#297

Recording of a presentation I gave at a VHF Amateur Radio Conference in October 2018. It covers the basics of the Smith Chart - what it is, how you plot complex impedance, obtain VSWR, return loss, reflection coefficient, transmission line effects and compute impedance matching networks. This presentation covers topics presented in some of my other videos, but does not include the live demonstrations shown in these videos:
Visualize Antenna Tuner operation on a Smith Chart:
• #264: RF Fun: Visualiz...
Smith Chart Basics:
• #274: Smith Chart Basi...
Impedance, VSWR, Transmission lines, etc on a Smith Chart:
• #275: Smith Chart: Z, ...
Design an L Matching Network using Smith Chart:
• #276: Smith Chart: Des...
Use SimSmith to design a matching network:
• #278: Smith Charts: Us...
PDF of the presentation:
www.qsl.net/w2aew/youtube/Basi...

[@Factory400]

On an educational genius scale of 1-10: This presentation of the Smith Chart = 11

[@rusticagenerica]

Do you mean there is a mistake? 11 is superior to the limit of the scale O.o.

[@shivammalviya3737]

For those, who came here 1 hour before exam, you are in the right place

[@PedramNG]

it is actually 3 hours 😂😂😂😂😂

[@shivammalviya3737]

@@PedramNG All the best bro

[@poliyesterrivera]

20 mins before the exam😁

[@lovisaberglund7848]

4 hours, seems like I got all the time in the world over here!

[@ishworshrestha2570]

ok

[@pyrokinetikrlz]

Holy molly!!! much better than the university lectures!!! great explanation. You make it look very simple!

[@FineTuneCBShop]

He's a great speaker for sure .. makes it sound easy.

[@120chewbacca]

I couldn't agree more! This is a much thorough and better prepared explanation of many things my professor spent a week confusing us all on.

[@HighestRank]

Molly*

[@michaelwilliams-davies1957]

I have listened to many lectures and presentation during my career (now retired). None have ever made a subject more interesting, informative, educational and downright easy to understand than the ones you do! Absolutely brilliant. Thank you. GW6UWW. Mike.

[@RapperBC]

I'm not a ham radio guy. I'm not an EE. I don't have an upcoming exam. But this presentation is mind-blowingly engaging and fascinating. Smith Charts are brilliant analog computers.

[@rilosvideos877]

Wow! This deserves 12 stars out of 10! What a great video and comprehensive explanation! I just dig into Smith Charts and this is really the best and most practical teaching i could ever find about Smith Charts! Really great help, altough i probably have to repeat this lessons a few times until fully understanding 🙂 I think i need to buy a NanoVNA now... Thank you so much!

[@w2aew]

Thank you - I'm glad you found the video so useful!

[@osvaldocristo]

OMG! I learned that exactly 40 years ago at Engineering graduation and I had forgot all as I never return to it. I have a nice plastic Smith Chart with movable scales. Thanks to bring back that to me at the eve of my retirement!

[@trekietechie1119]

30 years in electronics,always avoided smith charts as too complicated to get a handle on...now I have seen the light, even if my mobile app does it all for me......great lecture

[@oldbassist60]

Excellent presentation. Understanding this process is required for when your VNA battery goes dead or you step on it.

[@jyrkiniinisto2465]

Great absolute to the point crash refresher course for former RF engineer ( 30 yers ago at Nokia ) who has forgotten everything and is now setting up ham station and antenna tuning lab. Thanks alot! 73 Jyrki OH1XYZ

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

Thanks for posting this video. You've covered a lot of territory in a short period of time. Thanks for the references you have provided.

[@rudiwiedemann8173]

ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENTISSIMO! ALL tech courses should be taught like this. This video will serve as my new standard on how to teach tech subjects.

[@ajay6079]

Superbly Explained !! All important concepts in one video. Thank You !!

[@billpowell5931]

For such a complex process you make it look very much simpler. Thank you.

[@johnthompson5034]

Thanks, that was a great explanation for this elderly Radio Amateur. It always looked so complicated previously but now I'm really starting to understand.

[@0x07AF]

Life long learners rule! ♥️

[@DavePKW]

The very best clear and concise explanation on this subject I have ever heard. Thank you very much.

[@GoSlash27]

I haven't used a Smith chart in decades. Excellent refresher.

[@acestudioscouk-Ace-G0ACE]

Thanks to your clear and concise tutoring, I'm beginning to get the hang of this Smith Chart biz! Thank-you.

[@KL3NCH]

Great clarity with a misunderstood and underused concept. +10!

[@amaurydailliez5215]

The really best course about Smith Chart i have never had !! Thanks a lot for your work

[@rossmackay400]

This has to be the most useful and easily understood explanation I've ever come across. The practical examples make everything so much clearer than other videos I've watched.

[@alanwoods4925]

Amazing simple and practical lesson on a very complex topic. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and talent.

[@EduardoReyes-go9rh]

Absolutely great presentation! Thanks for the upload, looking forward to checking out your other videos

[@Mojomo777]

Thank you for sharing! Excellent explanations, I am also an amateur radio operator. Never too late to find your channel, thanks again.👍👍👍

[@larrynuss1258]

Beautiful job of explaining the Smith chart. This was the main thing keeping me from going Extra -- I'm starting to get the hang of it, thanks to you.

[@JamesSarantidis]

Was it just me that when I first encountered a smith chart, I instinctively looked away due to the sheer amount of info in that piece of paper? Awesome presentation, sir. You helped me conquer my fear of this beautiful monstrosity.

[@ivegotpetercriss]

Intro to RF Circuits has been a series of elevations and crashes, but this video has made it better. Thanks!

[@TedTracy213]

Really great presentation and walked us through all the basic concepts with great examples.

[@PapasDino]

TNX Alan, you always make complex topics (pun intended) much more understandable. 73 - Dino KL0S

[@nelsonlinkousii5174]

One AWESOME Video! Thanks for taking time to put this together. I plan to use this video in my Telecommunications Class.

[@sevenoseven8494]

Thanks again Alan, great video! I'm gonna have to make a play list of all your Smith Chart videos.👍

[@w2aew]

Most of them are included in the video notes.

[@Radiowild]

There you go again! You managed to simplify things so that even a near caveman can understand! Bravo! KC2RDU 73's

[@MrSmithChart]

73's = best regards's (incorrect) 73 = best regards (correct)

[@anorthernsoul153]

😂 I'm definitely one of the cavemen watching this video.

[@vimalv3213]

Great Video and Presentation! A true Teacher. Hope this helps in my PE Test.

[@chormingtan7266]

Great presentation, making use of smith chart looks easy. Thanks.

[@lalchandra4590]

Impressive , I revised whole topic in 25 min. For those who scared with smith chart. Explaination is 10 times better than a class lecture.

[@manamohank]

Thank you. You made it so simple to understand.

[@mikejohnson4022]

This was fantastic! Thank you!

[@Sam-jw1yn]

Hi aging Alan,The video I was looking for was #110. It took a lot of hunting but I found it! I have really enjoyed your videos. I do some teaching from time to time, your videos have become a great resource in helping some of the people I teach really understand concepts that can be hard for them to understand. Keep up the great work! A/

[@miguelangelsimonfernandez5498]

wonderful, as always. A joy. Wish I had had it a year ago

[@TelecomIngenieros]

Impresionante explicacion de lo valioso significado de las cartas de smith, gracias profesor. Saludos desde Lima, Peru.

[@Chris_Grossman]

This is the best Smith Chart explanation I have ever seen‼️ 👍🏼👍🏼

[@user-de3pg7oi1x]

🤥👉👀🖤💤👌

[@fantasticoadidas]

Thanks for your great explanation: it is bliss !

[@cameronvandiver2398]

Best Smith chart lecture ever! I hated this subject during my BSEE undergrad, I only wish I had this explanation during the struggle! Thank you very much.

[@guilhermetheis4902]

This is truly amazing, thank you!

[@wentworld]

非常非常非常非常有用的视频，讲得通透且富有逻辑性，课上没听懂的在这里听懂了，感谢啊啊啊啊！！！

[@user-yr3qk1bx3w]

Perfect explanation~! I studied smith chart about 25 years old. At that time, I cannot understood that. But I understand entirely. Thanks lot~!

[@aayussubedi]

Very easy to understand. Thank you so much for the lecture.

[@zozozoli]

Great timing! We've just learned how to use this this week at uni, but I didn't exactly understood it with one example, so you heleped me a lot! Thanks!

[@w2aew]

Cool - be sure to check out the other smith chart videos I have (linked in the video description).

[@zuhaireldresi189]

You have done a great job . Thanks for posting this great video.

[@Hexarana]

Such a great lecture! Thank you 👍🏻

[@eclecticneophyte2581]

It's great to see that hams are still producing tools like this. The ones I began using [...way back when I was way less forgetful than I am now...], haven't been updated for use with later version operating systems (like windblows 10), and some others still require some sort of MS/PC DOS simulator, but fail due to deprecated I/O functions... I know there are online smith chart 'calculators' available at various sites. But this one appears a bit more robust. At the very least, it's cross-platform (something I really like). Well done!

[@hectorpascal]

Philip H. Smith's wonderful invention is indeed an amazing graphical aid. Sadly, unless you use it VERY regularly, you can spend an awfully long time re-learning or remembering, exactly how to do things. To be honest, I mostly reach for my spreadsheet that I have previously programmed with all the complex math that the Chart can do. But sometimes I do still go to the chart to get an overview of possible matching solutions.

[@chrisclement8200]

Wonderful explanation! I never could make sense of these before now.

[@coffeecuppepsi]

Thank you for making these videos

[@Pwaak]

Excellent Tutorial...Thank You! Finally...I can put to good use the data from my analyzers!

[@remontlive]

Hello, I am a radio engineer and get my diploma 12 years ago and only now I knew what is Smith Chart and how it works!) Thank you!

[@sanches2]

Thank you! Great explanation.

[@ricardomatias5160]

Excellent presentation and explanation. Well done!

[@maxoh2013]

Thank you so much for this vid!! You made it so easy that I now understand what is going with this smith chart bit!! Seriously, amazing!!!!

[@user-de3pg7oi1x]

⚡🤥👀🖤👌💤

[@user-de3pg7oi1x]

🤫

[@transmitterguy478]

EXCELLENT! I always wondered what all those lines were fer!

[@StefanGeets]

Top! Great video, learned something new again.

[@GiNodrog]

Thank you for this excellent explanation .

[@sv1onk]

One of the best tutorials I ever watched. Thank you for sharing. 73 de sv1onk

[@TomasRumba]

Excellent use of the yin yang. Studied Smith Charts back 1970. Many Moons. Very well done. Thanks de kp4azh

[@shivajoshi9068]

Thank you for such awesome explanation....!

[@trevorhunt6083]

Absolutely brilliant tutorial ... thank you very much

[@haiauhaiauhaiau]

Very detailed for newbies like me. Thanks a lot

[@panintornprempree6039]

Very good video on Smith chart

[@tscn6209]

amazing course, thank you so much !

[@TheDefpom]

Very interesting, thanks for the explanation.

[@CostasLilitsas]

Outstanding analysis!! Thank you!!

[@RadioDude1969]

Excellent video - thanks!

[@joopterwijn]

Thx Alan, this Will help me in my study!

[@hubercats]

Awesome video! Thanks again!

[@DukeThecat7]

Most excellent! Good job.

[@vk5fe943]

Great video, many thanks.

[@peterjuma34]

good work,,,this is excellent, you just made it look so simple

[@youtubeaccount931]

excellent tutorial! I learned so much

[@rabbibacongrease88]

Wow only one person in denial that's pretty good. Thanks for the great video!

[@m1geo]

Super useful as always!

[@anthonykirk9841]

Thank you, that was superb.

[@AJMjazz]

Excellent video on the explanation and usage of Smith charts - and what a great tool it is! 73 KA2EMI

[@divyanipatil3082]

that was so nice clear explanation... thanks grateful

[@dave-d]

Ok, that blew my mind then. No one told me there was a MAP! Guess my tutors were not radio amateurs. Thanks again for excellent content.

[@tanghidrashid3842]

Excellent explanation! Thanks a lot!

[@itme8799]

Thank you very much , excellent presentation

[@arnelcatangayjr2878]

That really gives us a shortcut. Thanks! 73!

[@jansugalski546]

Mr. Smith was a genius.

[@tomherronconsulting]

Really nice work! Thank you.

[@NoMoreFossil]

Excellent teacher

[@cooper7655]

For those of you learning the smith chart and want to understand why Inductive/Capacitive components move you around the smith chart the way they do, consider the following: A series inductor appears more like an open circuit to a given RF frequency with increasing inductance (RF choke). Hence it moves the impedance clockwise on a given resistance circle towards the open circuit point. A series capacitor looks more like a short circuit to a given RF frequency as it’s capacitance increases (think of a DC block, a capacitor which allows AC through) hence it moves the impedance along the constant resistance circle towards the short circuit point. For the shunt cases, imagine you are measuring the signal after a shunted branch to ground. Because of the shunt, there is a conductance to ground, and not all of the RF signal goes through the circuit to be measured. If you put a shunt inductor to ground, with increasing inductance, this branch will appear more like an open circuit to the RF energy, causing all of the signal to go through the circuit instead. This has the effect of moving the impedance along the constant conductance circles towards the short circuit point, because now it appears that there is a short circuit through to your measurement device instead of a branch to ground. In the case of a capacitive shunt to ground, as the capacitance increases, the branch to ground appears more like a short circuit than the path to your measurement device. Thus, the RF signal will conduct to ground instead of through the branch to your measurement device. From the measurement device’s point of view, it appears as if there is an open circuit between it and the source. This is why a shunt capacitor will move the impedance along the constant conductance circles towards the open circuit point on the smith chart. I hope this helps you understand the movements instead of just memorizing them!

[@damahouxp]

Not precisely saying. Eg, A series capacitor is not moving "towards the short circuit point." think if it's below the X axis. It is also moving towards the open-circuit point. I would suggest we think it as "coordination-transform" . Resistance-Circle is actually Y axis of a plain A+iB coordinate; (change L/C will move it up or down, bendedily) Reactance-Circle is X axis. change R will move it up or down, bendedily)

[@davidsenabrealbujer]

As always, great.

[@venkannachimata6946]

Very useful, thanks🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@Whopperjaw.]

I was just watching one of your older "basic" videos when the notification for this video showed up. This video is a little too advanced for me, I need to learn a bit more to get to this level. I'll be back later. 👍🏻

[@stevenwang4747]

Thanks a lot!!!! This video helps me understand Smith Chart within an hour. I wonder if you do an LNA design example step-by-step.

[@anilsah1069]

great !! much more clear to understand :)

[@TheMaximilli]

I still have to get this in my brain x.x but thanks a lot! Going to be licenced in a few months, QTH is vienna, AT! 73!

[@picwiz2]

I want a wallpaper in my room with your slides. GREAT! TNX !!!

[@PedramNG]

Thank you so much, sir.

[@jasonbourne9820]

Amazing ! ! ! thank you so much