Auto Tuners

[number6]

I have had my ticket since 1979, but have not had a shack set up
for several years, I am going to set up a new shack in a couple
of months and want to replace my old KW107 supermatch with
an auto tuner (well, I will probably move the 107 over to the
standby shelf ;))

Anybody care to share experiences with various units?

(I have been away from the game for a while and am just
beginning to research equipment - so not yet up to speed
on whats available.

Rig will most likely be an Icom 756 pro III - with my old 820S
sitting beside it - probably use a dipole or G5RV)

Tnx

[W4GLM]

I use a ProIII and an Icom AH-4, what a COMBO.

The antenna is a loop and it tunes all bands, same tuner

been mounted in a plastic garbage can for 5 years (to shield

from the HOT Florida sun and it works JAM-UP.

Try one you will like it, google AH-4 and you will get many

ideas on mounting and antenna's as well.....Mac

[number6]

Very cool! This unit looks very promising.
Looking forward to getting active again.
Tnx!

[W6PEA]

In my truck I use an Ah4 with Ic706mkiig. Works good.

[W4INF]

I used an LDG Z-100 with Icom 718, it has a WIDE range tune, I swear it would tune a beer can dipole!

I dont need it anymore since Im running a fixed screwdriver, BUT... I still wont part with it.. I liked it so much I bought the company. HA HA!

[N4KZ]

I just got an MFJ-998 auto tuner. I've used various manual tuners for the past 39 years and this is my first auto tuner. It works very well. It's expensive but has a ton of features; e.g. built-in watt meter, digital readout in addition to an analog meter, rig interface so the tune button on the radio controls the tuner and an amp bypass mode.

I use the tuner with my Icom Pro3 and Ameritron ALS-600S solid-state amp. It makes for instant, no-tune QSY all over 160, 80, 40 and 30 meters -- the bands I operate with my horizontal loop antenna.

I won't get rid of my trusty 25-year-old MFJ-962 kW manual tuner but for now the auto tuner is king of the shelf, so to speak. I had just about decided to buy the MFJ-994B 600-watt auto tuner but it doesn't have an amp bypass feature which is wonderful! But the 994B sells for much less $$$. But I found a used 998 for a good price and so I made the purchase. No regrets at all.

BTW, the fit and finish on the MFJ-998 is excellent. I like it.

73, N4KZ

[N4BFD]

I have the baby version of the above, a MFJ-993B, has foward and reverse watt/SWR meter, and a digital meter with cap and inductance values, frequency counter, fwd and reverse power and SWR. The meter is peak reading, has a built in balun for ladder line, and two antenna inputs.

Has a few zillion memorys for tuner settings for up to 4 antennas I think, once you tune at a certain frequency then go back to it later, as soon as you transmit the tuner goes "CLUNK" and your tuned instantly. I used to have to spend time fiddling around tuning when jumping bands, no longer... I switch bands, and in split second I am tuned.

I think many of the auto tuners out there do that these days. Anyway, the two meters on the MFJ come in handy, I like seeing actual numbers for my SWR and power, never thought that would be a big deal to me till I started using it. It cost around 230 dollars from R&L I think. One of the few MFJ tuners that eham reviewers like.

[PA5COR]

I have the MFJ 993-B tuner as well, and must say it works just fine..
True to the MFJ name the lightbulb for the analog power/swr meter burned out in 2 days, as did it with my friends tuner.

Replaced it with an better one, added an resistor wich will add in keeping it burning an lot longer.

For the rest it does work as advertised.

73,
Cor

[AB8XA]

The Icom tuner is highly popular for several reasons. #I like it because it addresses the mismatch problem out between the antenna and feed line, not in the shack. #Find out more about it and other Icom tuners by joining the Yahoo! IcomTuner Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IcomTuner/).

[KD6WAG]

For all of my portable work with an 857d and just running 100 watts, I use an LDG AT-200PRO. I love it. It's simple to use and generally gives me a 1:1 on everything from a G5RV, Hamsticks, Buddiepoles etc...

I plan on testing it on a random wire here in the near future. But... when I finally get around to buying that Tokyo Hi-power that pushes a kw, it's going to be a "Palstar" all the way.

[SV2BWM]

I had LDG-1000 with Kenwood TS-850 but I was not very pleased with it. This tuner is for commercial antennas and not for random length ones, I think. On the other hand, the Ten-Tec 229B and the 277, are excellent tuners. Can tune practically EVERYTHING! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[WD8LIC]

i use a tokyo hi power 200 model. very satisfied.

[M3MVB]

ft857d with LDG Z-11pro tunes 160-6 8000 memories handles 5 to 125Watts,
at present its tuning a G5RV with the ladderline direct into the tuner cant fault it
http://www.ldgelectronics.com/products.php?cID=1&pID=9&v=1 (http://www.ldgelectronics.com/products.php?cID=1&pID=9&v=1)

[ae5eh]

Quote[/b] (w4glm @ Dec. 25 2007,14:00)]I use a ProIII and an Icom AH-4, what a COMBO.

The antenna is a loop and it tunes all bands, same tuner

been mounted in a plastic garbage can for 5 years (to shield

from the HOT Florida sun and it works JAM-UP.

Try one you will like it, google AH-4 and you will get many

ideas on mounting and antenna's as well.....Mac
I love my AH4, with an adapter I use mine with an FT897. I'm working on an interface to use it with my FT950.

[G4ICB]

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif Iv'e been using the mfj 993B tuner since june 2006. It works great, best thing mfj have produced for a while. I sold my 969,too big and bulky and slow to adjust.
I can reccomend the mfj 993B.

I have been using a SGC239 for the last few months. A clerk at the local radio store recommended it. The tuner is rated to work with a dipole fed with ladder line which is the main reason for buying it as I have a twenty meter vertical dipole fed with 450 ohm ladder line.

I have a VSWR/forward power meter in line between the rig (IC718) and the tuner. On most bands 80 through 10 meters it tunes for a 1.1:1 VSWR, however on some of the bands like 20, 15, and 10 meters it starts its tuning cycle and goes through several very good matches but then ends up selecting a 2:1 match. You can work with it by going to one end of the band or the other and letting it rematch then when returning to the original frequency that was 2:1 it may now read 1.2:1.

I have no RF in shack and like I say it works well on many of the bands particularly 40 meters (and even on 80 meters). So, I guess my satisfaction is one which, is the glass 1/2 empty or 1/2 full.

[WR8D]

Well i love the rig you mentioned, just bought one a few months ago myself.

The tuner in the rig is fine but if you'll be interested in an amplifier later on check out the JW Miller At-2500 auto tuner. Palstar has a new one out too and i'll add the millers are hard to fine but priceless.

For a manual tuner you won't beat the old heathkits i built both of them in the early 80's and have tried a few times to run the guts out of them and they've never given me a problem in all those years.

It's just what ever floats "your" boat but good to get ideas from the rest of us.

Hope this helps and good luck setting up your station.

73 John WR8D:)

[KA4DPO]

I went with the AH4 for several reasons. The first is that it will interface with my 756 PRO III and my 746 PRO with no hassels. The second reason was the matching range. The AH4 will match 12-5,000 ohms unbalanced, up to 10K ohms with a 4:1 Balun. Some of the LDG tuners only match 6-800 ohms, that's no better than the internal tuners in my Icom radios. The third reason is that it can be mounted directly at the antenna feed point.

It's well built, the price is right, and it will match a wet string. It's truly a well kept secret that has been overlooked by many hams because of glitzy advertising for crummy auto tuners in the back of QST.

[KB5IAV]

I have had my ticket since 1979, but have not had a shack set up
for several years, I am going to set up a new shack in a couple
of months and want to replace my old KW107 supermatch with
an auto tuner (well, I will probably move the 107 over to the
standby shelf ;))

Anybody care to share experiences with various units?

(I have been away from the game for a while and am just
beginning to research equipment - so not yet up to speed
on whats available.

Rig will most likely be an Icom 756 pro III - with my old 820S
sitting beside it - probably use a dipole or G5RV)

Tnx

I've used a homebrew tuner for tuning up a single wire feed antenna and had good luck with it. It's 2 capacitors and 2 inductors and it could tune that single wire from 80-10, even though I had RF getting into the rig on 15-10 meters.

With my current antenna, an attic mounted half wave open loop, I've used an MFJ 902H tiny travel tuner and it fried within a couple of weeks while only running 25 watts. Many hams say MFJ makes some good products, but their quality control isn't very good.

Right now, I'm running the LDG Z-11 Pro autotuner and LDG 4:1 balun and I'm for the most part satisfied with it. It will tune up just about anywhere with 1.7:1 SWR or less. It also has manual controls for tweaking the adjustment and I can often get it down lower than 1.7:1. It's not a bad tuner in my opinion, but not perfect.

I went with it because I didn't want to buy another MFJ tuner, and the other brands of manual tuners were out of my price range. I was kind of inactive for a while too, but I'm getting back on the air as well so I know how you feel. Good luck to you.

Also good to see another Prisoner fan here.

[KB1OJU]

hello

i have an LDG Z-100 auto tuner that i love, although 6m through the tuner isnt that great only because you can only put 50watts through the tuner max. but i dont use 6m at all, so im all set :) haha, the tuner works great for what i do, AND it can be ran off of a 9v batttery for portable use!



73 de KB1OJU

[ae5eh]

I use a ProIII and an Icom AH-4, what a COMBO.

The antenna is a loop and it tunes all bands, same tuner

been mounted in a plastic garbage can for 5 years (to shield

from the HOT Florida sun and it works JAM-UP.

Try one you will like it, google AH-4 and you will get many

ideas on mounting and antenna's as well.....Mac

AH4. Great unit. Use it w/my PROIII, and w/Better RF adapter w/my 897D.Heard good things about the SGC couplers too.

[KB3LAZ]

I have had my ticket since 1979, but have not had a shack set up
for several years, I am going to set up a new shack in a couple
of months and want to replace my old KW107 supermatch with
an auto tuner (well, I will probably move the 107 over to the
standby shelf ;))

Anybody care to share experiences with various units?

(I have been away from the game for a while and am just
beginning to research equipment - so not yet up to speed
on whats available.

Rig will most likely be an Icom 756 pro III - with my old 820S
sitting beside it - probably use a dipole or G5RV)

Tnx

Well theres not enough info to properly answer the question.
Are you going to use an amp or run barefoot?
And if your not going to run an amp why spend money on an auto tuner
when theres already one in the Pro III?
But since were all sharing war stories,
I have an IC-7000 W/ LDG 7000 AT And it is a perfect combo.
This tuner will tune anything.(although a tuner just fools your radio into
believing that there is a good SWR.)But thats how it goes.
Good luck and 73

[N8IGM]

For all of my portable work with an 857d and just running 100 watts, I use an LDG AT-200PRO. I love it. It's simple to use and generally gives me a 1:1 on everything from a G5RV, Hamsticks, Buddiepoles etc...

I plan on testing it on a random wire here in the near future. But... when I finally get around to buying that Tokyo Hi-power that pushes a kw, it's going to be a "Palstar" all the way.

Doesn't the Tokyo Hi-power have a built in tuner ?

[N8IGM]

Doesn't the Tokyo Hi-power have a built in tuner ?

N8igm