Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread  (Read 14555385 times)

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Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39300 on: September 20, 2019, 09:15:52 pm »
Woot proper VNA. S-parameter models are fun. I was measuring S11 and S21 yesterday with my DG1022Z, RLB and the HP 400E. Again a cheap arse I be :)

Unfortunately only scalar but that's good enough for my needs at the moment. All I need to know is my input match and gain for what I'm building.

Don't you have a vector voltmeter you can jam into the test chain somehow?  :-DD

Been working on that for months to no avail. Alas all I've come up with is the front of a vector voltmeter. Not sure what happened to the rest of it! I declined the £20 price tag.
 

Offline BU508A

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39301 on: September 20, 2019, 09:26:14 pm »
One day, one of these nice little boat anchors is mine.  :-\     One day ....   ^-^

https://www.ebay.com/itm/113750882885

“Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is better organized.”            - Terry Pratchett -
 

Offline bd139

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39302 on: September 20, 2019, 09:30:21 pm »
How many kidneys do you have left?  :-DD
 

Offline BU508A

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39303 on: September 20, 2019, 09:51:52 pm »
Last time when I looked there were two left.  ;D

I've worked with a 8753C with the S-Parameter test set during my diploma thesis.
And I liked it. Sneaked all the time around in our RF-lab, looking for something which I can test.
And maybe I was going on the nerves of other students asking them if they are interested
in the S11, S21 params of the circuits they are currently working on ...  ::)   :-DD

Honestly, I was really very little annoying ...   >:D
“Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is better organized.”            - Terry Pratchett -
 
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Offline Specmaster

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39304 on: September 20, 2019, 09:54:32 pm »
 :-DD
I'm being paid to eat Stroopwafels at the moment. That's how you work
Well someone's got to test and eat them before they take over the world. :-DD
Who let Murphy in?

Brymen-Fluke-HP-Thurlby-Thander-Tek-Extech-Black Star-GW-Avo-Kyoritsu-Amprobe-ITT-Robin-TTi
 
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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39305 on: September 20, 2019, 10:00:39 pm »
A tribute to bitseeker -  

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

mnem
That is all.
« Last Edit: September 20, 2019, 10:43:00 pm by mnementh »
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Offline BU508A

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39306 on: September 20, 2019, 10:01:53 pm »
:-DD
I'm being paid to eat Stroopwafels at the moment. That's how you work
Well someone's got to test and eat them before they take over the world. :-DD

Ieks, memory flash:
“Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being sought. It always defeats order, because it is better organized.”            - Terry Pratchett -
 
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Offline Cubdriver

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39307 on: September 20, 2019, 10:14:54 pm »
One day, one of these nice little boat anchors is mine.  :-\     One day ....   ^-^

https://www.ebay.com/itm/113750882885



I lucked out and got my paws on one at a swap meet out in CA a few years ago.  Managed to miss multiple auctions for an 85047A test set, then finally settled on an 85046A.  At around 50 lbs, it definitely meets the qualifications for an anchor!

I wish you success in your search.

-Pat
If it jams, force it.  If it breaks, you needed a new one anyway...
 
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Online xrunner

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39308 on: September 20, 2019, 10:15:12 pm »
Some of the hams here have antenna analyzers, of which I have a Comet CAA-500, simple but it does a good job of telling you where your ant. is resonant. I also use an RF bridge with my DSA815-TG to get nice return loss plots which you can get the SWR from easily. The plot is from my main fan dipole that covers five HF ham bands, which I can plot easily all at once.

The simple antenna analyzer is all 99% of the hams need around here, but they buy the NanoVNA, as I said, so they aren't the only kid on the block that doesn't have one. It does plot VSWR over a range which is nice. However, after the first few days of looking at all the other colored & curly-cued lines, they will just use it as an antenna analyzer for SWR. I guess it's fine it's only 50 bucks.  :-//
I told my friends I could teach them to be funny, but they all just laughed at me.
 
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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39309 on: September 20, 2019, 10:24:50 pm »
Does it also measure air humidity and fingerprint conductivity?
With the right jig it's probably possible yes. I need to learn how to make my own ceramic substrate  :)

You can make VERY high dry impedance contact pads by searching out GPS patch antennas. Great for all sorts of touch/capacitive sensor and near-field sensory things, they come in sizes from like 10mm up to 40mm square. I'm sure they come larger, those are just the ones I've personally bought & puttered around with.  >:D




Oh....and just so my attitude today is clear. I present....   :-DD



Hahahaha  :-DD    And I though it was Bezos' flying wang:



Nope... that would be this:

Motherfucker paints his dick on EVERY FUCKING THING... :-DD


Just spotted our resident dwagon seems to be back and busy catching up. Been on a road trip mnem ?

Not yet, but soon. Still packing.

Today has been painful... both in terms of my eviscerated e-nerdity and in terms of brutal enheavyment: I just packed down all my bench electronics into one 50 gallon Stacker tote: the 2465, 3478A, the 1054Z all boxed up like it came from the factory, both Lambda and 3 smaller Tripp-lite PSUs, my triple meter stand & meters, plus my bins of patch cables and about 3/4 of the 12Ga cables I made in thread.

It was pretty much all I could do to get the damned tote up onto a 4-wheel furniture dolly.  :o

Then I packed down my Tevo Tornado 3DP that I had dismantled a few days ago.

mnem
I think I'm going to go lie down before pieces start to fall off...

« Last Edit: September 20, 2019, 10:31:29 pm by mnementh »
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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39310 on: September 20, 2019, 10:39:51 pm »
Some of the hams here have antenna analyzers, of which I have a Comet CAA-500, simple but it does a good job of telling you where your ant. is resonant. I also use an RF bridge with my DSA815-TG to get nice return loss plots which you can get the SWR from easily. The plot is from my main fan dipole that covers five HF ham bands, which I can plot easily all at once.

The simple antenna analyzer is all 99% of the hams need around here, but they buy the NanoVNA, as I said, so they aren't the only kid on the block that doesn't have one. It does plot VSWR over a range which is nice. However, after the first few days of looking at all the other colored & curly-cued lines, they will just use it as an antenna analyzer for SWR. I guess it's fine it's only 50 bucks. :-//

So what's your opinion of the nanoVNA, compared to obviously better manufactured gear? Is it reasonably accurate? Are the results close enough and repeatable across the advertised range to be worth 50 bucks?

mnem
*currently packing away my ImmersionRC RF Power Meter*
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Online xrunner

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39311 on: September 20, 2019, 10:44:33 pm »

So what's your opinion of the nanoVNA, compared to obviously better manufactured gear? Is it reasonably accurate? Are the results close enough and repeatable across the advertised range to be worth 50 bucks?

Well first - I don't have one yet, but I might buy one tonight. As far as I've heard it's pretty damn accurate for it's price.

wch can address it better now since he has one (or perhaps another member that has one).

wch ...  :scared:
I told my friends I could teach them to be funny, but they all just laughed at me.
 

Online Kosmic

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39312 on: September 20, 2019, 10:57:58 pm »
 

Offline worsthorse

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39313 on: September 20, 2019, 11:15:39 pm »
Some of the hams here have antenna analyzers, of which I have a Comet CAA-500, simple but it does a good job of telling you where your ant. is resonant. I also use an RF bridge with my DSA815-TG to get nice return loss plots which you can get the SWR from easily. The plot is from my main fan dipole that covers five HF ham bands, which I can plot easily all at once.

The simple antenna analyzer is all 99% of the hams need around here, but they buy the NanoVNA, as I said, so they aren't the only kid on the block that doesn't have one. It does plot VSWR over a range which is nice. However, after the first few days of looking at all the other colored & curly-cued lines, they will just use it as an antenna analyzer for SWR. I guess it's fine it's only 50 bucks.  :-//

Yup! I've probably used that Comet (I have the same model) more than any gear I own other than my portable DMM. Ninety-five percent of my RF troubleshooting can be has been done with a 100MHz oscilloscope, DMM, Bird wattmeter, CAA-500 and a wee bit of calculating.   

I certainly don't need a VNA (or spectrum analyzer or a 1.2GHz signal generator or a 400MHz scope with FET probes...) for anything, practically speaking, other than the sheer joy I experience from figuring out how to do interesting things with them.  ;D
specialization is for insects.
 
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Offline mnementh

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39314 on: September 20, 2019, 11:28:58 pm »
From the "Even a Stopped Clock Is Right Twice a Day" Dept...



https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-we-want-you-to-learn-python-programming-language-for-free/

Don't give a flying fuck about their ulterior motives and why they want Python programmers... it's a good thing.

mnem
*back into the hole*
« Last Edit: September 20, 2019, 11:31:23 pm by mnementh »
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Online tautech

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39315 on: September 21, 2019, 12:21:50 am »
Some of the hams here have antenna analyzers, of which I have a Comet CAA-500, simple but it does a good job of telling you where your ant. is resonant. I also use an RF bridge with my DSA815-TG to get nice return loss plots which you can get the SWR from easily. The plot is from my main fan dipole that covers five HF ham bands, which I can plot easily all at once.

The simple antenna analyzer is all 99% of the hams need around here, but they buy the NanoVNA, as I said, so they aren't the only kid on the block that doesn't have one. It does plot VSWR over a range which is nice. However, after the first few days of looking at all the other colored & curly-cued lines, they will just use it as an antenna analyzer for SWR. I guess it's fine it's only 50 bucks. :-//

So what's your opinion of the nanoVNA, compared to obviously better manufactured gear? Is it reasonably accurate? Are the results close enough and repeatable across the advertised range to be worth 50 bucks?

mnem
*currently packing away my ImmersionRC RF Power Meter*
It's biggest issue is the lack of data points over a wide sweep where sometimes its interpolation results in a series of straight lines between points.  ::)
Narrow the sweep right down are results are better.
Joe's work with his homemade SW is primarily to polish the thing and obtain some of the functionality of a half decent VNA.
Avid Rabid Hobbyist
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Online xrunner

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39316 on: September 21, 2019, 01:27:55 am »
Here's a pic that one of my friends texted me, of what his friend did on a newly acquired NanoVNA. He said it was a mess and didn't understand what the screen meant.

I said it was a complete scan from 50 kHz to 900 MHz of {something an antenna ...?} and that it was two different types of scales overlaid on each other - a Smith chart and an x/y plot with different graph lines. If you don't understand the two types of scales/charts it's going to be a mess in your mind.

Also, just because you can scan that range, doesn't exactly mean it's a nice clean idea, unless you like to impress your friends that don't have one.  :-DD

I told my friends I could teach them to be funny, but they all just laughed at me.
 
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Offline Neomys Sapiens

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39317 on: September 21, 2019, 01:38:46 am »
From the "Even a Stopped Clock Is Right Twice a Day" Dept...



https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-we-want-you-to-learn-python-programming-language-for-free/
Some genius in the gaggle of halfwits and donogoods i'm replacing

Don't give a flying fuck about their ulterior motives and why they want Python programmers... it's a good thing.

mnem
*back into the hole*
A very special genius in the gaggle of halfwits and donoggoods I'm replacing decided once to program some automatic RF gear test setups in Python. Now I run around in a predominantly SW company and NOBODY admits to know Python when I ask. Maybe I must resort to trick questions.
 

Offline bsfeechannel

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39318 on: September 21, 2019, 01:46:00 am »
A tribute to bitseeker -



It will continue to grow until light won't be able to escape and those who come near it will be spaghettified.
 
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Offline beanflying

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39319 on: September 21, 2019, 01:46:40 am »
Clearly it is a 4 year olds unfinished artwork Snail in Grass  :-DD

Coffee, Food, R/C and electronics nerd in no particular order. Also CNC wannabe, 3D printer and Laser Cutter Junkie and just don't mention my TEA addiction....
 
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Online xrunner

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39320 on: September 21, 2019, 01:50:49 am »
I see what you did there!  :-DD
I told my friends I could teach them to be funny, but they all just laughed at me.
 

Online xrunner

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39321 on: September 21, 2019, 01:56:18 am »
Move fast USA mob eBay auction: #133167557354 cheep cheep  ;)

Oh and I just now paid for these thanks! I need the ones with the rubber feet.

 :box:
I told my friends I could teach them to be funny, but they all just laughed at me.
 
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Offline worsthorse

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39322 on: September 21, 2019, 02:08:58 am »
Some of the hams here have antenna analyzers, of which I have a Comet CAA-500, simple but it does a good job of telling you where your ant. is resonant. I also use an RF bridge with my DSA815-TG to get nice return loss plots which you can get the SWR from easily. The plot is from my main fan dipole that covers five HF ham bands, which I can plot easily all at once.

The simple antenna analyzer is all 99% of the hams need around here, but they buy the NanoVNA, as I said, so they aren't the only kid on the block that doesn't have one. It does plot VSWR over a range which is nice. However, after the first few days of looking at all the other colored & curly-cued lines, they will just use it as an antenna analyzer for SWR. I guess it's fine it's only 50 bucks. :-//

So what's your opinion of the nanoVNA, compared to obviously better manufactured gear? Is it reasonably accurate? Are the results close enough and repeatable across the advertised range to be worth 50 bucks?

mnem
*currently packing away my ImmersionRC RF Power Meter*
It's biggest issue is the lack of data points over a wide sweep where sometimes its interpolation results in a series of straight lines between points.  ::)
Narrow the sweep right down are results are better.
Joe's work with his homemade SW is primarily to polish the thing and obtain some of the functionality of a half decent VNA.

Yes.. it doesn't have the resolution to match better devices and using for very wideband sweeps is not going to give good results. I'd also question its usability much VHF frequencies, though I haven't taken mine apart to look at the circuit layout, just on a glance at the schematic.  I haven't used it yet, though, so I can't say much about the software other than I reading through the thread on Joe's software project with some interest.
specialization is for insects.
 

Offline Neomys Sapiens

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39323 on: September 21, 2019, 02:19:01 am »
I think I found out why the TI-95 won't power up.  :-DD



 

Offline Neomys Sapiens

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #39324 on: September 21, 2019, 02:22:27 am »
Some of the hams here have antenna analyzers, of which I have a Comet CAA-500, simple but it does a good job of telling you where your ant. is resonant. I also use an RF bridge with my DSA815-TG to get nice return loss plots which you can get the SWR from easily. The plot is from my main fan dipole that covers five HF ham bands, which I can plot easily all at once.

The simple antenna analyzer is all 99% of the hams need around here, but they buy the NanoVNA, as I said, so they aren't the only kid on the block that doesn't have one. It does plot VSWR over a range which is nice. However, after the first few days of looking at all the other colored & curly-cued lines, they will just use it as an antenna analyzer for SWR. I guess it's fine it's only 50 bucks. :-//

So what's your opinion of the nanoVNA, compared to obviously better manufactured gear? Is it reasonably accurate? Are the results close enough and repeatable across the advertised range to be worth 50 bucks?

mnem
*currently packing away my ImmersionRC RF Power Meter*
It's biggest issue is the lack of data points over a wide sweep where sometimes its interpolation results in a series of straight lines between points.  ::)
Narrow the sweep right down are results are better.
Joe's work with his homemade SW is primarily to polish the thing and obtain some of the functionality of a half decent VNA.
In which direction? Forward or .....ähhhhm, reverse?
 
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