[SFDXA] KB6NU's Column for August 2015

[Bill]

> Here's my column for August.
> 
> This column is now going out to more than 360 clubs now. Thanks for all your support.
> 
> 73, Dan KB6NU

> 
> Antenna Analyzers You Can Hack
> 
> By Dan Romanchik, KB6NU
> 
> I'm a nut for antenna analyzers. I think that they are one of the most useful things a ham can own. 
> 
> I’ve often wondered why there aren’t more DIY antenna analyzer projects, though. Perhaps it’s because designing measurement circuits isn’t easy. An antenna analyzer has to have a signal source as well. Even so, an antenna analyzer doesn't need a whole lot of accuracy to be useful, so you would think that more builders/hackers would tackle a project like this.
> 
> I do know of one antenna analyzer kit on the market. The VK5JST Antenna Analyser Kit (http://www.ahars.com.au/about/kits/) costs about $110 USD. I actually purchased this kit a year or so ago, and it looks like a great unit. The unit seems well-designed, and it comes with a plastic case, unlike many projects theses days, but I haven’t yet gotten around to building it.
> 
> I've also recently found out about an Arduino-based antenna analyzer project (http://hackaday.com/2015/08/06/40-antenna-analyzer-with-arduino-and-ad9850/). It uses an AD9850 module as the signal source. The approximate cost for all the parts is about $40, and you can experiment with the code, if you like. If you have the time and inclination, this project might be worth taking a hack at.  [[NOTE TO EDITORS: A photo of this project can be found at http://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/analyzer.jpg]]
> 
> Another antenna analyzer project from Australia is the VK3YY antenna analyzer (or "analyser" as they spell it there). It uses an Arduino Nano. The interesting thing about the blog post in which VK3YY describes the project (https://vk3yy.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/antenna-analyser-project/) is that you can follow his design and experimentation process. 
> 
> Yet another analyzer
> 
> While I’m talking about antenna analzyers, let me mention another one that I’ve just found out about: the IW2NDH Antenna Analyzer (http://www.iw2ndh.com/). This antenna analyzer isn't a kit, but at $175 seems to be a good deal. This unit has a frequency coverage of 2 – 160 MHz, and can be used as an antenna analyzer, signal generator, and a scalar network analyzer.
> 
> Apparently, this started out as an Arduino project. As Maximo, EA1DDO, pointed out on the radioartisan Yahoo Group, there is source code for this project on GitHub (https://gist.github.com/jackdev23/7876502), and a schematic is available on the Union de Radioaficionados Espanoles (URE) website (http://www.ure.es/media/kunena/attachments/2420/Schematic.jpg).
> 
> ==========================
> 
> When not writing about antenna analyzers, Dan, KB6NU, actually builds an antenna now and then. You can often find him on the HF bands (mostly 40m and 30m), working CW. His #1-rated amateur radio blog can be found at KB6NU.Com, and you can e-mail questions, comments, or complaints to cwgeek at kb6nu.com.