> Anyone interested in using a tuner on 160M (or 80M) should carefully read
> the reviews in the March 1997 QST.
>
> 73.....Carl KM1H
>
Actually, what the article in QST tells me is to AVOID tuners wherever
possible, making the antenna match the line! This is sort of
tongue-in-cheek as no antenna will ever match satisfactorily over the
ranges of frequencies we amateurs frequent, particularly on the Low Bands.
But if you depend on a tuner to do your routine matching, you are wasting
that precious RF.
To paraphrase David Sarnoff (founder of RCA) who was originally speaking
about finance..."Impedance-matching antennas at the transmitter is the art
of passing RF from hand to hand until it finally disappears."
To be sure, there are some tuners that are better than others. N4XM's
looks like the best of the bunch. But a little extra work outside means
less expensive shack heating inside.
73, Ward N0AX
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