tinySA Ultra Reviews: A 0.1 MHz – 6 GHz Spectrum Analyzer for $120
A few weeks ago the tinySA Ultra was released. This is a spectrum analyzer capable of operating between 0.1 - 800 MHz, or 0.1 MHz - 6 GHz with the 'Ultra' mode enabled. A spectrum analyzer is a tool that allows users to visualize signals on the radio spectrum.
Previously the standard tinySA was released back in 2020. The Ultra version brings enhancements to the frequency range, signal generator range, bandpass filter range as well as an optional 20dB LNA, and a larger 4 inch color display.
The TinySA Ultra costs US$119 + shipping direct from the Aliexpress store in China, or $129.95 from R&L in the USA (currently out of stock). The full list of resellers can be found at https://tinysa.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.Buying.
We wanted to thank RTL-SDR.com reader Ben for providing us with links to a bunch of reviews of the tinySA Ultra which we are posting below.
- #1325 TinySA ULTRA Spectrum Analyzer (a first look) - IMSAI Guy
- #1325a TinySA ULTRA Spectrum Analyzer 6GHz 'Ultra Mode' - IMSAI Guy
- #1325b TinySA ULTRA Spectrum Analyzer Teardown - IMSAI Guy
- #1326a TinySA ULTRA uSD Card - IMSAI Guy
- #1332 TinySA Ultra digital bandwidth filters - IMSAI Guy
- Unboxing of and short intro to the tinySA Ultra - Erik Kaashoek
- tinySA Ultra and its LNA - Erik Kaashoek
- tinySA Ultra mode performance and limitations - Erik Kaashoek
- tinySA Ultra Low Frequency performance - Erik Kaashoek
- tinySA Ultra Signal Generator functionality - Erik Kaashoek
- tinySA Ultra observing WiFi and other networks - Erik Kaashoek
Can the generator be used as a tracking generator? I.E. can you sweep a filter with it ?
With a tracking generator if you connect the generator output to the analyzer input, you will get a straight line at the generator level over a given frequency range. In other words, can the generator sweep the same frequency as what the analyzer measures ?
It’s not clear if this is possible with this unit.
I’d think that the NanoVNA would be the best.
No, you do just fine as a jerk.
Imsay Guy? He is more often wrong than right. He has only a mediocre grip on technology and many of his conclusions are wrong because he is missing the fundamentals of what he is talking about.
Let us know when you start a YouTube channel about fixing old analog devices & playing with new technology. We’ll be sure to give you a fair shake upon review, I guarantee.
I don’t need to make crappy U-tube videos to make a living.
What your YouTube channel?
Erik, great job. I just got my Ultra from R&L last night. In my opinion, this is what the tinySA should have been all along. The display size is now perfect for a “tiny” device. No more messing with high and low jacks. USB-C so it matches my phone and tablet. I only played with it for a few minutes but it feels exactly like the original, only enlarged. It feels like it could use a processor upgrade to increase the sweep speed at narrow bandwidth, but that’s for the next version.
I hope that you release a tinySA MEGA that is a 7-10″ with a kickstand for the workbench. An HDMI out would be incredible too. USB mouse/keyboard functionality. (I know that you can control/display them with a PC but for a portable setup.)
Model comparison
https://tinysa.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=TinySA4.Comparison
Unless the makers revert back to using USB A or use WiFi or Bluetooth to communicate with these devices, I won’t be buying one.
I am sick of these crappy miniature USB connectors that fail after about 100 insertions.
No thanks.
Ultra has USB-C. Non-directional and worlds better than USB micro or mini. Yeah, It’s not USB-A but that requires a lot of board space. I can’t remember the last portable device that I had that had USB-A.
I agree Ben, a little more board space but so much better…one wrong twist and USB-C is cactus.
USB A is fitted to sveral of my portable devices such as the Funcube dongle Pro+, RTL-SDRv3, TAPR VNA, BladeRF2.0, ICOM 7200, so it’s perfectly doable.
/whine. It seems the rest of the world is moving on and leaving you behind.
The very next article on hardware is the SDRplay RSP1A and…….It is fitted with the rugged USB-B connector.
So much for being left behind…
You’ve got no idea what you are talking about, haha.
One thing to watch out for, that the ISMAI Guy shows is that Ultra Mode leaks signal OUT the input. At a pretty high level. I really recommend watching the video.
That’s why Ultra mode isn’t enabled by default. You have to go to the website to enable it and read the disclaimer.
It really needs a unity gain (buffer amplifier) on the input so that it doesn’t damage the device being measured.
The leakage is below -10dBm
I hope that they make a TinySA MEGA that has a HDMI out. Or could use an Android tablet as a display. That’d be SUPER cool.
As for R&L, I had a really good experience with them. I ordered two Tiny SAs from them in the past.
whats next in the pipeline ? a tinySA realtime spectrum analyzer ?
a TinySG Signal Generator would be nice and a REALTIME Spectrum Analyzer.
The tinySA is a fairly capable signal generator.
See: https://tinysa.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=TinySA4.Specification
A real-time spectrum analyzer would likely not happen with TinySA, they haven’t master a sweep analyzer yet as two slow when narrow bandwidth yet? Even professional spectrum analyzer it rare to see a real-time spectrum analyzer that doesn’t cost car prices. I do have a handheld tektronics that has DPX and is a real time spectrum analyzer and literally can pull a signal out literally of the noise floor, but cost at one point new 38k.
If a TinySA comes out with a real-time spectrum analyzer that works decent enough, even if it cost a few hundred. It will fly off shelves faster then Sony PS5 did when it launched. In other words would love to see them come out with one, but is likely wishful thinking?
R&L? I still have a bad taste in my mouth from dealing with them. Seems they moved their store location and never updated their website, so I wasted a two hour round trip to their store. This was pre-smartphone, so I had no way to find their new location while I was away from home. I think I’d rather deal with Aliexpress.
IMSAI Guy has excellent videos on many different electronics topics.
I wonder how it would perform against one of those NWT4000 clones?
The NWT4000 has only one fixed resolution filter, no input attenuator, no LNA, no display and it can’t go below 35MHz