Phone: 07 3264 6443
Model: AA-230-ZOOM
Manufacturer: RigExpert Ukraine
Warranty: 2 years
The analyzer is designed for measuring SWR (Standing Wave Ratio), Return Loss, Cable Loss, of cable and antenna systems from 100 kHz to 230 MHz.
A built-in ZOOM capability makes graphical measurements especially effective.
An integrated Time Domain Reflectometer mode can be used to locate the precise location of a fault within the feedline system.
The following tasks are easily accomplished by using this analyzer:
Frequency range: 0.1 to 230 MHz
Frequency entry: 1 kHz resolution
Measurement for 25, 50, 75 and 100-Ohm systems
SWR measurement range: 1 to 100 in numerical mode, 1 to 10 in graph mode
SWR display: numerical or analog indicator
R and X range: 0…10000, -10000…10000 in numerical mode, 0…1000, -1000…1000 in graph mode
Optional open-short-load calibration.
Dimensions: 82 mm x 182 mm x 32 mm (3.2 in x 7.2 in x 1.3 in)
Operating temperature: 0…40 °C (32…104 °F)
Weight: 236 g (8.32 oz)
Warranty: 2 years
RigExpert AA-230 ZOOM is made in Ukraine.
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
AntScope is a program which is shipped with every RigExpert antenna analyzer. You may also download the latest version from the Downloads page of the RigExpert website (the program is included in installation CD packages). The screenshots listed below illustrate how capable this program is when the analyzer is connected to a PC. SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) plot:
Phase display:
R (resistance), X (reactance) and Z (module of impedance) display, series mode:
R (resistance), X (reactance) and Z (module of impedance) display, parallel mode:
Time Domain Reflectometer mode (except AA-500 and AA-520):
Smith chart:
The structure diagram of RigExpert AA-230 ZOOM is located below:
The “brain” of the analyzer is STM 32-bit RISC microcontroller. It controls a AD9958 DDS chip running at 500 MHz and generating two sinusoidal signals. Both signals are low-pass filtered and then put through pulse shapers, producing two square signals with LVDS levels. Resistive brigde was chosen to measure parameters of a load because of its simplicity and good frequency response. The switch commutates two outputs of the bridge. After the switch, the signal is mixed with the second channel output to produce audio frequency of 1.5 kHz.This signal is then filtered and fed through the 16-bit ADC to the microcontroller. The 290×220 color TFT display and the 6×3 keys keypad are connected directly to the CPU. The analyzer is equipped with 4 Mbytes of external Flash memory to store measurement results. The USB interface chip allows connecting the analyzer to the PC.
This is a diagram of the resistive bridge and its connection to the mixer:
The switch which is controlled by the CPU feeds the signal from the certain side of the bridge to the mixer chip. When the load is totally active and its resistance is 50 Ω, the bridge is balanced and the switch outputs the same signal in both positions. This eliminates the need of calibration of the analyzer, also giving very good precision near SWR=1.
| Function | AA-30 .ZERO | AA-30 | AA-35 ZOOM | AA-54 | AA-55 ZOOM | AA-170 | AA-230 ZOOM | AA-600 | AA-1000 | AA-1400 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency range | 0.06-30 MHz | 0.1-30 MHz | 0.06-35 MHz | 0.1-54 MHz | 0.06-55 MHz | 0.1-170 MHz | 0.1-230 MHz | 0.1-600 MH | 0.1-1000 MHz | 0.1-1400 MHz |
| Frequency entry step size | 1 Hz | 1 kHz | ||||||||
| Min. sweep range | 100 Hz | 10 kHz | ||||||||
| SWR2AIR™ mode | – | + | – | + | – | + | ||||
| MultiSWR™ mode | – | + | ||||||||
| Reactance sign measurement | + | |||||||||
| Antenna connector type | SMA | UHF (SO-239) | type N | |||||||
| Output power | +13 dBm | -10 dBm | ||||||||
| Output amplifier | CMOS logic chip | |||||||||
| Output signal shape | square | |||||||||
| Reference impedance for SWR measurement | 25, 50, 75, 100 Ohm | 50, 75 Ohm | 25, 50, 75, 100 Ohm | 50, 75 Ohm | 25, 50, 75, 100 Ohm | 50, 75 Ohm | 25, 50, 75, 100 Ohm | |||
| Analog-to-digital converter | 10-bit | 12-bit | 10-bit | 12-bit | 10-bit | 16-bit | ||||
| Batteries | – | two AA | three AA | four AAA | three AA | |||||
| Battery voltage sensor | – | + | ||||||||
| Operation with external power supply (without battery) | Ext. 5V | from USB | ||||||||
| LCD | – | Monochrome, 128×64 | Color TFT, 320×240 | Monochrome, 128×64 | Color TFT, 320×240 | Monochrome, 128×64 | Color TFT, 290×220 | Color TFT, 320×240 | ||
| Time Domain Reflectometer mode | – * | Built-in | ||||||||
| Flash memory for storing graphs | – | 10 memory slots | 100 memory slots | 10 memory slots | 100 memory slots | 90 R/X or SWR memory slots, 10 TDR memory slots | ||||
| Multilingual support | English only | + | ||||||||
| Presets for radio amateur bands | – | + | ||||||||
Make sure the latest firmware is uploaded to the analyzer. See the Downloads section.
* The AntScope software is able to plot graphs in Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) mode when AA-30/AA-54/AA-170 is connected to the computer. Since the resolution of the TDR graph is proportional to the maximum operating frequency of an analyzer, much better results are obtained by using AA-230 ZOOM, AA-600, AA-1000 or AA-1400.
Q: The output RF level at the antenna connector of the AA-230 ZOOM is -10 dBm, which is quite low compared to many other instruments. Does it mean the analyzer will not operate properly with long cables?
A: No, the AA-230 ZOOM will work fine with long (hundreds of meters) cables. The analyzer has a very sensitive, narrow band input, so -10 dBm is much enough for accurate measurements, even after loosing a few decibels in a long cable.
Q: The specs say the AA-230 ZOOM has a square wave output, which means there are several frequency components (harmonics) in such a signal. Then, how the SWR and other parameters of my antenna are measured at a specific, single frequency?
A: Please look at the structure diagram of the analyzer. The instrument filters out all unnecessary frequency components, thanks to the very narrow band (several hundred Hz) filter.
Q: Is the AA-230 ZOOM sensitive to nearby repeaters or broadcast transmitters?
A: No, unless a high-power transmitter is operating closely at the same frequency you are trying to use the analyzer at.
Q: Can I charge Ni-MH batteries inside the analyzer?
A: No, please remove batteries from the analyzer and use a separate charger.
Q: Can I use Lithium-Ion batteries instead of alkaline or Ni-MH ones?
A: Most likely, you will burn the analyzer. Lithium-Ion batteries have an output voltage of about 3.7 V each: compare to 1.2 V for Ni-MH and 1.5 V for alkaline ones.
