1. The N2PK Vector Network Analyzer (N2PK VNA)
Frequently, presenters must deliver material of a technical nature to an audience unfamiliar with the topic or vocabulary. The material may be complex or heavy with detail. To present technical material effectively, use the following guidelines from Dale Carnegie Training®.
Consider the amount of time available and prepare to organize your material. Narrow your topic. Divide your presentation into clear segments. Follow a logical progression. Maintain your focus throughout. Close the presentation with a summary, repetition of the key steps, or a logical conclusion.
Keep your audience in mind at all times. For example, be sure data is clear and information is relevant. Keep the level of detail and vocabulary appropriate for the audience. Use visuals to support key points or steps. Keep alert to the needs of your listeners, and you will have a more receptive audience.
Paul Kiciak, N2PK

2. What Does “Vector” Mean?
Vector: magnitude & direction (angle)
Scalar: magnitude only
Scalars: 22 MPH, 50 ohms, 6 dB
Vectors:
Wind: 22 MPH from SSE
Impedance: degrees
Reflection: 155 degrees
Polar vs. Rectangular Vectors
Equivalent representations
Polar: deg.
Rectangular: j5.20 ohms
If you have several points, steps, or key ideas use multiple slides. Determine if your audience is to understand a new idea, learn a process, or receive greater depth to a familiar concept. Back up each point with adequate explanation. As appropriate, supplement your presentation with technical support data in hard copy or on disc, , or the Internet. Develop each point adequately to communicate with your audience.
01/22/07 N2PK

3. Some “Networks” General: Black box: don’t care what’s inside
‘Ports’ instead of ‘inputs’ & ‘outputs’
Number of Parameters: N*N for N-port
DUT: N-Port Device Under Test
2-port:
Examples:
1-ports: antenna, R, L, C
2-ports: filters, pair of antennas
4-port: directional coupler
If you have several points, steps, or key ideas use multiple slides. Determine if your audience is to understand a new idea, learn a process, or receive greater depth to a familiar concept. Back up each point with adequate explanation. As appropriate, supplement your presentation with technical support data in hard copy or on disc, , or the Internet. Develop each point adequately to communicate with your audience.
01/22/07 N2PK

4. What Does A VNA Measure? Reflection Parameters:
Impedance*, Admittance*, SWR, Return Loss, Reflection Coefficient*
Equivalent series & parallel R, L, C Q
Transmission Parameters:
Gain*, dB
Group delay in seconds
Components:
Antennas, coax, …
Inductors, capacitors, resistors
Filters: crystal, LC, …
Amplifiers & attenuators
Duplexers, diplexers, directional couplers, …
Diodes, transistors, …
If you have several points, steps, or key ideas use multiple slides. Determine if your audience is to understand a new idea, learn a process, or receive greater depth to a familiar concept. Back up each point with adequate explanation. As appropriate, supplement your presentation with technical support data in hard copy or on disc, , or the Internet. Develop each point adequately to communicate with your audience.
* Complex (vector)
01/23/07 N2PK

5. Some VNA History HP 8410A – late 60’s, 110 MHz-12.4 GHz
HP 8753C – late 80’s, 300 kHz-6 GHz
Agilent E5071C – current, 9 kHz-3 GHz
N2PK VNA (by VE3MM) – current, 50 kHz-60 MHz
01/22/07 N2PK

6. Key Specs Frequency Range: VNA: 50 kHz – 60 MHz, 0.034 Hz steps
LO source: <1 Hz with Hi-Z load
Detectors options:
Single or dual
Slow, single rate (original)
Fast, variable rate
Fast Detector Rates:
10 rates, software selectable
3.5 slowest rate
900 fastest rate
Dynamic Range (w/o averaging):
>110 dB dynamic slowest rate
90 dB dynamic fastest rate
Effective Detector RF Bandwidth:
7 slowest rate
3.4 fastest rate
Virtually immune to external signals (antenna testing)
No adjustments
PC software controlled via Parallel port or USB port
Standalone version by VE7IT – built-in controller & display
Homebrew: $250 for a single detector version
If you have several points, steps, or key ideas use multiple slides. Determine if your audience is to understand a new idea, learn a process, or receive greater depth to a familiar concept. Back up each point with adequate explanation. As appropriate, supplement your presentation with technical support data in hard copy or on disc, , or the Internet. Develop each point adequately to communicate with your audience.
01/22/07 N2PK

7. How Does It Work? RF & LO Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) Sources
If you have several points, steps, or key ideas use multiple slides. Determine if your audience is to understand a new idea, learn a process, or receive greater depth to a familiar concept. Back up each point with adequate explanation. As appropriate, supplement your presentation with technical support data in hard copy or on disc, , or the Internet. Develop each point adequately to communicate with your audience.
RF & LO Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) Sources
Linear Detector: Synchronous Direct Conversion to DC
Sequential Quadrature: 0 deg, then 90 deg, & the difference is VERY accurate
24 bit Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)
01/22/07 N2PK

8. Expanded N2PK VNA Optional Transverter for VHF/UHF
If you have several points, steps, or key ideas use multiple slides. Determine if your audience is to understand a new idea, learn a process, or receive greater depth to a familiar concept. Back up each point with adequate explanation. As appropriate, supplement your presentation with technical support data in hard copy or on disc, , or the Internet. Develop each point adequately to communicate with your audience.
Optional Transverter for VHF/UHF
01/22/07 N2PK

9. Hardware Single Detector PCB VE3IVM Dual Detector PCB
Reflection Bridge PCB
Power Board
If you have several points, steps, or key ideas use multiple slides. Determine if your audience is to understand a new idea, learn a process, or receive greater depth to a familiar concept. Back up each point with adequate explanation. As appropriate, supplement your presentation with technical support data in hard copy or on disc, , or the Internet. Develop each point adequately to communicate with your audience.
Calibration standards
01/22/07 N2PK

10. Some N2PK VNAs SM0CFO+SM6PXJ AG4AY GM4SEK W8WWV OZ1DUG
VE7IT - standalone
01/22/07 N2PK

11. Software N2PK DOS based (programs function in DOS or Windows)
Reflection
Open/Short/Load (OSL) calibration
Optional Low-Loss Capacitor (LLC) standard for low-loss & Hi-Q DUTs
Transmission
Through calibration (assumes 50 ohm source and load impedances)
Reflection & Transmission
OSL and Through – real time simultaneous reflection and transmission
Optional 12-term error correction with S-Parameter Test Set
Special Test Programs:
VNA RF Self-Test (Vs, Zs, Zd)
Crystals (Fs, Fp, Rm, Lm, Cm, Co, Q)
Coax (Zo, attenuation constants)
Component modeling (future)
Windows programs (all do reflection or transmission & good graphics)
Exeter (W8WWV)
VNA4win (GM4PMK & GM3SEK)
WINVNA (OZ1DUG)
Windows Data File Viewers
IVMan Lite (VE3IVM)
Zplots (AC6LA’s Excel app)
If you have several points, steps, or key ideas use multiple slides. Determine if your audience is to understand a new idea, learn a process, or receive greater depth to a familiar concept. Back up each point with adequate explanation. As appropriate, supplement your presentation with technical support data in hard copy or on disc, , or the Internet. Develop each point adequately to communicate with your audience.
01/22/07 N2PK

12. Some Test Results N2PK DOS - Reflection N2PK DOS - Transmission
Exeter - Reflection
VNA4win - Transmission
01/22/07 N2PK

13. How Good Is It? Correlations with commercial VNAs Transmission
Reflection
Rs, ohms Cs, pF
F N2PK 8753C Delta N2PK 8753C Delta
Jack Smith, K8ZOA (
"If you are interested in filter analysis, you should really look into the N2PK VNA. There's a Canadian ham selling PCBs for it. I have one (one of the W8WWV group purchase) and it's an excellent piece of gear--within its frequency range fully as accurate as any of my HP network analyzers. "
Ian White, GM3SEK, (
“The N2PK vector network analyzer has superb accuracy, even by professional standards; "
Ian White, GM3SEK, (
"Compared with amateur-market instruments that rely on build quality alone, the use of calibrations takes the N2PK into the professional league for accuracy. "
Rudy Severns, N6LF, (
"The impedance measurements were straight forward. These measurements were made using an N2PK vector network analyzer. Crosschecking with an HP 3577A analyzer, the measurements appear to be better than 1% which is more than adequate. "
If you have several points, steps, or key ideas use multiple slides. Determine if your audience is to understand a new idea, learn a process, or receive greater depth to a familiar concept. Back up each point with adequate explanation. As appropriate, supplement your presentation with technical support data in hard copy or on disc, , or the Internet. Develop each point adequately to communicate with your audience.
01/30/07 N2PK

14. Publications Pat Hawker, G3VA, "Technical Topics", Sept. 2004, RadCom
Ian White, G3SEK, photo of his VNA on RadCom cover, Oct 2004
Ian White, G3SEK, "In Practice" Oct 2004, RadCom,
A photo of the VNA PCB of the RF DDS, cover of the RSGB Annual Report
Giancarlo Moda, I7SWX, April 2004, Radio Rivista, "IL VECTOR NETWORK ANALYZER DI N2PK“
Bob Cerreto, WA1FXT, January 2006, Bacon Bits Quarterly Newsletter, and The QRP Quarterly, Spring 2006
John Devoldere, ON4UN, "Low-Band DXing", 4th Edition, Section 3.6.9, pg 11-34
Dave Roberts, G8KBB, "USB Interfacing“, Oct. 2005, RadCom
If you have several points, steps, or key ideas use multiple slides. Determine if your audience is to understand a new idea, learn a process, or receive greater depth to a familiar concept. Back up each point with adequate explanation. As appropriate, supplement your presentation with technical support data in hard copy or on disc, , or the Internet. Develop each point adequately to communicate with your audience.
01/22/07 N2PK

15. Web Resources Agilent - VNA Fundamentals:
Paul Kiciak, N2PK – documentation, build info, DOS software:
Greg Ordy, W8WWV - build info:
Radio/Experimentation/N2PKVNA/N2PKVNA.htm
Ivan Makarov, VE3IVM - build info:
Ian White, GM3SEK - build info:
Dave Roberts, G8KBB, VNA USB interface:
Lawrence Glaister, VE7IT – standalone VNA: N2PK VNA PCB + custom controller & display
Windows software:
Exeter, Greg Ordy, W8WWV:
VNA4win, Roger Blackwell, GM4PMK, & Ian White, GM3SEK:
WinVNA, Joakim Soya, OZ1DUG:
IVMan Lite data file viewer, Ivan Makarov, VE3IVM:
Zplots Excel data file viewer, Dan Macguire, AC6LA:
N2PK-VNA Yahoogroup (almost 500 members):
If you have several points, steps, or key ideas use multiple slides. Determine if your audience is to understand a new idea, learn a process, or receive greater depth to a familiar concept. Back up each point with adequate explanation. As appropriate, supplement your presentation with technical support data in hard copy or on disc, , or the Internet. Develop each point adequately to communicate with your audience.
01/23/07 N2PK