The NanoVNA Vector Network Analyzer: This New Open-Source Electronic Test and Measurement Device Will Change Both Remote and In-Person Educational Delivery of Circuits, Electronics, Radio Frequency and Communication Laboratory Course Delivery

Paper: The NanoVNA Vector Network Analyzer; This new open-source electronic test and measurement device will forever change both remote and in-person educational delivery of radio frequency, microwave, and electronic communication laboratory course delivery. ABSTRACT: Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) Electronic Instrumentation is a foundational electronic test and measurement tool for measuring Impedance in networks versus frequency, gain and reflection versus frequency, and time domain impulse/step response of systems. Many Universities have VNAs in their research laboratories. Few Universities offer undergraduate courses that expose all students to VNA technology primarily due to the cost of the instrumentation which can run from $5k for a 1 GHz model and $250k for a 100 GHz model. In the last two years, an open source nanoVNA was developed and introduced to the market with a $50 price for a 1 GHz VNA and $150 for a 3 GHz VNA. This breakthrough in cost/performance now allows all Universities to use VNAs in their laboratories. Each student can have access to their own VNA laboratory experiment set. Low-cost nano-VNAs also enable student ownership of a nano-VNA in their home laboratories and for remote delivery of radio frequency and microwave laboratory sessions. This paper will compare and contrast the features and specifications of a full performance VNA versus the low- cost Nano VNA by direct measurement comparison on the same devices under test. It will also demonstrate example laboratory experiments that were performed in both in-person laboratories and in remote delivery laboratories. Finally, a summary of faculty and student feedback using the nano-VNA for radio frequency, microwave and communication system laboratories is given.