad), and not a tiny little bar on the side. It would be SO much easier to operate if the menu items were closer to thumb-sized, not to mention easier to read. I don't like using the included guitar pick or scrolling up/down the menu with the 3 way switch on the top. But those are minor gripes. Considering what it can do, it's an amazing instrument.

[mehdi]

Same here. It even has the potential to sell upgraded versions and features (e.g. I'd buy one with a bigger display)
At this price point (and even higher), there's no competition.
In my lab, I always use either a SignalHound or a benchtop SA, but when travelling, I usually take the tinySA.

[silly sausage]

What size screen are they,is is like the nanovna ie 2.8" and 4 inch?.

[wasedadoc]

What size screen are they,is is like the nanovna ie 2.8" and 4 inch?.

Yes.  Why don't you read more at https://tinysa.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.HomePage ?

[LM21]

How close to a carrier you can see? It would be nice to see AM or FM modulation side bands of a 1kHz tone. Besides, schools could use these spectrum analyser in teaching radio basics.

[unicornio]

really tinysa and nanovna are the gamechangers of pedagogy and the democratization of radio technology!...
I am very impressed by the great precision and usefulness of both toys...

[Solder_Junkie]

How close to a carrier you can see? It would be nice to see AM or FM modulation side bands of a 1kHz tone. Besides, schools could use these spectrum analyser in teaching radio basics.

The resolution bandwidth and video bandwidth are sufficiently narrow that you can conduct 2 tone tests on SSB transmitters with one, although the span needs to be quite narrow as the sweep speed becomes very slow at narrow bandwidths (the same with an ordinary SA).

For the money they are an incredible instrument. The only downside is the user interface, but if you want to spend upwards of 10 times the price for a "professional" hand held instrument, go ahead 

SJ

[mehdi]

How close to a carrier you can see? It would be nice to see AM or FM modulation side bands of a 1kHz tone. Besides, schools could use these spectrum analyser in teaching radio basics.

Yes

[mehdi]

Just for comparison, same signal, same setup, on a professional spectrum analzyer (>20x the cost)

[tchicago]

Just for comparison, same signal, same setup, on a professional spectrum analzyer (>20x the cost)

The noise floor is 10dB better. Which is not that much a big deal at this dynamic range. But this is at 1GHz frequency.

Could you please repeat the same comparison test around 5GHz?

[mehdi]

Just for comparison, same signal, same setup, on a professional spectrum analzyer (>20x the cost)

The noise floor is 10dB better. Which is not that much a big deal at this dynamic range. But this is at 1GHz frequency.

Could you please repeat the same comparison test around 5GHz?

Here's 2 screenshots, one from tinySA Ultra+, and one from Signal Hound BB60D.
Settings:
Center freq: 5GHZ
Span: 10KHZ
RBW: 200HZ (minimum for tinySA Ultra)

RF Signal generator: Signal Hound VSG60A
Signal: AM modulated (1KHZ), -20dBm

Sweep time for BB60D: 45ms
Sweep time for tinySA Ultra: 20 seconds