SWR Meter.

[TNFrank]

So, why wouldn't something like this work to tune an HF antenna? I could hook it between the radio and antenna coax and check the SWR then adjust the antenna as needed to bring the SWR into the proper range. 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=swr+meter

[SteveShannon]

25 minutes ago, TNFrank said:

So, why wouldn't something like this work to tune an HF antenna? I could hook it between the radio and antenna coax and check the SWR then adjust the antenna as needed to bring the SWR into the proper range. 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=swr+meter

The NanoVNA shown on that page would work, but the Surecom swr meter tells you nothing about which way or how far you need to adjust your antenna, which is what an SWR sweep on an analyzer shows:

[TNFrank]

But it would tell me the SWR and I can tweak the antenna a bit until I get the SWR to where I want it AND it's much simpler for me. I had a NanoVNA and I didn't like it because it was too complicated for me even with watching videos. I want/need something simple and basic, not something fancy and complicated.

[WRYZ926]

1 hour ago, TNFrank said:

But it would tell me the SWR and I can tweak the antenna a bit until I get the SWR to where I want it AND it's much simpler for me. I had a NanoVNA and I didn't like it because it was too complicated for me even with watching videos. I want/need something simple and basic, not something fancy and complicated.

 A SWR meter will only tell you what the SWR is at the frequency you are transmitting at when taking a reading. It will not tell you if the antenna is short or long.

Yes you can use a SWR meter by transmitting at the lowest frequency you can use and again at the highest frequency you can use. But it still won't give you a very good idea if the antenna is short or long.

That is why we keep recommending a NanoVNA or antenna analyzer. They will show a sweep across the entire band so that you know exactly if the antenna is short or long. Even with the learning curve of a NanoVNA, it is still way easier to tune a HF antenna with one.

Another advantage of a NanoVNA and Analyzer is they will also show what the impedance of the antenna is. Plus you can also test your coax with them too.

Sometimes trying to save money is NOT worth the headaches and aggravation it may cause. Splurge on a NanoVNA or antenna analyzer. You will thank us in the long run.

 

PS: You might have your antenna perfectly tuned for your home but it could be way off at a different location based on the soil conductivity. And this can cause the antenna to need retuned.

We really are trying to help you save yourself some aggravation by repeatedly telling you to get a NanoVNA or antenna analyzer.

[TNFrank]

Once again, I HAD A NanoVNA and I didn't like it. Why would I buy something again that I didn't like and returned? I can cut the antenna wire long and cut it back until the SWR comes in to where I want it by just checking the SWR on the meter. It's just easier for me that way.

[hxpx]

Your method will work, but showing the SWR sweep makes it easier to know where the dip is and if cutting off more wire is going to make things worse. Something like a RigExpert AA-35 might be easier to use but they cost way more than a NanoVNA, which is why everyone recommends them.

My NanoVNA is basically a glorified SWR meter at this point. Turned off all the traces except Trace 0, set it to read SWR, and the set the sweep start/stop to the band I want. I hate the twitchy touchscreen and I can't get it to save settings - maybe I'll get a RigStick at some point or at least learn what that swirly Smith chart means, but for now it does what I need it to do as far as cutting wire or adjusting a vertical goes.

[WRYZ926]

@TNFrank we are only trying to help make things easier for you. You can take our advice or ignore it. That's entirely up to you.

You use what ever you want to tune your antennas.

[TNFrank]

6 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

@TNFrank we are only trying to help make things easier for you. You can take our advice or ignore it. That's entirely up to you.

You use what ever you want to tune your antennas.

I totally understand that you guys are trying to help. I simply couldn't wrap my head around how to make the NanoVNA work even  after watching several videos on YouTube. All I did was get frustrated so I returned it. A simple meter would be easier for me to use and like I said, I can see the specs for a 10M antenna at 28.4MHz, cut it a bit longer then tune it by cutting it back a bit until I get the SWR that I'm looking for. 

I grew up with carburetors and distributors in cars and learned to tune things with basic, analog tools and by ear. All this computerized stuff confuses me at times.  I managed to get the Inverted V dipole tuned in to below 1.5:1 on my radio's meter using the cut and try method. That's what I'll do with the EFHW when it gets here. I'm not trying to be hard headed about this, I just don't want to buy something that I've already had and didn't like. That'd make Zero sense at all. 

[Bogieboy01]

2 minutes ago, TNFrank said:

I totally understand that you guys are trying to help. I simply couldn't wrap my head around how to make the NanoVNA work even  after watching several videos on YouTube. All I did was get frustrated so I returned it. A simple meter would be easier for me to use and like I said, I can see the specs for a 10M antenna at 28.4MHz, cut it a bit longer then tune it by cutting it back a bit until I get the SWR that I'm looking for. 

I grew up with carburetors and distributors in cars and learned to tune things with basic, analog tools and by ear. All this computerized stuff confuses me at times.  I managed to get the Inverted V dipole tuned in to below 1.5:1 on my radio's meter using the cut and try method. That's what I'll do with the EFHW when it gets here. I'm not trying to be hard headed about this, I just don't want to buy something that I've already had and didn't like. That'd make Zero sense at all. 

The nanovna has a bit of a steep learning curve, biggest being any time you power off and power back on you need to recalibrate your open, short and 50ohm load, and if you change the range, same goes, so if you switch from testing a gmrs antenna at 450-470mhz, and want to test a cb (i do t have a 10m radio currently, still working on a 10m radio and ham license) antenna at 25-28mhz, you need to recalibrate... once i figured that detail out i got my boofwang ar5rm reliably hitting a repeater from 23 mi away once i got the swr nailed to 1:1 for 467.600 transmit... but yeah theres a learning curve, but i wouldnt trade my nanovna for just an swr/power meter.... youre guessing in the dark, it will tell you swr, but you dont know for sure if youre too short already or still too long without being able to see the sweep... i have both the nano and i have a surecom sw33plus... they do thier jobs well, but in my opinion are not interchangable.

[WRYS709]

My nanoVNA arrived last Friday. I only use it for SWR and I ignore its Swiss Army Knife features!

Within that limited context, I watched one YT video and was off to the races. 

The sun is back out in SoCal and my next step is to build my portable antennas (Radioddity HF-008 and 009, telescoping whips for 10 and 80 meters and more to arrive soon) in the backyard, yes using the nanoVNA, and operate there before inaugurating POTA

[SteveShannon]

42 minutes ago, hxpx said:

My NanoVNA is basically a glorified SWR meter at this point. Turned off all the traces except Trace 0, set it to read SWR, and the set the sweep start/stop to the band I want. I hate the twitchy touchscreen and I can't get it to save settings.

Absolutely!!!  I can’t emphasize enough that it’s important to turn off all the traces and backgrounds that you’re not using. I dislike the touchscreen also. That’s why I keep recommending that people use the free software NanoVNA Saver. It allows you to easily see on a larger screen all of the settings, yet turn off the distractions. 
But it’s still much more enjoyable to use my RigExpert.

[WRYZ926]

You can get a Rig Expert AA-35ZOOM that covers 0.6 MHz through 35 MHz for $249. They are simple to use and show a good sweep across a single band or across multiple bands. I know $249 can be a lot of money, but sometimes spending a little more is worth not having to deal with aggravations.

https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/reu-aa-35zoom

Or if you don't mind spending more, you can get the Comet CAA500MarkII for $550 and it has an analog meter on it.

https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-caa500markii

I use the Rig Expert Stick Pro as it covers everything from 0.1 MHz to 600 MHz. It costs $480. I was able to justify the cost since I build plenty of antennas along with helping others build/tune their antennas.

https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/reu-stick-pro

I know that the NanoVNA's have a steep learning curve but they are also cheaper than an antenna analyzer.

[hxpx]

54 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Absolutely!!!  I can’t emphasize enough that it’s important to turn off all the traces and backgrounds that you’re not using. I dislike the touchscreen also. That’s why I keep recommending that people use the free software NanoVNA Saver. It allows you to easily see on a larger screen all of the settings, yet turn off the distractions. 
But it’s still much more enjoyable to use my RigExpert.

Neat, thanks!

I think dangling the NanoVNA from a short jumper connected to the elevated antenna feed point was good enough for trying to cut antenna wire at like 11pm last night. No need to drag a computer outside.

[SteveShannon]

5 minutes ago, hxpx said:

Neat, thanks!

I think dangling the NanoVNA from a short jumper connected to the elevated antenna feed point was good enough for trying to cut antenna wire at like 11pm last night. No need to drag a computer outside.

I inherited two commercial vertical antennas from a local organization. I gave one to my friend Jack because he didn’t have a 2m base. So we had to tune it to the 2m band. 
One of my RigExperts is the Stick Pro. I connected it to the feed point of an antenna before we raised the antenna and then I used Bluetooth to run whatever kind of test I wanted from a chair nearby. It was really convenient. Then we swung the antenna down, shortened the whip, and popped it back up again. Within minutes we had it centered on 146.5 MHz which was perfect for our repeater. We could see from the screen on my phone exactly where it was tuned and know which direction and roughly how far to adjust it. 
 

[hxpx]

20 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

I inherited two commercial vertical antennas from a local organization. I gave one to my friend Jack because he didn’t have a 2m base. So we had to tune it to the 2m band. 
One of my RigExperts is the Stick Pro. I connected it to the feed point of an antenna before we raised the antenna and then I used Bluetooth to run whatever kind of test I wanted from a chair nearby. It was really convenient. Then we swung the antenna down, shortened the whip, and popped it back up again. Within minutes we had it centered on 146.5 MHz which was perfect for our repeater. We could see from the screen on my phone exactly where it was tuned and know which direction and roughly how far to adjust it. 
 

Oh man. Bluetooth would be nice. Would have cut down time by saving me from walking back and forth just to see I changed my SWR by 0.2. 

[SteveShannon]

9 minutes ago, hxpx said:

Oh man. Bluetooth would be nice. Would have cut down time by saving me from walking back and forth just to see I changed my SWR by 0.2. 

Here’s the one I have:

https://www.gigaparts.com/rigexpert-stick-pro-antenna-analyzer.html?utm_term=sku-zre-stick-pro&gigadv=P_Max_Rig_Expert&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19751413136&gbraid=0AAAAAD_py5F7C7KJT307H6bPGbJWtiLRh&gclid=Cj0KCQiApfjKBhC0ARIsAMiR_Is23ysZwZWOLF4nY4qb2G1Ow8WDuVpS8bo00_2pV0bklR6UZyAV8MIaAtQHEALw_wcB
 

My other one is an AA-600 that I bought used from another ham. It has a larger screen but it’s also heavier and bigger. For work around the house that’s the one I use. 

[WRYZ926]

Giga Parts is definitely cheaper on the Rig Expert Stick Pro compared to DX Engineering. 

I love my Stick Pro. Its small and light which makes it great for when one has to climb with it. And its size is perfect for POTA activations too. The Bluetooth is a nice feature that I use quite often. The AntScope app for IOS works well.

[SteveShannon]

3 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

Giga Parts is definitely cheaper on the Rig Expert Stick Pro compared to DX Engineering. 

I love my Stick Pro. Its small and light which makes it great for when one has to climb with it. And its size is perfect for POTA activations too. The Bluetooth is a nice feature that I use quite often. The AntScope app for IOS works well.

I bought it when there was a special discount on RigExpert right before Dayton Hamvention or something like that.  Every few months there are sales.  Tariffs have affected prices, of course but there are still opportunities from time to time.

[WRYZ926]

I looked back through my emails and I bought mine when DX Engineering had a special on them. I paid $400 for it at the time. It's money well spent.

[SteveShannon]

11 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

I looked back through my emails and I bought mine when DX Engineering had a special on them. I paid $400 for it at the time. It's money well spent.

Absolutely.