Suppose I wanted to construct a no-solder plug-board or rats-nest low-pass filter for VHF frequencies, but without the "proper" circuit substrates, design software, or test equipment.
Could an inexpensive NanoVNA be used to test and incrementally improve a VHF filter construction using random junk box caps and hand-dimensioned hand-wound scrap-wire coils, via trial-and-error ?
If so, how?
Given VHF is 30MHz to 300MHz, the answer is yes, IF you use a sheet of copper upon which to build the LPF, and perhaps use some vertical copper foils partitions/walls straddling any/all series components.
This WILL require some soldering, or you will not have any useful attenuation.
The WhiteBoard is not suitable for high_attenuation filtering.
LowPassFilters require a series impedance (either resistor or inductor), that feeds into a shunt impedance (either capactor or resistor).
If the shunting element is a capacitor, then inductance (the capacitor leads being non_zero_length are inductors) will be the limiting factor of attenuation at higher frequencies.
The issue with proto-boards, whiteboards, etc, is the inductance of the long bus bars at the top and at the bottom of the working space.
Using a sheet of copper is the way to greatly reduce that inductance.
