Dear FA-VA4/FA-VA5 users, some of you discussed in the forum that the FA-VA 5 has discontinued. As the developer of the antenna analyzers I am happy to comment the current situation. The exclusive manufacturing of the units was with German BOX73 = Funkamateur. After extending batches of units several times, they decided to stop the production in 2024. Even if there is still relevant demand, their decision reflects the current situation with price increase in components and shortages in components. The pandemic situation changed a lot in the semiconductor business. It is no secret that even today many components are double in price, compared to the situation before 2000. Besides the high prices, changing shortages are still a daily business. One day it is the controller, another day it is the TCXO, then there is a shortage on boost converters or displays and other components. It is quite challenging to test equivalent parts or even change the PCB from batch to batch. However, over the years, BOX73 kept a nearly stable price, potentially leading to decreased profit and additional efforts. I have to say, I can understand such decisions, as involved people have to run a business with a need for enough profit and income. That does not mean that the FA-VA 5 is old iron, it is still an attractive antenna analyzer with many sophisticated features. The goal was to provide a cost effective, accurate measurement unit for ham radio needs. From my perspective this goal has been achieved. The FA-VA 5 is an accurate and mobile device, has a simple but sunlight readable user interface and uses so less power, that batteries last for years. In contrast to user units, the internal mixers are highly resistant against electrostatic discharge. A strong test signal allows to perform antenna measurements even with nearby broadcast stations. For more stationery use cases, VNWA allows detailed one port analysis. Thousands of users enjoy the antenna analyzer and use it on a regular base. Please allow me to highlight the true team approach on the FA-VA 5. Besides my own contribution, Jan (G5BBL), Kurt (OZ7OU) and others provided major support for components, calibration standards and other topics, Tom (DG8SAQ) made it possible to use his sophisticated and comprehensive VNWA software and helped with discussing the mathematics. The result is a true ham radio product for ham radio users. Moving forward there are several options of which feasibility still has to be answered: 1. New production of FA-VA 5 batches with a different manufacturer. Maybe some small changes within a well defined scope. 2. A complete new design for an antenna analyzer, the VA 6, as a mobile unit. 3. A complete new design as a multiport mobile / stationery analyzer which allows enhanced measurements. Maybe we can start a discussion on this. I would be happy to get your thoughts. It is time for a wish-list. Especially for option 1. what would be the most needed changes to the FA-VA 5? For example, it should be quite easy to change the BNC-connector to an N-type connector. More buttons or even a membrane keyboard? Bluetooth connectivity? Some are asking for a TFT-color-display. As you can see, the move from option 1. to option 2. is very fast, as a sunlight readable TFT-display needs lots of power, which drives the need for Li Po-batteries etc. In addition, more RAM and another processor is needed. Happy to get your thoughts on the topic. Regards Michael, DG5MK

Newbie just starting out - I heard that the Fa-Va5 can be used like a signal generator ? I looked at the operation manual and it looks like it has a very steep learning curve. Can anyone out there tell me how to just set up a single HF frequency to be be generated ? Appreciate any help Frank

Hello Michael, Thank you for your message on the status of the FA-VA5. I waited some time to see if someone else responded first but I see no response. There was also QRL (which is such a time sink!) and I wanted to do some measures first but unfortunately I didn't see anybody bat me to responding to Michael's message. This response is going to be long and detailed with the explicit desires to request responses and perhaps a discussion. I created a new Subject line so that people can use the "mute topic" feature in groups.io to block the discussion w/o unsubscribing. Please use the "mute topic" feature and not "report spam" because the latter will give a lot of work to the people of groups.io and we will see this reflected in the annual bill from groups.io. Again, please argue / enhance / agree / disagree... MARKET POSITION Frankly, if I'd known that the stock of VA-FA5 was about to be depleted and re-stock not an automatic thing, I would have ordered myself a spare FA-VA5. For me that says how much I like the design we currently have. I think most of us have read about the cease of production of MFJ, one of the other "antenna analyser manufacturers". I read elsewhere that "stock already run out" and without new MFJ production, I can only see the market share of the FA-VAx grow. I know that there is also nano-VNA these days but for antenna work and a lot of other work, I much appreciate the VA-FAx. So, I am looking forward to a FA-VA5+, or FA-VA6, or whatever... PARTS AND COSTS I recognize the issues with parts but wonder if a slight "overhaul" is enough to translate the design to parts that are more easily available. Note that before corona there was a huge, huge stock of "obsoleted parts" and Corona cleaned them up. After-corona, not all parts are built again, but I wonder if an overhaul would return the design to the sweet spot of device availability. I am sure I don't have all the details here: the only thing I can do is look at the PCB and "see if I recognize the devices" but that won't tell the whole story. On the other hand, without schematic I'm not sure what more I can say. PROCESSOR The current design leans heavy of Microchip devices: the dsPIC33 CPU, the A/D converter, an EEPROM and the clock chip / timekeeper. I think the latter two can be / should be generic devices and I think alternatives should be possible. Having made some designs with microchip devices myself I fully see the erratic supply behavior which frankly, I don't understand. I am in the semiconductor industry myself (and MicSemi is not a customer or I would not be allowed to speak) but while I do see annual market forcasts, MicSemi's behavior does not seem to match the whole market and I know of several other manufacturers who are suffering supply issues. Unfortunately, some alternatives like Atmel no longer exist. I don't know how deep the software depends on the dsPIC architecture but alternatives exist and if delivery is more reliable there AND the software effort is not too big then I think another processor family with more reliable delivery may not be a bad idea. DISPLAY I like the current LCD display: cheap, low-current, good readability in the sun and in the lab (with backlight). For me, I would NOT change to a colour display because of energy, readability and cost. I don't know about future availability of LCD displays with the resolution of the current display though but if availability is not an issue, I would keep as-is. KIT OR BUILT I like the current "kit model" and given that this does make production easier, would suggest to keep the current approach as-is. (the cost of a fully-built device would be significantly higher and more complex) BATTERIES Here is where I would make changes, and I know I probably surprise you. I measured and a FA-VA5 typically uses about 100mA. Because of the power booster, the current goes up when the voltage goes down and I have seen as much as 180mA on 2.4 volts. One would suggest that a set of AA cells (typical capacity 2500mAh) would give 25 hours of operation but for some reason that does not happen and I see "battery low" more often than I like and always carry a second set of AA's when I use the analyser. I would ask to consider using LiPo because this would allow one to charge the analyser before commencing work tomorrow and because the energy is simply much greater. But there is a much more important reason to say: "go LiPo" and that is that in my experience, alkalines of infrequently-used devices "always leak". I have too many bitter experiences of some piece of test kit that I put away (too much rain, no antenna weather, recognise?) only to find that when I use the device, get the "Low battery" message, I open up and am greeted with Cauliflowers in my expensive radio because the )*^*)^* battaries have leaked. For that reason, I always remove the batteries in my test equipment and on the FA-VAx, that is finding a screwdriver, fiddling with 4 small screws (&(& and hoping none gets lost, then putting the batteries in a place I can find them. In contrast, LiPo's can stay in. I am explicitly not suggesting "deliver with LiPo battary" or "ship with LiPo inside" because I know that this would make shipping logistics very, very complex. Shipping companies hate, hate them and it reflects in shipping possibilities and price. Suggestion would be to ship with a battery holder for an 18650 and have the user supply the battery (which is simple, ask anyone who vapes!). The circuit would need to change to allow for this, include a charge curcuitry, a discharge watcher and the booster circuitry modified. Note that this would make the unit smaller and lighter, and probably with longer battery life. POWER BUTTON If one goes the 18650 route, then the power button would be a temporary pushbutton which switches the meter on and off, allows shutdown in case the battery is empty (SAFETY REQUIREMENT!), and an automatic power-off possibility. The place of the button should stay as-is since in the case I an using it is protected against accidental activation (the front buttons are not, but the power button is). USB CONNECTOR This one is easy: should be USB-C and allow for charging (I don't see a need for speed-charge, but who knows what's possible here). Note that I mostly use the USB to update firmware, I don't use it to connect to a PC for results read-out (sorry!) and wonder how that is with others. And in case the 18650 battery is empty one can run the unit from the USB connector. BLUETOOTH I don't have much use for bluetooth but wonder how that is with others. Note that "bluetooth association" problems are rife and for that reason alone I would stay away. Also note that of you were to do bluetooth, the bluetooth would need to "look outside" and the metal case shields. For me, no complexity, no cost, no "look outside", no bluetooth. CASE The case is not rolls-royce but is robust and serves the purpose. I see no reason for a "sleek design" certainly not at an increase of cost. Note that if we'd go the 18650 route then there is much less need to open the case and the current screws more than suffice. I see no need to weather-roof the case more than what it currently has (not much) CONNECTOR I am very happy with the current BNC that works all the way up to 600 MHz, is robust and easy couple / un-couple. An N connector for me would be awkward because couple and uncouple is hard and would quickly have a N->BNC adapter permanently connected to it. Quality BNC connectors are spec'ed up to several GHz so there is no reason to change that. And, one doesn't use an N connector on the HF bands and that is most often where I see the FA-VAx used. USER INTERFACE I am happy with the current "few buttons" interface but would suggest to introduce the concept of "bands" and have a way to switch up to "next higher band". The FA-VA4 is a bit awkward (just go from 3.5 to 28 MHz) and while the FA-VA5 has an "autorepeat" function, moving from 144 to 432 MHz is still awkward. In contrast, I don't see a lot of FA-VA5 work between 200-350 MHz and yet we have to work through it when we go to the other band. By having, oh, 20 user-selectable bands one can put in all the bands that one can use and simply switch to the next "band" instead of having to skip several hundred megaherts. The firmware doesn't know the bands, just knows that there are a few and they should be kept in frequency order. And I think 20 bands would be about right: 137, 472, 1.6, 3.5, 5.3, 7.0, 10, 14, 18, 21, 28, 40, 50, 70, 144, 220, 432 and that would leave slots for other possible future allocations. And it should be possible to "switch bands off" so that a user who only uses the classic HF bands (3.5, 7.0. 14, 21, 28) doesn't need to cycle though any other. This would bode for perhaps one additional button bit that cost is not too high and if a switch fails, you can replace it. "Doing membrane" is much harder, specially "find a replacement membrane" 15 years from now. FEATURE REQUEST: generator Another "small box" that I have is a signal generator that can deliver signals using calibrated signal levels: -107 dBm/1uV, -73dBm/50uV (== S9 < 30 MHz), -33 dBm and 0 dBm. I would add -93dBm because that is S9 above 30 MHz). Having semi-calibrated signal levels helps to align S-meters, do proper I/Q balancing for SDR radios and the like. And I think you already have the generator for it. Again, this is long and detailed, and I hope to provoke some responses. And I hope I "didn't forget" once I press the send button. Let the FA-V5 (or it's successor) live! 73, Geert Jan PE1HZG

The FA-VA5 currently lists as "sold out". Will there be another batch? Are there other developments? 73, Geert Jan PE1HZG

A new chat has been created: This chat is for discussions related to coil inductance measurements with the FA-VA5. By: Dieter VK3FFB (group owner) <dpelz@...> View/Join This Chat Do not reply to this message to post to the chat. You can participate in chats only through the group's website.

Dieter VK3FFB (group owner) <dpelz@...> added folder /FA-VA5 coil measurement data and coil capacitance Description: See message dated 15th April 2024

Hello all, I need some assistance with the calibration process as I am obviously doing it wrong. A 25 Ohm pure resistive load shows an SWR of 2.7 I have a set of open/short/ 50 Ohm calibration loads from my AIM 4170C plus the 50 Ohm load which came with the unit. Further where do I obtain the short and opern delay values? Thanks in advance

It is perhaps time to highlight once more that many so-called USB cables that seem to suit the FA-VA5 are actually "charge-only" cables, meaning they cannot be used for connecting the FA-VA5 to a PC because they lack the actual USB signal connections. The controlling software will come up with a "device not found" message. Only genuine USB cables will allow the PC control of the FA-VA5. Unfortunately, the "charge-only" cables usually have no distinct mark to recognise them. We just had another case here where a user had a "charge-only" cable and went to great lengths to cure the problem elsewhere, until we told him about the cable issue. best regards Dieter, VK3FFB

Hi, As a recent-joiner of this list, may I start by asking a question that is perhaps a little bit out of scope. I have a FA-VA5 and I'm very happy with it. I recently bought a second-hand FA-VA4 to loan to some recently-licensed people to get experience. There is a problem with setting the frequency. On the FA-VA5, I keep the button pressed and the unit "scrolls" to the desired frequency. On my FA-VA4 however, I must press the button 140 times to go from 20m to 10m. My unit has software 0.32.2. The newest version for the FA-VA4 is 0.40, but this software is not available. While the FA-VA5 can be updated via USB, the FA-VA4 can not. There is an ICSP connector on the FA-VA4 but software updates are not made available this way. At the annual "hamradio fair" there is a setup to do upgrades, but I cannot attend Hamradio for travel reasons. Box73 in Berlin says I can ship the unit and they can upgrade it. But sending stuff internationally (to Berlin) is expensive and it is effort for the box73 crew. My question: does the FA-VA4 with software version 0.40 do autorepeat when the frequency button is pressed or do I still have to press the button 140 times? I am asking to decide if I should make the expense and if I should ask box73 to make the effort. 73, Geert Jan PE1HZG

Is there a way to erase (empty) the dataset memory locations. I know they can be overwritten but it can get confusing.

Hi Matt Sounds good. Here is some advice regarding the measurement of traps. I have used this method successfully when I made a trapped dipole for 18 and 14 MHz. When measuring a trap, we have to consider that a trap is a parallel-tuned circuit. *It is therefore not advisable to measure traps directly with the FA-VA5*. Any small amount of capacitance will falsify the measurement. I found the best way to measure traps is by using the FA-VA5 like we would use a Dip-meter. We can do this by setting the FA-VA5 to VSWR sweep mode with a narrow sweep width of say 1..2 MHz. You may need to refer to the manual (pages 15 to 17). Then we connect a suitable one or two-winding coupling coil made from solid wire to the FA-VA5 BNC socket. Coil diameter is not critical and should suit the trap coil. The idea is to couple loosely to the trap and observe a small VSWR dip in the VSWR graph at coil resonance. In order to obtain best results, the weakest coupling that still gives a visible VSWR dip will ensure highest accuracy. The marker function may come in very handy. Keep in mind that during marker adjustment, the FA-VA5 does not make new measurements ! This worked rather well here and I found very good agreement with a measurement made with my boat-anchor Agilent 8753 analyser. During trap measurement, the trap should be placed far away from any metal. You can support it with non-metallic supports. If the above is not entirely clear, please let me know. 73 Dieter, VK3FFB

Hi Maybe some of you have used the FA-VA5 for measuring coil "inductance" using the LCR meter function. Maybe you made a trap coil or a loading coil and want to measure it. If you have used the LCR function, then maybe you have encountered what may look like anomalies or mysteries. Perhaps you noticed that for some coils the inductance value changes with frequency. In standard circuit theory, however, the inductance "L" of an ideal inductance is a constant with the unit Henries (mH, uH, nH). Practical inductances possess a so-called winding capacitance. At higher frequencies they may even exhibit higher order properties. Winding capacitance acts like a small lumped capacitor in parallel connection with the coil. While at low frequencies the effect of the coil capacitance may be hardly or not noticeable, it rises slowly and becomes very significant when we move towards the parallel resonance frequency of the coil inductance and the winding capacitance. We first notice this when we measure a coil and increase the FA-VA5 frequency. The displayed inductance value "L" increases slowly with frequency as a consequence of the winding capacitance. If this subject is of some general interest and you would like to learn more, I am happy to elaborate more. For the time being, I end here. vy 73 Dieter, VK3FFB

I would suggest to Michael DG5MK a new feature, if is possible to add a sweep generator function, with these parameters: - start/stop frequency - number of points - sweep time I think it's not too much difficult to implement in the firmware, it is like an SWR sweep without RL measurement.

I own the FA-VA5 from 4 years, this is my review and description: https://www.pianetaradio.it/blog/antenna-analyzer-fa-va5/

Hi, I have a FA-VA5 but don't know how to use it for TDR. I am not an EE and just plodding along with half a brain and a lot of Trial and Error. Can someone cook Book a 1,2,3,4,etc list of things to do to measure TDR on my Coaxes? I do not know what S21, S11, IZI, etc mean and do not know how to convert the program from meters to feet... So I would need a basic and simple proceedure to do the above. I have trial and errored all the settings to get to a point where i have something like a TDR graph(I think) but do not know how to place Feet on the screen of VNWA. It just measures Time...which I have to correlate to distance. I do not know how to input or output Memories, etc...if that is necessary. Can I plug in a coax and USB, Calibrate VNWA and get a TDR? HOW? Can Meters be converted to Feet? Where? I have looked far an dwide on the Internet but can't seem to find anything that will help em insert the right parameters and select the proper items to get TDR. Help!!! I am assuming this FA-VA5 can do TDR. I've seen somewhere that it can. Thanks for any help. I need a Walk Through. Val N4RJ I appreciate any feedback

A new chat has been created: Hi Michael My e-mail to your t-online address bounces back. Tried a few times. Please advise. thanks Dieter, VK3FFB By: Dieter VK3FFB (group owner) <dpelz@...> View/Join This Chat Do not reply to this message to post to the chat. You can participate in chats only through the group's website.