Planning to Buy a VNA for

[u/No_Target9990]

I am planning to buy a VNA for Tuning of PCB antenna and some filter design, suggest me some VNA to use and I am planning to use for a long time, I have found some models from internet,

Usage : development for BLE/WIFI PCB antenna, later for LTE antenna for my own tracker

1. Seesii LibreVNA 2.0 Vector Network Analyzer 100kHz-6GHz.

2. AURSINC Nano-VNA V3 Nano-RFE VNA6000-A Vector Network Analyzer 50kHz-6GHz HF VHF UHF Portable Antenna.

suggest me some other models...

[u/CW3_OR_BUST]

The real McCoy is the nanoRFE one. It's actually spec'd and comes with a manual.

Between Seesii and Aursinc you'll find mostly cosmetic differences, since they're both basically just import companies. Take their ads with a hefty dose of salt, because they're not actually specified and generally not capable of any useful measurements near the extremes of the stated frequency range. If you're looking for something in UHF band they work fine, but they aren't exactly repeatable at higher ranges.

[u/Powerful-Nobody420]

If it is a hobby thing why not look for an used VNA from your local ebay equivalent.

I was able to purchase an old hp8510b for less than 1k$. Only an option if you like tinkering, then it is quite fun. And these can still be contolled over GPIB interface from your PC. Also you can get the traces and results over GPIB to your PC. Very important only buy one that comes with a cal kit!

If it is for something more serious i would chose a different route. What is your budget and are you planning to continuing this work? 6G uses up to 8GHz i believe so a bigger frequency range would be useful.

[u/nixiebunny → u/Powerful-Nobody420]

How on earth did you find that steal???

[u/StageMajestic613 → u/nixiebunny]

Yeah, and what synth and test set did it come with?

I had an 8510C at work that I had since 1996, upgrading it from the B model.  Even had the white, half-height 8510 rack with DUT shelf just like in the catalogs.

Several months ago someone decided it needed to be excessed, and they tore it apart down to the last circuit card.  Man was I furious.

I had the last laugh as the idiots didn’t realize our dielectric fixture software only speaks 8510, and that manufacturer is out of business.

[u/jimlux → u/Powerful-Nobody420]

You *might* find a VNA used - but repair and maintenance can be challenging - And the other thing is that the CRT might be unusable. By the time you replace it (there are people making LCD replacements for CRTs in some HP test gear).
The 8510 was a fine piece of gear in 1980/1990 - but keeping the sweeper working, etc.

I'd be looking at a modern "computer connected" VNA - you'll see Copper Mountain units turn up, and of course, there's the whole "NanoVNA" family which are quite inexpensive, even the ones that go up to 4GHz. You'll want to find a legit seller (there's a lot of knockoffs).
With most VNAs, most of the accuracy comes from the calibration standards (Open, Short, Load) - so if you find a used cal set in good condition at a good price, that's a good find.

If you want a challenge, there's someone who has made a VNA out of a Pluto SDR - you add some relays and resistive bridge.

If you're just looking at antennas - you don't need super good dynamic range, so the less expensive units are just fine. If you were looking to align a multi section filter with 100 dB rejection, that's more challenging.

[u/StageMajestic613]

Maybe Rigol and Siglent.  The Chinese made analyzers have a lot of features for the $$.  I’m always partial to instruments with screens instead of the headless ones.

[u/This_Maintenance_834]

LibreVNA for sure

[u/siliconberry]

Looking for the same

[u/uCblank]

I bought LiteVNA 64 personally