NanoVNA vs. MFJ-259B Antenna Analyzer | SWR Comparison

I was curious about how accurate the NanoVNA was, so I compared it to my MFJ-259B HF/VHF SWR Analyzer on a few bands. It turns out the two were very close, so I've now listed the MFJ analyzer on eBay!

[HerbBaldwin]

I have both and what I like about the MFJ over the Nano VNA is the physical size of the unit and the meters. The Nano is sometimes hard to see in the bright sunlight in the field, if I set it down on a picnic table sometimes the weight of the coax pulls it off the table where the MFJ is heavy enough to stay put. Of course I like the Nano since I can download the data to the computer and save/print charts/graphs. Thanks for putting this short video together de WB8BHK

[alexanderressler]

I also did a comparison with an mfj and my older version nanovna, and they were close. I think it's close enough for a low-budget HAM to get a feel for tuning. Thanks for the video review.

[robertvandersanden]

There is already a difference between what the MFJ LCD shows and what is on the SWR meter of the MFJ on the bottom left. Sometimes even worse than between MFJ LCD reading and Nano VNA. Good choice to sell the MFJ. Besides the accuracy the Nano VNA gives you an instant overview over a wider frequency range.

[kellyrandal]

From WB5MZT, I just bought a NanoVNA. Great ending. Yewdaman! That eBay listing will go down in history. Back in the early '80s, I used an HP network analyzer that cost $80, 000! My house cost $45, 000. This NanoVNA is considerably as accurate as the HP network analyzer and cheaper than my house.

[davidsradioroom]

I still plan to keep both of mine. I use the MFJ to tune my portable antenna.

[jimaanders]

The NanoVNA is a lot cheaper and it does a lot more than an ordinary SWR meter.
You can check your transmission line, tuners, dummy loads and discrete components too.
It's often surprising to see how complex a simple inductor is as a function of frequency.
The NanoVNA is very educational.

[stevefox]

'I can't see your antenna on you That's because my roof IS my antenna'
Quality.

[curtisyerger]

Yeah I have both pieces of test equipment and haven't used my my MFJ since my initial testing and comparison that I performed when I got my first Nanovna. I recently got the H4 model for the bigger screen. Best of all I can stick the Nanovna in my pocket, can't do that with the MFJ-259B. 73, KC3EKL

[falsedragon]

You need to calibrate the vna every time you change the span. Or else you are interpolating the calibration points. That's why you have a little c on the left of the screen, instead of the big C.

The "white" VNA is a clone. But for HF it will work OK.
You would have better results on the nanoVNA if you calibrated beforehand on the bands of interest - each - nanoVNA by default has 101 reading points so even if you calibrate 1.5MHz to 30MHz they will be across 28.5MHz...
Also display R and X to compare with MFJ and to get acquaintance with your antenna.
73 de Luís