[Towertalk] Antenna Analyzer Suggestions?

[Pete Smith]

At 10:00 PM 5/5/02 -0400, Tom Rauch wrote:
> > case I'd hate to drop it.  Finally, I have found the RF-1's battery
> > use to be very good, while the MFJ is relatively big and heavy, has a
> > steel case, and eats batteries by the 10-pack.
>
>While it is big and heavy, it has an aluminum case.


Point taken -- I did not do a magnet test.  Anyway, it's ruggeder, which is 
the point I was making.


>As for batteries...anyone who uses dry cells in this day and age
>deserves to pay for batteries! 90% of the battery current goes to RF
>output, which is necessary to try to overcome BC interference.

Interesting -- I *presume* that all 3 (4) units operate on the same basic 
principle, and so share this vulnerability, but the design choices were 
quite differently made.  Perhaps Tom can share some more detail on the MFJ 
choice, since I know he was involved in the design (though I'm unsure as to 
what extent).  I do know that both my Autek RF-1 and the MFJ-259B were 
rendered virtually unusable by a 500-watt BC station at 1550 kHz 4 miles 
away, when trying to adjust the shunt feed on my tower for 160.

The 259B I borrowed had dry batteries in it, and I chose not to buy nicads 
for it.  I would definitely do that if it were mine, or perhaps something 
better, like NiMH.  Would the trickle charger also work with those?


73, Pete N4ZR

Check out the World HF
Contest Station Database at
www.pvrc.org