kirkbymicrowave.co.uk

What It Is

Kirkby Microwave Ltd is a UK-based hardware manufacturer focused on RF/microwave measurement scenarios, with its core products being low-cost vector network analyzer (VNA) calibration and verification kits. Strictly speaking, it is not a software developer tool in the conventional sense, but rather a test and measurement engineering tool for S-parameter measurements, coaxial/waveguide device calibration, and laboratory verification.

Core Capabilities

Its products cover SMA, Type-N, WR90 X-band, WR62 Ku-band, SC, and custom coaxial/waveguide calibration kits. The SMA and Type-N kits include male and female open, short, load, and thru standards, supporting both 1-port and 2-port calibration. They also provide attenuators with measured S-parameters for verifying calibration results. A key advantage is that each standard comes with individually measured data, and a USB drive includes Touchstone files, PDFs, application notes, and calibration coefficients; some older HP/Agilent VNAs can also optionally import data via floppy disk.

Compatibility and Ecosystem

The text lists support for, or usage with, a wide range of VNA brands, including HP/Agilent/Keysight, Anritsu, Rohde & Schwarz, Copper Mountain, LibreVNA, Rigol, Siglent, Tektronix, Pico Technology, National Instruments, and others. For brands not listed, users are advised to contact the company before purchasing, indicating that compatibility depends on the specific instrument model and its ability to import calibration parameters.

Pricing

It is positioned as a low-cost alternative, emphasizing that it is cheaper than high-end manufacturers such as Anritsu, Keysight, Maury, and Rosenberger. SMA, waveguide, SC, and custom kits generally require a quote; the Type-N 85054 example is priced from £620 to £720 GBP, varying by region. Bank transfer is supported, and the text also mentions PayPal and eBay channels.

Pros and Cons

The advantages are comprehensive documentation, measured data provided, support for a wide range of brands, complete kit configurations, a 1-year warranty, and a 30-day return policy. The drawbacks are that its accuracy is explicitly not on par with high-end manufacturers, so it may not be suitable for the most demanding professional applications; many prices are not publicly listed and require email communication; and software-tool aspects such as APIs, SDKs, self-hosting, and open source are largely not applicable.

Who It’s For and Access from China

It is suitable for laboratories, universities, amateur radio users, and RF engineers with limited budgets who still need reliable VNA calibration. The main text does not provide information about access from China, so this is marked as unknown.