Frequency Range
600 Hz to 1.5 GHz direct, up to 2 GHz via harmonics. Covers HF, VHF, UHF, and into the microwave bands.
What is NanoVNA-H?
The NanoVNA-H is a handheld, battery-powered Vector Network Analyzer capable of measuring RF devices from 600 Hz to 1.5 GHz (and up to 2 GHz using harmonics). It has two SMA ports for reflection (S11) and transmission (S21) measurements, a resistive touchscreen, and a USB interface for PC control.
It fits in your hand. It runs on a coin-cell-sized lithium battery. And it can tell you whether your antenna is tuned, your filter is working, or your feedline has a fault — with enough accuracy to make real engineering decisions.
At a Glance
Section titled “At a Glance”Two-Port Measurement
S11 (reflection) and S21 (transmission) with full magnitude and phase. Measure antennas, filters, cables, and components.
Standalone Operation
Touchscreen UI, battery power, SD card storage. No computer required for measurements in the field.
Open Source
GPL-licensed firmware, published schematics, community-maintained. Build it, modify it, extend it.
How It Works
Section titled “How It Works”The NanoVNA-H generates a stimulus signal using a Si5351 frequency synthesizer, sends it out Port 1, and measures what comes back (reflection) and what passes through to Port 2 (transmission). The return signals are downconverted by a mixer to an audio-frequency IF, digitized by a TLV320AIC3204 audio codec at 192 kHz, and processed by the STM32 microcontroller to extract magnitude and phase.
flowchart LR SRC["Si5351<br/>Synthesizer"] --> P1["Port 1<br/>(CH0)"] P1 --> DUT["Device<br/>Under Test"] DUT --> MIX["SA612A / NE602A<br/>Mixer + Codec"] DUT --> P2["Port 2<br/>(CH1)"] P2 --> MIX MIX --> MCU["STM32<br/>DSP + Display"]
After calibration, systematic errors from cables, connectors, and the VNA itself are mathematically removed — leaving you with accurate measurements of just the device under test.
What You Can Measure
Section titled “What You Can Measure”With Port 1 (S11 — Reflection)
Section titled “With Port 1 (S11 — Reflection)”- Antenna SWR and impedance across a frequency band
- Resonant frequency of antennas, crystals, and LC circuits
- Cable faults using time-domain reflectometry (TDR)
- Component values — inductance, capacitance, Q factor
With Port 1 + Port 2 (S21 — Transmission)
Section titled “With Port 1 + Port 2 (S21 — Transmission)”- Filter passband and stopband response
- Cable loss at specific frequencies
- Amplifier gain (within input power limits)
- Crystal motional parameters for filter design
Two Hardware Variants
Section titled “Two Hardware Variants”The NanoVNA-H comes in two models sharing the same firmware codebase:
| NanoVNA-H | NanoVNA-H4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 2.8” (320×240) | 4.0” (480×320) |
| MCU | STM32F072 (Cortex-M0) | STM32F303 (Cortex-M4 with FPU) |
| Max Sweep Points | 101 | 401 |
| Calibration Slots | 5 | 7 |
| USB Connector | Micro-USB | USB Type-C |
Both cover the same frequency range and use the same measurement architecture. The H4 offers a larger display, more sweep resolution, and faster processing thanks to its hardware floating-point unit.
See Hardware Variants for a detailed comparison.
Project History
Section titled “Project History”The NanoVNA-H traces its lineage through several open-source projects:
- edy555 created the original NanoVNA design
- NanoVNA.com developed the NanoVNA-H hardware (revisions 3.x and 4.x)
- DiSlord maintains the NanoVNA-D firmware that NanoVNA-H is synchronized with (currently v1.2.44)
The firmware runs on ChibiOS, a real-time operating system, and is built with the ARM GCC toolchain. The hardware schematics are published and the firmware source is GPL-licensed.
Key Specifications
Section titled “Key Specifications”| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Frequency Range | 600 Hz – 2 GHz |
| Dynamic Range (direct band) | > 70 dB |
| Dynamic Range (harmonic band) | 40–50 dB |
| Port Impedance | 50 Ω |
| Connector | SMA female |
| Maximum Input | +10 dBm |
| IF Bandwidth | 30 Hz – 4 kHz (selectable) |
| Battery | 3.7 V Li-ion |
| Weight | ~100 g |
For complete specifications, see the Specifications page.
What You Need to Get Started
Section titled “What You Need to Get Started”- A NanoVNA-H or NanoVNA-H4
- The included SMA cables (short ones for calibration, one for your DUT)
- A set of calibration standards (Short, Open, Load) — usually included
- An antenna, filter, or other RF device to measure
Optional:
- USB cable for PC control and charging
- microSD card (FAT32) for saving data and screenshots
- NanoVNA Saver or NanoVNASharp for PC-based analysis
Next Steps
Section titled “Next Steps” Quick Start Guide Power on, calibrate, and take your first measurement
Hardware Variants NanoVNA-H vs H4 — which do you have?
Your First S11 Measurement Connect an antenna and read SWR, return loss, and impedance
Full Calibration Calibrate properly for accurate results