-
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.
Manual/Auto antenna tuners
- Thread starter KD8LWX
- Start date
Manual = manually adjusted. Knobs to turn, switches to adjust.
Automatic = automatically adjusted.
Automatic tuners usually have less capability to match loads that are WAY off resonance. Manual tuners aren't as "sleek".
I use a manual tuner. My rig has an automatic tuner built in, but I rarely use it.
Automatic = automatically adjusted.
Automatic tuners usually have less capability to match loads that are WAY off resonance. Manual tuners aren't as "sleek".
I use a manual tuner. My rig has an automatic tuner built in, but I rarely use it.
I have both, each for different applications. The auto tuners are great for ease of use. You push the button, it loads up the antenna for you. There are some auto tuners that are made to attach right to your rig of choice, making a nice compact package. I use the LDG auto tuner that attaches to the Yaesu FT897D and it makes a great portable rig.
With manual tuners you learn to adjust it yourself. Once you know how to do it, it doesn't take long. Because they are manual, there are WAAAY less parts. You can build one yourself for not much money! They also can load up pretty much anything, where an auto tuner cannot. Manual tuners are more easily built to handle a lot more power, which is something worth considering. I use a manual tuner on the base, especially when I want to run power or want to load up my wire antenna on a frequency that is way out of its resonant point.
They both have a purpose and you may end up with both over time. What type of antenna are you going to want to load up?
With manual tuners you learn to adjust it yourself. Once you know how to do it, it doesn't take long. Because they are manual, there are WAAAY less parts. You can build one yourself for not much money! They also can load up pretty much anything, where an auto tuner cannot. Manual tuners are more easily built to handle a lot more power, which is something worth considering. I use a manual tuner on the base, especially when I want to run power or want to load up my wire antenna on a frequency that is way out of its resonant point.
They both have a purpose and you may end up with both over time. What type of antenna are you going to want to load up?
That is a very good question and I don't have an answer. I probably need to start a new thread on that subject after I do a little more reading.
At this point can you recommend one or two auto tuners, and a couple manual tuners to be used with FT-897D. This is not for a permanent location setup.
Here's the LDG tuner that attaches to the side of the FT897D. It's a good tuner. Yaesu also makes one, but most people hate it.
For manual tuners, Ameritron and MFJ make a whole bunch of inexpensive tuners. You need to think about how much power you want to run and what features you would like. How many antenna ports do you want? Are large meters important to you? Do you like larger knobs that have more room for adustment, or is portability more important?
For manual tuners, Ameritron and MFJ make a whole bunch of inexpensive tuners. You need to think about how much power you want to run and what features you would like. How many antenna ports do you want? Are large meters important to you? Do you like larger knobs that have more room for adustment, or is portability more important?
Visit the AES, HRO and MFJ websites. Compare features and prices based on what YOU want and what YOU can afford.
I have no experience on the subject and I will admit that I don't know enough to just find what I want and buy it. I don't want buy based on price. I want to buy based on performance and features with price only used to separate two items of equal functionality.
My goal for this project is simple operation, portable and flexible. Based on what I am seeing, I can have two of the three, but finding a balance is difficult. So to answer your question, I assume I should be looking at a balance between portable and flexibility, with speed and simplicity of operation a distant third.
BTW, I will be at HRO this weekend. So what should I look at, touch feel, while I am there?
Tell them you want to buy a manual tuner and you want to play with them. They'll take them out of the boxes for you. Ask them for help deciding. They have a lot of the Ameritron and MFJ models in stock. They have some others, as well.
If it were me, I would first figure out how much output power I needed it to handle. That will narrow your choices down quite a bit. Then I would decide how "portable" I really needed it to be. That will eliminate some more. Next up for me are the meters and inducter - if the meters are hard to read, the thing is practically useless. For inductor, you either get a roller inductor or one that has fixed capacitance. Roller is nice because you have almost infinite adjustment. However, most of the smaller tuners have fixed positions, which is OK, too. From there you're just looking at features and build quality - do you want a built in 4:1 balun, how about multiple antenna ports with a switch?
That should get you started.
I think you might find R@L better than HRO. Great people, and not to far from you.
http://www.randl.com/shop/index.shtml
Rich
http://www.randl.com/shop/index.shtml
Rich
Last edited:
I haven't made it back to HRO, but I did make it to Universal.
The guy I talked with was very knowledgeable, but I felt like I was talking to a used car salesman who was trying to sell what he had on the floor. It could be because I was looking for HT stuff and HF stuff and had too many questions. I have never felt that way at Universal before, but I have never talked to this guy either.
I left with more knowledge and more questions. Still looking to put this project together.
The guy I talked with was very knowledgeable, but I felt like I was talking to a used car salesman who was trying to sell what he had on the floor. It could be because I was looking for HT stuff and HF stuff and had too many questions. I have never felt that way at Universal before, but I have never talked to this guy either.
I left with more knowledge and more questions. Still looking to put this project together.
- No one is chatting at the moment.
