• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.

Recommend an Antenna Analyzer

Rok55

New Member
May 19, 2017
64
15
8
Thanks again to the group for leading me to a good decision on my last request, a Wattmeter.

As I continue studying for my ticket I'm trying to plan and acquire other shack items/equipment I'll need. Looks like a Yaesu FT-890 from a well respected member here will be my first rig but haven't settled on an antenna / antennas yet. I know the Yaesu has an ATU but believe I will still need / want an analyzer and probably an outboard tuner.

So ........... what would be the recommendation of an analyzer for someone on a real tight budget?
 

Far none, the analyzer made by RigExpert. Don't waste your time or money on batteries with the antiquated MFJ-259 series which takes 10 AA batteries and eats them up fast. This is the one I use, The RigExpert AA54 and only uses 2 AA batteries and seems to last a good while. This one covers HF bands plus 6 meters. Checkout the screen shots below to see what you can analyze including 5 bands at once.

They have other models which cover up to the Ghz spectrum but these get expensive.

The AA-30 is their least expensive model and cover up to 30 KHz and lacks a few features of the AA-54 model. This one can be had for around $200. Those cheaper MFJ's for $99 to $150 like the MFJ-207 aren't worth the time being awkward to use. Any good analyzer is going to cost $200 or more.

aa54-1-sm.jpg


RigExpert AA-54 – Screen shots
Main menu of AA-30
main54-1.gif

Main menu of AA-54
set30-1.gif

First page of the Settings menu of AA-30
all-01.gif

“Show all” screen
help1-en.gif

Help screen for one of measurement modes
fqentry-en.gif

Frequency entry
swrsingle.gif

Single-point SWR measurement

savemem-en.gif

“Save to memory” screen (AA-54)
swrg-01.gif

SWR graph
multi54-01.gif

Multi-point SWR measurement (AA-54)
rxg-01.gif

R,X graph
 
Another vote for Rig Expert. As much as your budget allows.
The MFJ works but ...

Tuner. AAT's have too many moving parts and a processor and ...
I would suggest you look at a manual tuner.
Even though I own one I'm just offering this without bias as a good example.

The Drake MN-2700 B

Drake_MN2700_Inside.jpg


Just a good unit.

The Heathkit 2060A is another but I don't care for roller inductors.

I do prefer a Pi-L type rather than a "T".

I figure the first best station addition is the antenna "system". This includes the tuner and anything else between your antenna and the audio speaker. Antennas are frustrating, interesting, confusing and occasionally the best part of a station. However as you're getting your feet wet you are not going to get it perfect and the tuner can absorb some of that . This way you spend more time on the radio, less time falling off of roofs and out of trees and more time talking without destroying output transistors.

You can work out the finer points of antenna construction later. I will give you one clue. There is little if any relationship between VSWR and resonance. I'll catch hell for that but ....
 
Another vote for Rig Expert. As much as your budget allows.

I would suggest you look at a manual tuner.

I do prefer a Pi-L type rather than a "T".

I figure the first best station addition is the antenna "system". This includes the tuner and anything else between your antenna and the audio speaker.

This way you spend more time on the radio, less time falling off of roofs and out of trees and more time talking without destroying output transistors.

I will give you one clue. There is little if any relationship between VSWR and resonance. I'll catch hell for that but ....

Thanks much for that input.
If I read between the lines ............ manual tuner before analyzer?
While I did figure a manual tuner eventually, I kinda figured the other way, try to ensure well tuned antenna system(s) as the FT-890 has an ATU onboard.

I'll have to study up on Pi-L vs T.
 
Thx for the link kopcicle ......... I found W8JI a while back during my search/quest on info and am trying to ingest what I can ........... whew .......... mostly over my head right now but starting to get the basics.
 
I bought the RigExpert AA-230 Zoom a bit over a year ago as a package deal from GigaParts on an eBay listing. The package included a USB cable (maybe that came with the analyzer, I don't recall) and a NANUK case. It allows me to keep the whole works together. It does a variety of measurements which can also be done using their Windows software which can process the data into various charts.

For a tuner I use a Palstar AT1500DT Differential Tee tuner (no longer made) It is a far better piece of kit than the MFJ-986 it replaced.
 

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • dxBot:
    Tucker442 has left the room.
  • @ BJ radionut:
    LIVE 10:00 AM EST :cool:
  • @ Charles Edwards:
    I'm looking for factory settings 1 through 59 for a AT 5555 n2 or AT500 M2 I only wrote down half the values feel like a idiot I need help will be appreciated