[TowerTalk] N4XM Match Info request

[W0UN -- John Brosnahan]

At 04:48 AM 12/1/2003, Larry Stowell wrote:

>http://n4xm.myiglou.com/
>
>I don't see the price and it costs $3 for more info by snail mail?


If you want more information you can always review Paul Schrader's
patent --  4,763,087  issued August 9, 1988.

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=4,763,087.WKU.&OS=PN/4,763,087&RS=PN/4,763,087

Paul uses quality components but the tuner is nothing more than
a configurable PI-network or L-network with complex switching
to allow the specific configuration to be easily chosen from the
front panel.  To me at least, a patent on how to switch a capacitor and
an inductor to various arrangements is not rocket science and
probably doesn't deserve a patent.  But rather it just represents
good engineering art.  (My opinion on patentability is from one who
holds a number of US and foreign patents but does not possess
any legal insight!  YMMV)

It is a commercial product using commercial (read--expensive)
components but the functionality can easily be duplicated using
surplus parts for a lot less money.  Building an antenna tuner
from surplus parts is one of the easiest and yet most satisfying
home brew projects there is.

73--John   W0UN



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