TAPR / Ten-Tec VNA Software Updates
Date: September
30, 2011
You can check whether your current version
is the most recent by looking at the build number in the About
menu and comparing it to this list. If you would like to
download the software, right-click the appropriate link, and select “Save
Target As …” to save to your computer.
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Windows
XP [32 bit OS only] |
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Package |
Date |
Status |
Version |
.NET
runtime |
Installer |
Instruction
Manual |
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Vector
Network Analyzer |
September 30, 2011 |
Release |
3.3 |
2.0 |
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September 27, 2008 |
BETA |
2.1.6 |
2.0 |
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February 4, 2007 |
Release |
2.0 |
2.0 |
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August 13, 2006 |
Release |
1.6 |
1.1 |
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Signal
Generator |
August 8, 2008 |
Release |
2.0 |
2.0 |
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January 4, 2006 |
Release |
1.1 |
1.1 |
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Frequently
Asked Questions |
September 30, 2008 |
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Windows
98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000 |
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|
Package |
Date |
Status |
Version |
.NET
runtime |
Installer |
Instruction
Manual |
|
Vector
Network Analyzer |
September 27, 2008 |
BETA |
2.1.6 |
2.0 |
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|
February 4, 2007 |
Release |
2.0 |
2.0 |
|||
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August 13, 2006 |
Release |
1.6 |
1.1 |
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Signal
Generator |
August 8, 2008 |
Release |
2.0 |
2.0 |
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January 4, 2006 |
Release |
1.1 |
1.1 |
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Frequently
Asked Questions |
September 30, 2008 |
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Windows
Vista, Windows 7 [32 bit OS only] |
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|
Package |
Date |
Status |
Version |
.NET
runtime |
Installer |
Instruction
Manual |
|
Vector
Network Analyzer |
September
30, 2011 |
Release |
3.3 |
2.0 |
Instead RIGHT-CLICK
setup.exe and select “Run as Administrator…” Driver files
are also installed in the ./TAPR/VNA/Drivers directory. |
|
Release Notes
Vector
Network Analyzer Release 2.0.2591.24355 Executable
name: VNAR3
Latest stable release for Win 98 / ME /
2000 / NT
Vector
Network Analyzer Release 3.3.4290.14749 Executable
name: VNAR3
Version 3 and later do not support
Windows 98, ME, 2000, or NT. Support for those operating systems was dropped by
Microsoft from the Visual Studio 2008 toolset.
Installation under Windows XP is
automatically handled by the installer (same as before).
Windows Vista and Windows 7 do not allow
the direct installation of XP-compatible device drivers. Workarounds exist to
indirectly install the device drivers. For full instructions on the options,
read the Microsoft article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927524
Another copy of the device drivers is
installed in ./TAPR/VNA/Drivers (or wherever you chose to install). For
3.3 Fixes a few minor bugs from 3.2 (forgot
to put proper warnings on TDR screen, update Polar and TDR screen to use
modified pens for stored traces). Version 3.3 also allows opening and viewing
previously-saved measured results EVEN
IF THE VNA IS NOT CONNECTED. A warning message that the VNA is not
connected will appear on the screen. A
late update to 3.3 fixes the format of one debug file, it does not impact the
operation of the software of unit at all compared to the July 3.3 release. It
always generates the text debug file even if the calibration succeeded.
3.2 Adds new features.
* Expand Ref Level selectable range to {-50
dB to +50 dB}. This is useful to display wide ranges of Measured-Stored, and to
provide greater display range when an attenuator is used to prevent overdrive
of an amplifier-under-test.
* Add ability to turn on and off display of
measured results in the Storage menu.
* Add new display ‘Measured minus Stored’
in the Storage menu with ability to turn it on and off. This displays delta of
S11 and/or S21 magnitude between the Measured and Stored values.
* Change display of Stored and
Measured-Stored traces:
* Stored traces are now 1-pixel wide
rather than 2-pixels to make it easier to
distinguish
Stored from Measured.
* Measured-Stored trace is displayed
3-pixels wide.
* Measured traces remain the same
(2-pixels wide).
3.1.1 Fixes
an error that prevents Instrument Calibration from running successfully.
Adds a new Fixture calibration mode: “Log”. The default mode is still “Linear”. This
refers the frequency spacing between fixture calibration points. “Linear”
spaces the points about 117 KHz apart across the entire instrument range of 200
KHz – 120 MHz. “Log” mode spaces them about 0.1% apart. Existing fixture cal
files are forwards-compatible, the software knows that they were taken in
linear mode. The new Log mode gives a much closer cal spacing at lower
frequencies, and wider cal spacing at higher frequencies. Linear mode has
coarse Q handling at low frequencies and very fine Q handling at high
frequencies. The Log mode provides the ability to compensate for fixture
resonances of about the same Q across the entire frequency range. The Log mode
is useful for example to compensate for a high-pass filter used to reject
strong AM-broadcast-band interference during measurements. 3.1.1 is
functionally the same as 3.1.0 ALPHA except that it changes the formatting of a
debug file.
3.0.0 Is functionally equivalent to version
2.1.6. except for the directories where it stores the
instrument calibration file and where the user application configuration is
stored, and the command-line argument processor no longer prepends the
installation directory. These changes are needed for compatibility with Windows
Vista and Windows 7. It has been
compiled with VS2008. Reports of successful
Vector
Network Analyzer Beta 2.1.3192.40899
Executable
name: VNAR3
2.1.6 (build
3192.40899) adds detection of an apparent unshielded S21 receive measurement.
Because the VNA uses a broadband detector, if the device under test is not well
shielded an external interference source can contaminate S21 measurements at
all frequencies rather than just near the frequency of the interfering source.
A caution note is placed on the screen when showing S21 measurements if the
receive detector appears to be detecting excess noise ingress.
2.1.5 (build
3181.21991) adds a menu item to change the background color. This may be useful
if you want to capture screenshots directly from the CRT for use as a graphic
in some other document or application and the color your system [Inactive::Captiontext] has chosen doesn’t show up well.
Additionally, a power-saving mode
has been added to the target code. This powers down the I-
and Q- DAC multipliers in the VNA hardware when it is not sweeping, and
re-enables them for each sweep. This results in a significant power reduction
of the DDS chip when idle. If the instrument is continually sweeping it won’t
make as much difference. The VNA still puts out full-strength signal after it’s
done with a sweep at the last swept frequency (handy as a quick signal
generator).
2.1.4 (build
3150.38355) adds another Export CSV Rectangular menu item to allow two options:
Export CSV Rectangular (North
American format), and
Export CSV Rectangular (European
format).
The North American/UK,
and European versions of Excel use different CSV file separator characters. The
two menu items allows generating files compatible with
either version.
2.1.3 (build
3141.37297) improves exception handling, provides anti-aliasing of traces on
the display, and slightly improved graphics updating (fewer screen redraws).
This assembly includes a ‘strong name’ as a security enhancement. The program
assembly is digitally signed using a private key. The public key used to check
the signature validity is included within the assembly. The Microsoft loader
will automatically validate the signature, if it’s OK the application will
launch normally, if the signature check fails, the application will abort
immediately with an ‘this application has encountered
an error’ box. This check helps protect against bit-level changes or
alterations of the executable file.
2.1.3 (build
3069.24376) very slightly improves the detector calibration convergence. Not
worth updating unless you have problems with 2.1.2 or earlier converging.
2.1.2 (build
3053.25751) adds 0.5 dB/division display setting, and reorganizes the vertical
menu into several sub menus to save screen height. It creates a new file
version (1.0.5) for the saved measurement file, but can read (1.0.4) as well.
2.1.1 Added R+jX
display modes.
2.1.x is a BETA Version of software. It requires
that a new Detector Calibration be run. Detector Calibration is compatible with
the different 2.1 beta versions, so you will only need to run it again if you
get an error message. The possibility exists that the detector calibration may
not converge for every unit, but I’ve not received any errors lately. If your
1meter cal cable is less than ~ 0.9 meters long, it might not converge.
Vector
Network Analyzer Release 1.6.2416.21766 Executable name: VNAR3
Older release.
Signal
Generator Software Release 2.0 Executable name: SGENR2
August 8 update provides a ‘strong
name’ of the assembly as a security enhancement. No functional changes from the
January 31 update.
January 31 update changes the
Installer to fix incorrect prerequisite (executable is unchanged). Ported to NET 2.0.
Fixes a bug where the phase meter had a 180 degree error (sign flip).
Also adds the ability to compensate for the VNA internal crystal oscillator
error. The oscillator still drifts with temperature, but this cal reduces the
fixed error a lot. The existing SGEN data file is not compatible, and the application
will warn to reset the external / internal and oscillator compensation options.
The new version is called SGENR2, the old one was
called SGENR1.
Signal
Generator Software Release 1.1 Executable name: SGENR1
Older Release. Lower frequency
limit decreased down to 2,000 Hz. There is a high-pass pole at 50 KHz, so the
output level starts decreasing (by 3 dB) at 50 KHz. The output waveform becomes
very distorted below 25 KHz.