I have the 229B tuner, which I think is the same tuner internally as the
238, but with different colors on the exterior. I find it somewhat
difficult to find matches with the fixed-value switched capacitor that
the Ten Tec tuner offers. It sometimes takes longer to tune than an
MFJ-989 I used to own. I think I liked my MFJ-989 tuner better, and I
feel it was easier to match loads with. I've never had either tuner arc.
I think the MFJ-989 roller inductor also felt more
"industrial/commercial" than the Ten Tec, probably because it's made of
ceramic. If I was building Ten Tec tuners, I believe I'd have designed
in gear-reduction controls, and a Millen-style turns counter on the
inductor instead of the linear scale. Especially at the price they're
charging. Mind you, if you're assembling a complete Ten Tec station,
there's nothing like having matched station components to make ones
shack look really sharp! I have a homebrew tuner that has all the
ingredients of the perfect tuner except for a metering circuit. If it
said Ten Tec on it, it'd be on my desk instead of the 229B (or a 238).
Good luck, whatever you choose. 73, Web Williams in Myrtle Beach, SC
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"Those that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Benjamin Franklin (1773)
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