[TowerTalk] Which analyzer?

[Brad Rehm]

Sante,

I've used the Autek RF-1 for more than 5 years, and on a number of occasions
I've also used the MFJ 259.  The MFJ is a little easier to use in some
situations because it has an analog (meter) readout.  The HF/VHF frequency
range is also handy.

I've never had any trouble interpreting the digital readout on the RF-1,
though.  Its size also makes it easy to carry around the antenna farm.  When
I work on the top of the tower, there's no question about which analyzer is
handier.  Any work in the field is easier with the hand-held unit.

As for problems...a friend left my RF-1 on a picnic table during a rain
storm.  We dried it out and sprayed contact cleaner on an internal connector
to get it going again.

Accuracy seems to be good.  If I tune an antenna at the tower, the SWR is
always exactly as predicted when look at the meters in the shack.  Its
measurements of capacitor and inductor values always agree to within a few
percent with the lab-grade instruments we have at the office.

If you don't need phase information, the RF-1 is considerably less expensive
than the '269, and its low-end range is a little better.  My RF-1 goes down
to 1130 kHz, which was handy for bringing a 160m inverted V into resonance a
couple weeks ago.  The MFJ would never have seen the resonant point of that
antenna, because I cut it long so that I could trim it into the low end of
the band.

I'd recommend either unit, but if you only need HF and you don't like having
to carry a heavy instrument around in the bush, the Autek is the one I'd go
with.
Brad, KV5V
Jarrell, Texas

> I need an analyzer. I read some time ago there were problem with AUTEK
one,
> but nothing seemed written about HF-CIA by AEA. Any suggestion? I need
> mainly for HF bands and plan tuning besides yagi's a 4 square array for
80.
> On Autek adv they said that "the other analyzer" were NOT capable to
> distinguish the "+" or "-" sign for inductance or capacitance: are they so
> fundamental in pruning a 4square array? a MFJ 269 (the latest one) seems
to
> do it..if I correctly read their adv's on magazines.
> TIA
> Sante



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