Today I play with the same antenna, same radio, but a different tuner. Let's demystify manual tuners!
I use an MFJ full legal limit manual tuner with a roller inductor. Best tuner I've ever used and I prefer a manual over the automatics I've used.
You might want to turn off Noise Reduction when you're...listening for noise I wish instead of letters and numbers, they had max/min or percentages of capacitance and inductance since you're supposed to try for a more fully-meshed capacitors and somewhere-in-the-middle inductance. I think that would take out some of the mystery of MFJ tuners since you know what turning the knobs are actually doing with respect to reactance, inductance, capacitance, etc. in your system. Here's the manual for this unit: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0289/7782/3843/files/MFJ-949E.pdf?v=1586534093 I love my ancient MFJ tuners - they will tune a wet noodle and get -15db FT4 signal reports.
I use my Johnson Kilowatt match box with a 145 foot long wire tunes it early and my kilowatt is happy.
It's always a good Idea to open you MFJ manual tuner (to see if the manual is correct) to check which setting 0 or 10 is maximum capcitance, and maximum inductance. My oldest mfj 989c has minimum capacitance at zero and maximum at ten (or in the case of inductance zero or some high number). Part way through production that was all changed by a W8JI to make maximum at zero and minimum at ten so that they tuned like amplifiers did, (the way he felt was correct). The old tuners, Heath, Dentron, ect, followed the older pre-W8JI standard, so I have had some of both. I always open them up and check though. Obviously the tuner indicated in the above link is a newer model since it has max at zero. 73, Chuck N0NC
If you run more then 10 watts, check if a tuner helper (but not hamburger helper) device will work with your rig. I have a Tuner Tamer (from the ham made gear forum) for my 7300. Push the button and it will kick the power down to 10 watts and have the radio generate a tone. It's a latching button so your hands are free to work the tuner. When you turn it off it puts your power and mode back to where it was. Also keeps you from "accidentally" sending out a 100W tone over a distant QSO. There are many DIY/Ham made/commercial devices out there, mostly for Icom. Not sure about other brands of rigs. It's well worth the price for it's convenience.
WE8TOM, I always use a manual morse key and reduce the power manually to tune. Of course the two transceivers that get the most use at my shack have a power control knob on the front panel. Since the 7300 is a SDR, can the multi use knob be reprogarmmed to adjust the power level, or must you always enter the menu? 73, Chuck N0NC
I believe with version 1.4 of the firmware it changes the multi knob to where if you get into a menu and hold it then the multi knob becomes an adjustment for whatever you just long pressed.
You can simplify things, but you still gotta select it, spin it down and remember to spin it back up, as well as select CW or RTTY mode and hit the key or transmit button. I was gifted the tuner tamer. I never would have bought it on my own, but after having it, I would easily buy one again (or similar device, not necessarily plugging the TT, but its what I have)
I'm usually only confident if I've set the AMU manually. Most auto tuners click and clack for a while and then you're still pretty uncertain how well it's actually tuned. With a roller inductor, you can be pretty confident it's done once and done properly.
To KM9G from KE8GYQ, there is always a room for improvement. Position antenna tuner side-by-side with a transceiver. Place camera on a tripod, aim and focus. Speak at slower pace. Push the "start" button. Successful video presentation.