I created this manual for using the NanoVNA as a project for a technical communications course and was quite happy with how it turned out. The NanoVNA is a very miniaturized vector network analyzer (VNA). This tool allows someone to measure the response of an electrical system to an input stimulus, which can tell us a lot about the properties of the electrical system (in this case how well an antenna is tuned to a specific frequency). The goal is to get someone who is unfamiliar with radio to be able to calibrate the instrument and take a measurement of their antennas tuning. I intentionally avoided any discussion of technical details so that the user could simply follow the guide and get a measurement without becoming stuck in the weeds of radio/antenna theory.
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This tutorial will show how to build a dipole antenna for the 2m amateur radio band (144-148 MHz). The materials you will need are:
Some of the tools you will need are:
Now, don't let this list of tools and materials intimidate you. I built this antenna in my apartment bedroom with hand tools and using my Target desk as a workspace. It is definitely possible to make this without any sort of dedicated workshop or advanced tools.
*** UNDER CONSTRUCTION ***