I'm not 100% sure about that though because I never need to enable a VSWR trace because none of us care about it.

On the newer VNAs, you might have to dig into the math functions to have it calculate it for you, because it might not be something readily available on the list of possible traces to display. Having said that, you can probably have even the most expensive VNAs produce a VSWR trace, especially older ones it's available on the menus. In many decades of working in the RF and electronics industries, I can say that, while we sometimes talk qualitatively and non-quantitatively about 'standing waves', I can't recall ever being asked for or seen a VSWR value quoted on any of the data I produce or read - we're more concerned about return loss, S11/S22 and the specific impedance presented as R+jX along with where that is on the Smith Chart.

I am not sure if seeing Smith Charts makes me think about my old HP-49g graphic calc. I might learn to use them if building complex circuits, but admittedly, I have never bothered seriously with them even despite having a degree in math. An antenna often is 'resonant' at the frequency where X is zero, which can make a routine task like lengthening or shortening an antenna's length a little easier to determine.Īlso, yeah, I agree about Smith Charts. Is the resistance closer to 200 ohms or 12.5 ohms? ) Kind of makes for a considerable difference if using to a matching transformer for example by at least telling ya' which way to position the ratio. Say one has a typical 50-ohm transceiver.

Taking the next step beyond SWR, I like to use my NanoVNA-H4 to check complex impedance in addition to SWR.Įven just simple resistance (R) will tell ya' more about the SWR reading. UI quirks aside, it is quite the neat device for the price. :) I have read about professional VNA users even being puzzled initially by some of the NanoVNA menus and options. Good stuff for those not familiar with the NanoVNA user interface.

Nanovna swr