What file should be loaded from the floppy disk to the VNA?

If you order an 85033 SMA calibration kit or a 85054 N calibration kit, you can request a floppy disk for any of the following series of vector network analyzers

8510C
8719, 8720 or 8722 series (they are all the same files)
8753 series

The floppy disk provides a fast and easy method to load the calibration constants into the VNA, but only works for the later models of these instruments, as early early models had no floppy disk drives. If you are not sure how to load the coefficients, there is information about doing this on the 8753 series, the 8719, 8720 or 8722 series or the 8510C. (The information on the 8510C is a bit more sparse than the 8753, 8719, 8720 and 8722 series, since Kirkby Microwave have both an 8753ES and 8720D, but not an 8510C. But the 8510C manual should help.)

When the flopy disk is inserted into the VNA, 3 files will be shown, whose name vary depending on the model of VNA, and the calibration kit.

HP/Agilent 8753, 8719, 8720 or 8722 series of vector network analyzers

SMA, SMA_F_F and SMA_M_M for the 85033 SMA calibration kit
N, N_F_F and N_M_M for the 85054 N calibration kit

For these instruments, use the following files, for the SMA kit. For the N kit, just change the SMA to N.

For a single port calibration (S11 or S22), then use any of the SMA, SMA_F_F or SMA_M_F - it makes no difference whatsoever which set of calibration kit coefficients is loaded. The VNA should show the cal kit as either "SMA", "SMA f-f" or "SMA m-m", depending on which of the files is loaded.
For a two port calibration, where cables get joined for the thru connection, the correct file must be selected:
- If one test port cable has a male connector, and the other a female, then these may be joined with no adapter. In this case, load the calibration coefficients from the files SMA. The VNA must shown the cal kit as "SMA". This file has the delay of the thru defined as zero.
- If you have two male test port cables, then in order to make the thru connection, the female-female barrel in the calibration kit should be used. The delay of that adapter was measured, and is stored in the file SMA_F_F. The VNA should show the cal kit as being "SMA f-f"
- If you have two female test port cables, which is very unusual then in order to make the thru connection, the male-male adapter in the calibration kit should be used. The delay of that adapter was measured, and is stored in the file SMA_M_M The VNA should show the cal kit as being "SMA m-m"

HP/Agilent 8510C

For the 8510C, HP decreed that files holding the calibration kit coefficients must start with the file name CK_, so all files start with CK_SMA, despite it does not seem very logical. Since there are only 8 letters allowed for the file names, and they must start CK_, that does not give much chance of putting intuitive filenames.

CK_SMA, CK_SMAFF and CK_SMAMM for the 85033 SMA calibration kit
CK_N, CK_N_F_F and CK_N_M_M for the 85054 N calibration kit

The correct file to load should be chosen based on the following:

For a single port calibration (S11 or S22), then use any of the CK_SMA, CK_SMAFF or CK_SMAMM - it makes no difference which set of calibration kit coefficients is loaded. The VNA should show the cal kit as either "SMA", "SMA f-f" or "SMA m-m", depending on which of the files is loaded.
For a two port calibration, where cables get joined for the thru connection, the correct file must be selected:
- If one test port cable has a male SMA connector, and the other a female SMA connector, then these may be joined with no adapter. In this case, load the calibration coefficients from the files CK_SMA. The VNA must shown the cal kit as "SMA". This file has the delay of the thru defined as zero.
- If you have two test port cables, each with male SMA connectors, (which is very common), then in order to make the thru connection, the female-female barrel in the calibration kit should be used. The delay of that adapter was measured, and is stored in the file CK_SMAFF. The VNA should show the cal kit as being "SMA f-f"
- If you have two female test port cables, which is very unusual then in order to make the thru connection, the male-male adapter in the calibration kit should be used. The delay of that adapter was measured, and is stored in the file CK_SMAMM. The VNA should show the cal kit as being "SMA m-m"

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