You will find the new TinySA spectrum analyzer very useful to light to moderate RF work, at a price that’s hard to beat. Check it out.

Well, I am finding this an amazing year for low cost electronics workbench gear. Recently, I wrote about NanoVNA vector network analyzer.

Now we welcome the TinySA spectrum analyzer,shown above. With the same form factor as NanoVNA, TinySA spectrum analyzer works up to nearly 1 GHz if pushed, with a normal range of 100 kHz to 350 MHz. Resolution bandwidth is maximum 2.4 kHz, which is quite a bit broader than professional gear. TinySA can handle inputs up to 10 dBm. You are also provided with input attenuation of up to 31 dB.

Now, here’s the amazing part. You can buy one on AliExpress for under US $50. Shipping adds about 10%.

In addition, you can use TinySA as a signal generator, with selectable output from -76 to -6 dBm. TinySA spectrum analyzer is perfect for testing filter and amplifier performance, as well as many other tasks. If I did not already have a spectrum analyzer and signal generator, I would buy one of these right away. Still might.

Here is a complete unboxing video you can check out. As well as the on-screen display, you can run your TinySA using pretty comprehensive PC software.

TinySA Spectrum Analyzer – Signing Up To AliExpress

Make sure you check out TinySA specifications to make sure it is good enough for you. It’s main limitations are internal phase noise and the minimal bandwidth (FFT bin size) of 2.4 kHz which restricts fine detail displays. But for most of what I do, this would be fine.

Thus far, I have bought all my cheap Chinese electronics modules and gear on eBay. But I thought it was time to check out AliExpress. Signing up was easy and all the stores and ordering processes work as you might expect. I tend to use PayPal for most of my purchases. In years past, AliExpress did not support PayPal.

However, many sellers now accept PayPal on AliExpress at present, which is good as far as I am concerned. You need to check out your individual purchases to see if it is available, though.