Rig Expert Stick 500 Antenna Analyzer

I am giving this product a 5-star rating for the purpose of being designed for field and portable operations. If you are wanting a keypad and more capabilities for more extensive data, then Rig Expert (and other companies) have other products for that purpose. One thing I will mention from seeing other reviews is that the operating manual could be a little bit better and I agree 100%. However, there are great videos on YouTube for the Stick 230 and Stick 500 which both operate the same. Once I got familiar with the functions by watching YouTube, then fun really began.

I would also like to mention that I own the Nano VNA H4 with the micro-SD card and I really like it. It has the ability to store all the bands you wish to use. The micro-SD card increases the ability to store as many bands as you desire unlike being limited to 6 with other versions without the extra storage. As I said, I am a huge fan of the Nano VNA for multiple reasons and highly recommend them (with micro-SD card only). However, I am an antenna nerd and love portable operation and the Nano VNA has a screen visibility that is not so great in daylight/sunlight. The Nano VNA has its place for me but so does the Rig Expert Stick 500.

The Stick 500 has amazing visibility on the screen with the E-Ink Paper Display. The 4 different modes are great for different reasons. Personally, I like the "Free Mode" because you can adjust the amount of band width so see where the bottom of the scan/swoop falls. However, the "Single Mode" is really great with the large numbers, and the readings are fast. The Stick 500 is simple and fast to use.

The Stick 500 is robust and easy to carry. As I mentioned earlier, it is fantastic for portable and field operation. The wonderful part is that it has a Bluetooth in it and can connect to a Smart Phone or Computer to run with the AntScope / Antscope2 software. The AntScope Software is absolutely awesome and takes this product to a whole different level. You can adjust the screen on your smart phone to see as narrow or wide of a view of frequencies within seconds. The AntScope Software makes the Stick 500 function like a much more expensive antenna analyzer and really increases the capabilities.

I highly recommend this product, but it is important to understand how to use it which is where YouTube comes in. Thankfully there are many great videos on the Stick 230 and 500 which really helped me know how to use this fantastic product.

I have taken a few twists and turns on the antenna analyzer quest and ended up with the Stick 500 becoming the go to analyzer.

I started the journey with an MFJ-269-C, which is a good analyzer for use at home but not ideal for field use. It uses external power or 8 D cell batteries for power so it is portable, but not really packable. It uses N Type connectors, so purchasing an adapter for each type of connector is required. Don't make the expensive mistake of using a PL-259 adapter, it will damage the N connector socket which will likely require replacement. The MFJ does have the added benefit of looking really cool with lots of buttons to push, knobs to twist and a needle that moves back and forth.

Next I got a Nano VNA H4 which is also a great analyzer but requires more adapters, more calibration and configuration but has great charting and is extremely versatile. It can be used in the field but apparently SMA connectors are actually made from sand magnets so the configuration and calibration needs to be done at home and then taken to the field. The screen is good but not very useable in bright sunlight.

The Rig Expert Stick XPro went on sale an my problems were solved! Or so I thought. It is also a great analyzer. It has a beautiful display, which is better in sunlight than the Nano vna, but not amazing, uses N type connectors, which are apparently attracted to HF connectors, because they always get mixed together. Keeping the connectors sorted when used away from the shack is possible by marking them with a sharpie, or even better with colored tape, but still not ideal. I really like the analyzer though. It connects through bluetooth or USB to a phone, computer or tablet allowing a much larger display of graphs and data as well as custom frequency ranges. I can also connect the analyzer to my coax at the radio and make adjustments to the antenna and see the results on my phone in real time. Super convenient!

On a SOTA trip I used a friends Stick 500 and saw the light, or lack thereof. It does all the analyzing the Stick XPro does, but uses an E-Ink display that is very easy to read in bright sunlight and uses a HF (SO-239) connector so adapters for my HF rig work on the analyzer. What more could I ask for? I really like both of the Stick Analyzers, and with the Rig Expert Ant Scope software they are very capable and useable. I could easily get by with just the Stick 500 and that is what I would recommend for most hams. It checks all of the right boxes and none of the wrong boxes. If you build/tune antennas to be used on HF, VHF and UHF including GMRS frequencies it is really all you need.

Regardless of the quality and design of the 500 without a good instruction manual it's just a paperweight. That being said it looks like they purposely gave you an extremely poor one-page manual with the device and when you print the PDF from online that is about 10 pages you need a magnifying glass a strong magnifying glass to read the ridiculously small type. Anyway with a decent manual this might have gotten a four or five but with a manual you can't read without hauling out a large magnifying glass I don't think it deserves more than a three-star regardless of anything else.