Got my Tiny SA Ultra (first thoughts)

[guitar_199]

Well it came in, and the first thing I did was run self-test... which worked. But I came back the next day and ran...and it failed self test #3 which was a "signal level" issue. After researching... one of the first things suggested by the make is..... put a full charge on it!!!! And it WAS on the weak side....so I charged it overnight... until the charge light went off. NOW it passes all tests. The maker said that ... in retrospect... he may have made the test comparisons too tight... which would mean that a lagging battery will cause that.

So I got in here and stuck it on my B&K 2040 to read what it puts out. To my surprise.... when I set the attenuator switch on -70 and rolled the RF out control up to put the needle "dead on" 0 dBm (which should put out -70 dBm... the Tiny SA saw -69.9 dBm. Cutting the story short....I still need to run the whole calibration on the output adjustment...as the tracking is not real good. (when you roll down -1 dB should be -71 but the SA reads -70.5. When I roll up 1dB... should be -69 the SA reads -68.3). AND when I MAX the RF out pot the needle doesn't quite reach the end of the scale.

But I do think that this will suffice to get the generator close enough in calibration for what I will be doing....and it certainly better than nothing.

It DOES scan slow (I knew that from reading before) but I like what it does. I know it is no match for a good HP or Rigol but, at $139, and as close as it looks to be, it will be fine. I think I'm going to like it.

 

[Cable Guy]

Glad it made it, do you have a link to where you bought it? That price point is hard to argue.

 

[guitar_199]

Glad it made it, do you have a link to where you bought it? That price point is hard to argue.

TINYSA TINYSAULTRA [TINYSAULTRA] - $139.95 : R&L Electronics, Amateur radio store

R&L Electronics TINYSA TINYSAULTRA [TINYSAULTRA] - 100kHz-5.3GHz Spectrum Analyzer 4 Touchscreen MISC TEST EQUIPMENT

www2.randl.com

This is it. A radio and electronics business in Ohio......
I ordered it online 6/4 and the delivery was made on Saturday 6/8.... I am in the Houston, TX area. That was pretty quick I think.

And...if you go look on the tinysa.org site, R&L IS one of the valid retailers listed to insure getting a genuine unit.

 

[Pez]

They are excellent SA's for the money. I have a new Siglent SA in my shack, and both the original TinySA and the TinySA Ultra. The Ultra is worth every cent over the standard version. It can do many of the things that my Siglent can do with acceptable accuracy, it just takes longer to setup and sweep, and obviously isn't quite as nice!... But I use the Ultra often, even with the other equipment I have. (FYI, you can increase the sweep speed in a number of ways, but you need to be careful and know what you are expecting to see, because it can introduce aliasing and less accurate results.)

I'm sure you will enjoy it. The PC control software can be nice to get the results up on a big screen also.

73

 

[guitar_199]

They are excellent SA's for the money. I have a new Siglent SA in my shack, and both the original TinySA and the TinySA Ultra. The Ultra is worth every cent over the standard version. It can do many of the things that my Siglent can do with acceptable accuracy, it just takes longer to setup and sweep, and obviously isn't quite as nice!... But I use the Ultra often, even with the other equipment I have. (FYI, you can increase the sweep speed in a number of ways, but you need to be careful and know what you are expecting to see, because it can introduce aliasing and less accurate results.)

I'm sure you will enjoy it. The PC control software can be nice to get the results up on a big screen also.

73

I do need to research the PC software angle. I am just hoping that I can find a solution that works for me. I am one of those techie types that runs Linux full time at home. I do have Win10 available (but I have to reboot the laptop to get there), and I do have Wine( it is a "Windows emulator" that works for SOME Windows programs).... but I will just have to dedicate some time to figuring out which path I can use.

 

[Pez]

I do need to research the PC software angle. I am just hoping that I can find a solution that works for me. I am one of those techie types that runs Linux full time at home. I do have Win10 available (but I have to reboot the laptop to get there), and I do have Wine( it is a "Windows emulator" that works for SOME Windows programs).... but I will just have to dedicate some time to figuring out which path I can use.

There is a python controller available apparently. (That might satisfy your need for some Linux pain lol). Seriously, I respect anyone who can run Linux full-time. It's a skill I cant master. I use Linux for radio projects and pi based servers, but for every day use would make my head explode. lol. sudo su - ....

Cheers!

 

[DelR]

There is a python controller available apparently. (That might satisfy your need for some Linux pain lol). Seriously, I respect anyone who can run Linux full-time. It's a skill I cant master. I use Linux for radio projects and pi based servers, but for every day use would make my head explode. lol. sudo su - ....

Cheers!

I got one a week or so ago. Mine come from AURSINC which is on the good list also. I used it to check frequencys on my radios. I will have to learn more about this thing and what else I can do with it.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

TINYSA TINYSAULTRA [TINYSAULTRA] - $139.95 : R&L Electronics, Amateur radio store

R&L Electronics TINYSA TINYSAULTRA [TINYSAULTRA] - 100kHz-5.3GHz Spectrum Analyzer 4 Touchscreen MISC TEST EQUIPMENT

www2.randl.com

This is it. A radio and electronics business in Ohio......
I ordered it online 6/4 and the delivery was made on Saturday 6/8.... I am in the Houston, TX area. That was pretty quick I think.

And...if you go look on the tinysa.org site, R&L IS one of the valid retailers listed to insure getting a genuine unit.

This is next on my list to buy, thanks for the info.

 

[Pez]

This is next on my list to buy, thanks for the info.

I got mine from The official Zeenko store on AliExpress. (They are the manufacturer of the genuine units). That was cheapest for me, but I'm in AU so that might not be the case for you.
No matter where you get your genuine version from, grab some SMA attenuators for it. They are necessary for most tests (other than basic over the air tests).

 

[guitar_199]

I got mine from The official Zeenko store on AliExpress. (They are the manufacturer of the genuine units). That was cheapest for me, but I'm in AU so that might not be the case for you.
No matter where you get your genuine version from, grab some SMA attenuators for it. They are necessary for most tests (other than basic over the air tests).

I did get a DC block.... as the DC spec on this thing is 5v MAX. The one I bought is 50v and I will use insane care beyond that. I do intend to get at least a 40 dB 10 watt and a 10 and 20 dB behind that just to throw in a bag. For the bench I have a 40 dB sampler with a 300 watt dummy load behind that.

That said, you are absolutely correct to express concern about feeding RF into these babies. The price may make people want to get them that are not aware of how delicate those inputs are.

To add to Pez's caution.... if you get one of these... go out of your way to understand dBm and it's relation to power in watts. And never.... never.... feed a radio straight into ANY SA. They have incredible sensitivity and you can smoke the front end easier than you think. If I can help you understand this topic... I am around here any time. I'm not the brightest "Crayon in the box" but I will help with what I know.

Bob