I've been off air for 20 years, but with war in Europe, I am compelled to dust off the HF radio. Your simple to understand videos have been a great help. Thanks from Ka4eie
I have watched ten of these instructional videos on he mfj and you explained it BETTER than anyone else....GREAT JOB... Short sweet, to the point and excellent modulation
My first antenna tuner was the MFJ-949D. It also features a 50 ohm dummy load to use as a load to tune a tube transmitter. My first HF rig was a Kenwood TS-520s that had Tube finals requiring the dummy load. So this tuner offered a lot with 2 antenna selections and a selection for a long wire or balanced antenna for a total of 3 antenna options. I have owned many tuners and autotuners since, but would never be without the MFJ-949E tuner in my Shack!
Very good video with good practical use and examples. Sometimes you just have less than optimal antenna conditions, unfortunately, and antenna tuners help and can make the difference from no transmitting to transmitting.Thank you for your very clear video.
Thanks for helping a new HAM get a perspective on this tuner. I have a Kenwood TS-570D with an auto tuner built it but it seems that a manual tuner does the job better.
Nice video! My first tuner back in 1993 was the earlier model (949D) of this tuner. It did a great job and had lots of features for $149. Back then I had a Kenwood TS-520S HF Tube rig that the transmitter had to be tuned into a dummy load. The MFJ-949 had that built in! Plus you have the option of two different antenna's, therefore eliminating the need for an antenna switch! And a built in 4:1 Balun for balanced line antennas, plus a balanced single random wire connector! And the large lighted cross needle meter was easy to read. Plus it was the perfect size. I think these features at the price of $150 are exactly why the MFJ-949 has been the most popular tuner for many years. In fact I'll be purchasing another for field work and as a backup to my LDG AT-100 Pro II.
Excellent videos. Thanks for putting these online. They cleared up many questions I couldn't answer by reading technical material. I am a visual learner and you are a great teacher.
I have the exact same tuner and really like it. Right now all I have for an HF antenna is a G5RV about 50 feet up in an inverted dipole, this tuner tunes it all the way on every band. Thanks for the video.. good info.
You can still have a high SWR even with a tuner. It's just the tuner helps block it from touching your radio. When you feed a dipole from coax, I'd recommend inserting a choke as close to the feed point as possible. Or use a balanced feed line from the balanced terminals from the tuner to the dipole, making it a doublet. Less losses that way too.
An AT can't really make a bad antenna good. It just looks like a 50 ohm match to the radio now and you don't get rf reflected back to the radio. The only way to get the antenna to optimum efficiency is to cut it to the proper length.
After teaching a class to Ham Radio Ops on the build of the MFJ 941EK antenna tuner I have many stories to tell. All good ones! LOL :) I bought an extra kit to use incase any of the students needed a part. Not one of the kits shipped from MFJ had parts missing or damaged. Thumbs up to MFJ for their work and dedication. Thanks for the video! 73 Jimmy, WX9DX, ARRL TS
Thanks for the great video, Commsprepper! You can correct me if I'm wrong on any of this but the way I understand it, tuners don't correct the antenna, but rather they just keep the reflected power reflecting back into the bad antenna/cable mismatch. The end result is still a bad match, and still not resonant, but the radio no longer sees it. The coax cable run to the antenna wastes a lot of that reflecting power in heat, so the antenna only transmits so much of your output power into radiated signal. The reason that people use ladder line immediately after the tuner is because losses at HF frequencies are very low (like fractions of a dB), so the tuner can keep reflected power going back up to the antenna very efficiently. There's still a loss but it's much lower than when feeding the antenna with coax, and thus your radiated signal is much closer to what you'd have with a good natural match. I do however find it interesting that you're tuning by ear, using the signal levels. This would suggest to me that the signals coming in from the antenna are arriving at the radio much more effectively, which seems to challenge the idea that a tuner does little for the performance of a coax fed antenna. I'm getting an MFJ-941E pretty soon for my own setup, and although I plan to feed a full wave loop with a very short run of window line, I'll be very interested to see what it does for it, especially for received signal strengths. I have to work with indoor solutions for now (think "attic + lots o' wire") so things are particularly challenging for me. Maybe when I finally get everything rolling, I'll put up a demo video of the setup.
NightRunner417 Congratulations on getting a 941E. I had one of these too. There is no heat created in the feed-line, the heat is created back at the radio's finals from reflective power. The tuner will not fix the antenna, it makes the antenna system more resident (antenna, cable, and tuner). That is why you can ruff tune by ear. You are making the system more resident and thus improving receive performance. However, in the end the antenna is not efficient. It will work and the tuner will protect your equipment but it will not perform like a resident frequency specific antenna. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
I know all about heating in finals, I was talking about the dynamics of coax cable vs. use of balanced feedline like window or ladder line. Coax is far more lossy than those, and the main two ways that the losses happen are by conversion of RF signal into heat - dielectric loss and resistive loss both do this in coax. So, what happens is that any coax in the system at all will radiate a fraction of your transmit power away as heat. Then a fraction of any reflected power is again radiated away by the coax as heat. Then the tuner reflects the reflected power back down the coax toward the antenna, and again the coax radiates a fraction of it as heat. Window and ladder line have far less loss at HF frequencies, so the tuner is able to more efficiently make use of your reflected power and turn it into transmitted signal at the antenna... sort of similar to how a laser bounces trapped light back and forth to keep it going into the useful direction at the aperture. Now, how much difference there actually would be at the far end of the QSO with a coax vs. ladder line system, you'd have to do the math. All I know is that the more anal the ham operator, the more likely they'll insist on using ladder line (especially after a tuner) to keep the losses low and the efficiency as high as they can scrape up. Good article on the mechanics of coax cable loss here: www.radio-electronics.com/info/antennas/coax/coax_loss.php
NightRunner417 basically all the atu does is corrects the feed line impedance miss match. It has nothing to do with reflecting power, just tries to get as close to a 50 ohm to 50 ohm match at the xmiter as possible
@@Commsprepper Oh my. You've got some gross conceptual errors here. Your video explains well the "how" but most of the "why", including the statements above, is not factual and is incomplete.
Nice video series. Thanks. I took the tech exam last week and I'm waiting to show up in the FCC database. Videos like these are very helpful to noob like myself.
Very handy explanation all round. And I'm impressed by the MFJ too. I had a automatic tuner but I had a feeling it wasn't tuning it down properly. There's no doubt once you've done it this way. The cross needle system left me quite sure the RF front end was 'safe'.
Thanks for such an informative video. I use the same MFJ tuner as the one featured and although many hams disregard my tuner as rubbish it does the job very well with my end fed long wire. Keep up the good work.👍
Good presentation. I have the MFJ 949, and use it on field day for an IC-735. For everyday operation, my Kenwood TS-2000 has an automatic tuner and I mostly use resonant antennas, i.e, dipoles, beam, etc.
Good Day, Thank-you for the informative videos regarding the MFJ 949E Antenna Tuner. I found both videos very easy to follow and I will recommend them to any Amateur Radio Operator or SWL'r who wants a clear, concise tutorial on this unit. Thank-you Mark - VA3FLC
Thanks x 3. Part 1 and 2 are the best tuner videos. "Tell it to me like I'm a 5 year old" and you did better. I'm getting set to get MFJ 945E - yes 945.
Again, another very instructive video. Thank you. From this, I have found exactly what I was looking for and it has told me just what I wanted to know.
Nice! Well done. Thank you. You have explained this really well for me. I do want to learn how to do this. And not everyone has the analyzer or scope or any other gadget that many tutorials use when showing how to tune the circuit and antenna. I bought the kit. I am pretty confident that I can put it together and get it to work properly, but just using the tuner alone by itself, you have helped me a great deal. Thanks. Best Regards. 73, steve Great job.
Thanks for taking the time to make thyis video found it very helpfull. Its amazing how close you get properly tuning the antenna by just listning to the noise, I find when Ive done just that final tuning only needs a tweak.
Glad the video helped. My tuner is off-line right now. It got zapped by lightning and the two diodes are blown. I am waiting for replacements to come in the mail.
Extremely useful for me, too. One question - do these MFJ tuners need cleaning if they've been sitting a while? I don't think mine is operating optimally - it doesn't seem to want to tune the way it should - so I may open mine up and shoot some Deoxit in to clean it out.
Thank you very much. I just got the mfj 949e and I though it was broke and was going to call the place where I got it. So I went on youtube and watched your video. Boy, the manual never said anything like what you did to get it to work. Thank you very much wb8bra
I put a 66 foot multi-band dipole inveted vee diagonally on my roof. The yard is the size of a postage stamp. I can tune the clothes line to 160 meters with an antenna tuner. I paid $300 for a 35 year old Heathkit 2060A, which I like a lot better than anything MFJ makes. It will run two coax cables, single wire, 300 & 450 ohm ladder lines. The only issues I have ever seen with the 2060A is a tendency to arc to the Balun above 1000 watts. Wrap the silver plate busing up in silicone & rubber tape and they are good for over 3000 watts SSB, or over 1500 watts AM. I could never ever dream of fitting an 80 meter dipole on my property. With the tuner, I can dial in 160 meters. I put a home brew tuned RF noise bridge in all my tuners. I am picking up an old Matchbox today. The main attraction there is the relay panel that has 6 transmitter/receiver inputs, 8 antenna outputs, a VSWR/watt meter and some extra filters. I don't really need the Matchbox. I think the 2060A is about as good as it gets. Any price under $400 to your doorstep for a clean 2060A is a good deal. Any 2060A for under $250 to your QTH is a steal. MFJs had a tendency to arc even on low power (100-200 watts). I have had a 3KW MFJ arc at 100 watts. That was enough to make me look for something used, with a better build quality. The Heathkits came with a blank notebook for dial settings & basic settings for each band. My linear amp will fold back above about 2.5:1 and shut down. Not sure about some of the transceivers. The Yeasus, Icoms, Ten Tecs & Kenwoods I have will, but running them near their foldback limits at full power is rather hard on the finals. Finding genuine finals is getting really expensive now, and the market is flooded with counterfeit Chinese made final RF transistors. They are set on dies that are about 2 sizes too small, so they will work great..... for a few hours.
Nothing's ever impossible I've made antennas out of coat hangers you just have to know how to build the antenna Heck if you wanted to make a miniature Delta Loop you could just get some PVC pipe cut notches in the ends of it and then put that out you got to make sure it's the right kind though so it doesn't get messed up also you could take plastic coat hangers and put them between the dowel rod and construct it that way
Good instructional. In an emergency prepper setup, that MFJ949 keeps the transmitter happy. I tuned a 20m 1/4 wave vertical on an mfj949d up on 40m: FLAT swr/ zero reflected, but LOTS of rf in the shack. It works though. I guess maybe 1/3 of tpo made it to the antenna. Hey, in a "gotta put a signal on the air" situation arrises...
This is a old video, but very well done and still holds true today. I use a similar antenna tuner to tune a 100' long random wire and it works quite will with 100 watts of transmitter power on the HF bands. Thanks again for your efforts.
I bought the Micom used. I used to be a member of the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) and needed ALE. You can still get them used - there are two for sale right now on eBay (one is below $500.00). You still need to have your own power supply and antenna tuner. There is a Micom tuner but I have never seen one on eBay or used.
The button that you push in for 30 watts or 300 watts. I thought if you push it in, it would set the meter up for 300 watts and if it was not pushed in, the meter would be set up for low power as used for tuning. When using the Tuner and running 30 watts, the meter seems to register correctly on my Tuner with the button pushed in. Also when tuning, what power level should you use when transmitting. I read somewhere that you should never use more than 20 watts. These two videos were very helpful!
wow , what a good detailed video ty very much , I was just sort of given on these tuners I will only be able to run a 130 ft of enfed wire . wow wow wow
Excellent explanation! Thx. That means, if I buy a Sirio Bumerang 27w 11m base antenna I do not need any cutting of carbon counterpoise with this MFS 949E (or similar) tuner and I also can use that Sirio 11m antenna for 10m frequency, don’t I?
thanks for the best explanation I've seen on antenna tuners; Once you set the trans & antenna capacitors for greatest noise, do you adjust the antenna cap when transmitting to set or just the transmitter cap? thx
Thank you very much. I just got the mfj 949e and I though it was broke and was going to call the place where I got it. So I went on youtube and watched your video. Boy, the manual never said anything like what you did to get it to work. Thank you very much wb8bra
You have probably moved since making this video but how did you run the coax into your home? That's the problem for me. I don't want to drill holes into the wall
I have an auto on my 590k, but during this COVID thing i got a seventy three hundred. it has a built in antenna tuner. I have a old mfj antenna tuner. would it be wise to use it on a modern computer controlled radio?
An internal inspection is a good idea but I would not recommend touching the capacitor plates. You could mess up their alignment (see my "Repairing an antenna tuner (replacing bad capacitor) video.
If you enjoy making antennas, then you may want to buy, or borrow, an MFJ 259B antenna analyzer. I have used them for a while and allows you to see the characteristics of what you have created.
I would like to get my hands on one of those. I do have a Signal Hound spectrum analyzer and tracking generator that allows me to do antenna analysis but the MFJ is a smaller package. Thanks for the tip. Hank/CommsPrepper
Glad you said toward the end, “Makes the antenna look good to the radio.” Earlier you had said something to the effect of, “Makes the antenna resonant,” which a tuner does not do. Having said that, this is a great video! After years of using auto tuners I bought a Yaesu FT991a that although it has an internal tune, it will not tolerate an SWR in excess of 3:1. So I bought an MFJ 949E. Your video was fabulous, allowing me to learn how to operate the tuner .... Max noise and the adjust the capacitors. I think it could tune a metal trash an. 😉 MikeinMinnesota N0WDM
Hello Mr. "Commsprepper". I have been studying your videos on ham radio, enough to have gotten me started in obtaining my proper licenses --> thank you very much, Sir. Now, I am torn in getting an antenna analyser (tuner and SWR), before turning on my YASEU FT-857D. I know you've gone with the D-Star route, in seeing your mobile mount on your 2015 NISSAN truck. Getting back to base stations, what is the latest MFJ Tuner Model that you suggest? Thank you Sir, for your hard work in producing these types of videos/lessons for us "newbies" to follow. Oscar Lechuga (KG5ULB)
Just found this video, great job explaining how to use the tuner. What really caught my eye was your rig! I had no idea that Motorola made HF radios. I guess that thought was rather narrow minded, but I've just never heard of one. What can you tell me about it?
Great demo! I own and use several tuners, almost daily. But, I hate doing so. They are a necessary evil in the “compact” and restricted world many of us are “forced” to live in. They make your radio happy so that at least some RF is actually radiated. I mean, in theory one could “tune up” at 1:1 into a “paper clip” antenna, but your radiation efficiency will knock your 100 watts down to less than QRP at the antenna….which is much better than nothing, I suppose.
Nice video. I just want to know how to set the buttons on the bottom of the panel. Not the on/off button obviously, but the other two buttons. Thanks in advance. Joe N2OIB
Hi, I have an MFJ antenna tuner, but was not sure how to use it until I saw this video--very helpful. I have a Di--Pole for 20mtres made with 2 mag mount antennas joined with a centre connector,without the magnets.It works fine,but now I can check it.It is on a pole 20ft high near trees. About 1ft below it on the same pole I have put up another Di-pole for 80Mtres.Can you tell me if it will affect the operation of the 20mtre Di-pole and vice--verser. Are they too close to each other? I was intending to switch from one to the other with an antenner switch.They won"t be used at the same time. Many Thanks--Frank--UK.
Frank, this is a very complicated subject with so many variables that it is virtually impossible to state how the two antennas will effect each other. Why not visit your local library and do some research. When you do, you will quickly come to realize that as fascinating as antennas are they are just as complicated, at least to me anyway. Goodluck and 73. Mac W4OSD
Rodney Hayes Hi, Rodney, Thanks for the reply.I will take your advice and maybe join a Ham Radio Club again. I belonged to the Milton Keynes club based at "Bletchley Park" UK a few years ago.Many Thanks 73 Frank M3 FEC.
So whenever you move to a new frequency you have to stop and tune? Do you tune using an AM carrier? Wouldn’t transmitting to tune on a frequency you want to respond on interrupt others trying to respond to the CQ? How do you tune without disrupting others?
You need to re-tune anytime you change frequency. AM or RTTY setting provide a carrier for tuning (low power). Tuning on frequencies is rude. Move slightly below or above, listen, and tune there with lower power.
Nice video. I just got the MFJ-941E . Can you explain a little bit about the black Watt button is it in for 30 Watts or out? and what setting do you use for full power. Thank you KC2YME
I don't have mine in front of me but the setting (button depth) is silk screened on the face. The 30/300 watt setting applies to the meter scale / power. Radio has more than 30 watts then you need to use the 300 scale or you will peg the meter and ruin the movement.
The radio in the video (Motorola Micom 2E) does not have a tune control button. I set the radio to AM (for steady carrier) and set the radio to low power (10 watts).
Thank you Commsprepper for an educational and instructive 'How To' video. I just got a second hand 949E but no power supply and I wondered if you could answer me a question from your experience. Is the `12V PSU only for the front panel light - it looked from your video that the red switch was not depressed? The strange thing is that the circuit diagram shows that the 12V supply goes not only to a lamp but also to a transistor Q1. So my question is - can I use this successfully without a 12V supply or will I get incorrect results? Many thanks Regards, Bob from Scotland, UK PS I hope you are still active and enjoying this hobby....
very nice production. I have 1 question, i have the same tuner with a TS-480SAT and when the tuner says my SWR is about 1:1 my radio still shows it is maxed out. what am I missing or doing wrong?
+Commsprepper I'll have to check around. there was a ham who just sold all his hf stuff as he got out of hf. I will ask if he might still have a swr meter.
Try to borrow a 50 ohm dummy load that is able to handle the TX output Check what the radio is showing with it straight into the output. If it shows a 1:1 match and output at full power that should prove the radio ok. Now connect the dummy load to the output side of the atu. Go through the tune up procedure and see what is going on when you change the ATU settings. Make a note of the settings and the test frequency then compare these to your antenna/dummy load settings. It should give you some idea as to what is happening when you are tuning a antenna with an unknown impedance. Note ! check the jumper coax from radio to ATU.Do a physical check and an electrical check if necessary for continuity on both centre conductor and the braid plus see if it is shorting out i.e a fine wire from the braid to centre pin on either end. It does happen and would throw a right old wobbly as you go to transmit and could easily blow the finals of your radio. Hope this helps out. 73 de G0WXU . Ex. Royal Signals
jeeze… just when I think I am finally getting a grip on this I hear you say you CUT your antenna for a certain frequency… ZOOM right over my head… I will watch more videos to understand this subject better... but i wonder if you could cut it for the highest frequency and tune it DOWN to the others with your tuner.? I live in a neighbor hood that will not LOVE me sticking a ton of antennas on my house (unless I can figure out a way to make them pretty) lol… i will watch the rest of your videos and I will probably buy the tuner you are demoing since it appeared pretty straight-forward. thanks
Terri - split you antenna needs into two parts. 1) local communications which can be addressed with a simple VHF/UHF whip antenna from hamradio.com. When installed correctly no one will notice and if they do - tell them it's for XM radio or something. You challenge may be 2) regional/long-distance antennas that will be connected to your HF radio. For my last two living locations I have gotten by on a 14mHz dipole antenna that were 33 feet long and strung up in the trees. Not the best in the world but they did/do work for what I need. Watch these two videos- they should help clear this up for you. Antenna cutting tape measure for Emergency Communications Antenna Information for Emergency Communications
google the "no nonsense ham study guide" it has everything you need to take your test and nothing you don't. about cutting the antenna: when we refer to frequency sometimes we refer to the wavelength in meters (the distance the radio wave travels in one cycle). in order for an antenna to function properly it's length needs to be devisable by the wavelength sometimes you can make it 5/8, 1/2 or 1/4-wavelength. so to tune an antenna you have to trim it to dial it in the the frequency you want to use it on. look up multi-band dipole antenna if you don't want to put up a lot of antennas. also if you are a ham operator your neighbors and even the state cant say anything about your antennas.
I hate to bust your bubble, but the ATU does not make the antenna more resonant. You kept saying that the antenna is now resonant after you tune it with the ATU. The only thing the ATU does is makes the radio "think" he is transmitting on a resonant antenna. It keeps the radio from blowing his finals, which is what happens when you push a lot of RF back into the antenna port. So, if the antenna is not resonant BEFORE you added the ATU in-line, it's not going to be any more resonant AFTER you add the ATU in the mix.
This is the BEST explanation i've see on Antenna Tuners yet! Simple, clear, understandable, and right to the point. Bravo!!
+Kevin Dooley Thank you.
Agree, best explanation ever.
Great explanation. Just found one of these for $24 in a thrift store and practically ran with it to the counter
good price.
I've been off air for 20 years, but with war in Europe, I am compelled to dust off the HF radio. Your simple to understand videos have been a great help. Thanks from Ka4eie
Thanks for comment and channel support.
I have watched ten of these instructional videos on he mfj and you explained it BETTER than anyone else....GREAT JOB... Short sweet, to the point and excellent modulation
I learned more from watching your part 1 and 2 videos than an entire afternoon of reading the 949 e manual. Thanks!
Glad it helped!
My first antenna tuner was the MFJ-949D. It also features a 50 ohm dummy load to use as a load to tune a tube transmitter. My first HF rig was a Kenwood TS-520s that had Tube finals requiring the dummy load. So this tuner offered a lot with 2 antenna selections and a selection for a long wire or balanced antenna for a total of 3 antenna options. I have owned many tuners and autotuners since, but would never be without the MFJ-949E tuner in my Shack!
Very good video with good practical use and examples. Sometimes you just have less than optimal antenna conditions, unfortunately, and antenna tuners help and can make the difference from no transmitting to transmitting.Thank you for your very clear video.
Great videos. No other video here mentioned the tip about starting with the most noise to start close. Thanks
Thanks for helping a new HAM get a perspective on this tuner. I have a Kenwood TS-570D with an auto tuner built it but it seems that a manual tuner does the job better.
They usually do... also the radio doesnt have to work so hard
Nice video! My first tuner back in 1993 was the earlier model (949D) of this tuner. It did a great job and had lots of features for $149. Back then I had a Kenwood TS-520S HF Tube rig that the transmitter had to be tuned into a dummy load. The MFJ-949 had that built in! Plus you have the option of two different antenna's, therefore eliminating the need for an antenna switch! And a built in 4:1 Balun for balanced line antennas, plus a balanced single random wire connector! And the large lighted cross needle meter was easy to read. Plus it was the perfect size. I think these features at the price of $150 are exactly why the MFJ-949 has been the most popular tuner for many years. In fact I'll be purchasing another for field work and as a backup to my LDG AT-100 Pro II.
I have recently bought a MFJ-949E (used); I have no experience with antennas, and both of your videos - Antenna Tuners I & II are helpful.
Thank you.
I'm happy the videos were helpful. Tank you for taking the time to watch and comment. CommsPrepper
Excellent videos. Thanks for putting these online. They cleared up many questions I couldn't answer by reading technical material. I am a visual learner and you are a great teacher.
Glad it helped.
I have the exact same tuner and really like it. Right now all I have for an HF antenna is a G5RV about 50 feet up in an inverted dipole, this tuner tunes it all the way on every band. Thanks for the video.. good info.
Have the same antenna and tuner. Works great on 75 AM. and super on 20 meters
You can still have a high SWR even with a tuner. It's just the tuner helps block it from touching your radio. When you feed a dipole from coax, I'd recommend inserting a choke as close to the feed point as possible.
Or use a balanced feed line from the balanced terminals from the tuner to the dipole, making it a doublet. Less losses that way too.
An AT can't really make a bad antenna good. It just looks like a 50 ohm match to the radio now and you don't get rf reflected back to the radio. The only way to get the antenna to optimum efficiency is to cut it to the proper length.
After teaching a class to Ham Radio Ops on the build of the MFJ 941EK antenna tuner I have many stories to tell. All good ones! LOL :) I bought an extra kit to use incase any of the students needed a part. Not one of the kits shipped from MFJ had parts missing or damaged. Thumbs up to MFJ for their work and dedication. Thanks for the video! 73 Jimmy, WX9DX, ARRL TS
+WX9DX Thanks for commenting. I hope the video helped. Hank
Thanks for the great video, Commsprepper!
You can correct me if I'm wrong on any of this but the way I understand it, tuners don't correct the antenna, but rather they just keep the reflected power reflecting back into the bad antenna/cable mismatch. The end result is still a bad match, and still not resonant, but the radio no longer sees it. The coax cable run to the antenna wastes a lot of that reflecting power in heat, so the antenna only transmits so much of your output power into radiated signal. The reason that people use ladder line immediately after the tuner is because losses at HF frequencies are very low (like fractions of a dB), so the tuner can keep reflected power going back up to the antenna very efficiently. There's still a loss but it's much lower than when feeding the antenna with coax, and thus your radiated signal is much closer to what you'd have with a good natural match.
I do however find it interesting that you're tuning by ear, using the signal levels. This would suggest to me that the signals coming in from the antenna are arriving at the radio much more effectively, which seems to challenge the idea that a tuner does little for the performance of a coax fed antenna. I'm getting an MFJ-941E pretty soon for my own setup, and although I plan to feed a full wave loop with a very short run of window line, I'll be very interested to see what it does for it, especially for received signal strengths. I have to work with indoor solutions for now (think "attic + lots o' wire") so things are particularly challenging for me. Maybe when I finally get everything rolling, I'll put up a demo video of the setup.
NightRunner417 Congratulations on getting a 941E. I had one of these too. There is no heat created in the feed-line, the heat is created back at the radio's finals from reflective power. The tuner will not fix the antenna, it makes the antenna system more resident (antenna, cable, and tuner). That is why you can ruff tune by ear. You are making the system more resident and thus improving receive performance. However, in the end the antenna is not efficient. It will work and the tuner will protect your equipment but it will not perform like a resident frequency specific antenna. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
I know all about heating in finals, I was talking about the dynamics of coax cable vs. use of balanced feedline like window or ladder line. Coax is far more lossy than those, and the main two ways that the losses happen are by conversion of RF signal into heat - dielectric loss and resistive loss both do this in coax. So, what happens is that any coax in the system at all will radiate a fraction of your transmit power away as heat. Then a fraction of any reflected power is again radiated away by the coax as heat. Then the tuner reflects the reflected power back down the coax toward the antenna, and again the coax radiates a fraction of it as heat. Window and ladder line have far less loss at HF frequencies, so the tuner is able to more efficiently make use of your reflected power and turn it into transmitted signal at the antenna... sort of similar to how a laser bounces trapped light back and forth to keep it going into the useful direction at the aperture. Now, how much difference there actually would be at the far end of the QSO with a coax vs. ladder line system, you'd have to do the math. All I know is that the more anal the ham operator, the more likely they'll insist on using ladder line (especially after a tuner) to keep the losses low and the efficiency as high as they can scrape up.
Good article on the mechanics of coax cable loss here:
www.radio-electronics.com/info/antennas/coax/coax_loss.php
NightRunner417 basically all the atu does is corrects the feed line impedance miss match. It has nothing to do with reflecting power, just tries to get as close to a 50 ohm to 50 ohm match at the xmiter as possible
Ken Saunders Correct.
An ATU is an impedance matching device.
An Antenna Tuner is a guy with side cutters.
@@Commsprepper Oh my. You've got some gross conceptual errors here. Your video explains well the "how" but most of the "why", including the statements above, is not factual and is incomplete.
Nice video series. Thanks. I took the tech exam last week and I'm waiting to show up in the FCC database. Videos like these are very helpful to noob like myself.
Very handy explanation all round. And I'm impressed by the MFJ too. I had a automatic tuner but I had a feeling it wasn't tuning it down properly. There's no doubt once you've done it this way. The cross needle system left me quite sure the RF front end was 'safe'.
Thanks for such an informative video.
I use the same MFJ tuner as the one featured and although many hams disregard my tuner as rubbish it does the job very well with my end fed long wire.
Keep up the good work.👍
Thanks for the comment.
Good presentation. I have the MFJ 949, and use it on field day for an IC-735. For everyday operation, my Kenwood TS-2000 has an automatic tuner and I mostly use resonant antennas, i.e, dipoles, beam, etc.
Thanks Bob. CommsPrepper
Good Day,
Thank-you for the informative videos regarding the MFJ 949E Antenna Tuner. I found both videos very easy to follow and I will recommend them to any Amateur Radio Operator or SWL'r who wants a clear, concise tutorial on this unit.
Thank-you
Mark - VA3FLC
Thanks for watching and supporting the channel.
Thanks x 3. Part 1 and 2 are the best tuner videos. "Tell it to me like I'm a 5 year old" and you did better. I'm getting set to get MFJ 945E - yes 945.
Again, another very instructive video. Thank you. From this, I have found exactly what I was looking for and it has told me just what I wanted to know.
Glad it helped. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment.
Nice! Well done. Thank you. You have explained this really well for me. I do want to learn how to do this. And not everyone has the analyzer or scope or any other gadget that many tutorials use when showing how to tune the circuit and antenna. I bought the kit. I am pretty confident that I can put it together and get it to work properly, but just using the tuner alone by itself, you have helped me a great deal. Thanks. Best Regards. 73, steve Great job.
Thanks for taking the time to make thyis video found it very helpfull. Its amazing how close you get properly tuning the antenna by just listning to the noise, I find when Ive done just that final tuning only needs a tweak.
Glad the video helped. My tuner is off-line right now. It got zapped by lightning and the two diodes are blown. I am waiting for replacements to come in the mail.
Learned how to tweak using a tuner.... great video.. now I know... . Thank you Commsprepper
Glad to help
Extremely useful for me, too. One question - do these MFJ tuners need cleaning if they've been sitting a while? I don't think mine is operating optimally - it doesn't seem to want to tune the way it should - so I may open mine up and shoot some Deoxit in to clean it out.
I get my 949e tomorrow---this vid is a big help.Thanks
I'm glad it helped!
First!!!! :-)
Great video. Best explanation of that process I've ever seen!
Thank you very much. I just got the mfj 949e and I though it was broke and was going to call the place where I got it. So I went on youtube and watched your video. Boy, the manual never said anything like what you did to get it to work. Thank you very much wb8bra
Glad it helped
Thank you for a well done video and tuning instructions. I just ordered an MFJ-962D.
I put a 66 foot multi-band dipole inveted vee diagonally on my roof. The yard is the size of a postage stamp. I can tune the clothes line to 160 meters with an antenna tuner. I paid $300 for a 35 year old Heathkit 2060A, which I like a lot better than anything MFJ makes. It will run two coax cables, single wire, 300 & 450 ohm ladder lines. The only issues I have ever seen with the 2060A is a tendency to arc to the Balun above 1000 watts. Wrap the silver plate busing up in silicone & rubber tape and they are good for over 3000 watts SSB, or over 1500 watts AM. I could never ever dream of fitting an 80 meter dipole on my property. With the tuner, I can dial in 160 meters. I put a home brew tuned RF noise bridge in all my tuners. I am picking up an old Matchbox today. The main attraction there is the relay panel that has 6 transmitter/receiver inputs, 8 antenna outputs, a VSWR/watt meter and some extra filters. I don't really need the Matchbox. I think the 2060A is about as good as it gets. Any price under $400 to your doorstep for a clean 2060A is a good deal. Any 2060A for under $250 to your QTH is a steal. MFJs had a tendency to arc even on low power (100-200 watts). I have had a 3KW MFJ arc at 100 watts. That was enough to make me look for something used, with a better build quality. The Heathkits came with a blank notebook for dial settings & basic settings for each band. My linear amp will fold back above about 2.5:1 and shut down. Not sure about some of the transceivers. The Yeasus, Icoms, Ten Tecs & Kenwoods I have will, but running them near their foldback limits at full power is rather hard on the finals. Finding genuine finals is getting really expensive now, and the market is flooded with counterfeit Chinese made final RF transistors. They are set on dies that are about 2 sizes too small, so they will work great..... for a few hours.
Nothing's ever impossible I've made antennas out of coat hangers you just have to know how to build the antenna Heck if you wanted to make a miniature Delta Loop you could just get some PVC pipe cut notches in the ends of it and then put that out you got to make sure it's the right kind though so it doesn't get messed up also you could take plastic coat hangers and put them between the dowel rod and construct it that way
This is the only video on YT that explains how to use a manual tuner well.
One question: what determines when you press the HI/LO button?
I just got my 941E today and your video was perfect... The manual that I had to go and download was not as clear as your video... Thanks for posting.
+Dave B I think you will be very please with the tuner. I am happy the video helped! Welcome to HF radio. CommsPrepper
Great Vid, I am new to Ham radio and I now understand completely how to tune Thanks
Good instructional. In an emergency prepper setup, that MFJ949 keeps the transmitter happy. I tuned a 20m 1/4 wave vertical on an mfj949d up on 40m: FLAT swr/ zero reflected, but LOTS of rf in the shack. It works though. I guess maybe 1/3 of tpo made it to the antenna. Hey, in a "gotta put a signal on the air" situation arrises...
It's hard not to like a manual MFJ tuner.
Try a better earthing system. It should reduce the feedback rf even if it does not eliminate it completely.
It looks cold. Stay warm and keep making these great videos.
This is a old video, but very well done and still holds true today. I use a similar antenna tuner to tune a 100' long random wire and it works quite will with 100 watts of transmitter power on the HF bands. Thanks again for your efforts.
Thanks for the channel support.
Great info on manual tuners! Love the Micom 2! I've got a Micom 3F and soon will have the DHS Micom 3 Rapid deployment package. Excellent radios!
+jared morrison I have the Micom 2E put up right now. I recently switched to an Icom IC-7200. I don't do any non-Amateur stuff anymore.
Excellent - exactly what I needed to see. Please keep making these....
I will try. Thanks for watching and taking the time comment. CommsPrepper/.
I bought the Micom used. I used to be a member of the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) and needed ALE. You can still get them used - there are two for sale right now on eBay (one is below $500.00). You still need to have your own power supply and antenna tuner. There is a Micom tuner but I have never seen one on eBay or used.
Thanks. Super informative for a new ham!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this video, it will help me to tune my antenna. 73 de Manfred, DC2FK, North Germany
The button that you push in for 30 watts or 300 watts. I thought if you push it in, it would set the meter up for 300 watts and if it was not pushed in, the meter would be set up for low power as used for tuning. When using the Tuner and running 30 watts, the meter seems to register correctly on my Tuner with the button pushed in. Also when tuning, what power level should you use when transmitting. I read somewhere that you should never use more than 20 watts. These two videos were very helpful!
+skf1492 I tune with 5 to 10 Watts. Then change the meter to higher power and tune again with 50 watts. Then full power
How do (did) you like that Radio? I was just gifted a MICOM-H model. Presumably, the predecessor to yours. The thing is built like a tank.
wow , what a good detailed video ty very much , I was just sort of given on these tuners I will only be able to run a 130 ft of enfed wire . wow wow wow
Glad it helped
Thanks for your demonstration. I will buy that antenna tuner now he he. Great help.
Very interesting and educational. Thank you
Thanks for the comment and channel support.
Nice videos and good basic info...enjoyed them.
Glad they have helped. Hank
Thanks for making this easy to understand!
Thanks for the channel support.
Thank you, you explained it very well. 73 from Australia
Glad it helped
Excellent explanation! Thx.
That means, if I buy a Sirio Bumerang 27w 11m base antenna I do not need any cutting of carbon counterpoise with this MFS 949E (or similar) tuner and I also can use that Sirio 11m antenna for 10m frequency, don’t I?
Thanks! I needed that. I have a slightly different model of the MFJ.
Glad it helped.
At 3:52 How did you determine the SWR was at 2.5:1 ?
thanks for the best explanation I've seen on antenna tuners; Once you set the trans & antenna capacitors for greatest noise, do you adjust the antenna cap when transmitting to set or just the transmitter cap? thx
tcitim First adjust the center inductor coil (clicks with steps) for max noise, then adjust the two capacitors.
Thank you very much. I just got the mfj 949e and I though it was broke and was going to call the place where I got it. So I went on youtube and watched your video. Boy, the manual never said anything like what you did to get it to work. Thank you very much wb8bra
You have probably moved since making this video but how did you run the coax into your home? That's the problem for me. I don't want to drill holes into the wall
You can get an MFJ-4603 antenna window plate.
I have an auto on my 590k, but during this COVID thing i got a seventy three hundred. it has a built in antenna tuner. I have a old mfj antenna tuner. would it be wise to use it on a modern computer controlled radio?
very useful info, i recently picked up this same tuner, thanks for the tutorial *thumbs up*
+ghostvox glad it helped.
Oh and where the heck did you get the Motorola Micom? Those are neat, been looking for one for a mobile rig for a while now.
Nice explanation, looks like another item to add to the list. Thanks for sharing.
Thank You, Sir!🙂🙏🏻🙏🏻👏🏼👏🏼
Welcome
Excellent video! Thank you very much. Cheers!
What is your opinion of the automatic tuners available compared to the 949? KM4UQU
How are you applying power to transmit. Are you using Cw and pressing key. Good demo of how to use atu and difference if not tuned.
+Robert Harper With this radio low power AM so I have a constant carrier.
Can this also be used for receivers only?
An internal inspection is a good idea but I would not recommend touching the capacitor plates. You could mess up their alignment (see my "Repairing an antenna tuner (replacing bad capacitor) video.
If you enjoy making antennas, then you may want to buy, or borrow, an MFJ 259B antenna analyzer. I have used them for a while and allows you to see the characteristics of what you have created.
I would like to get my hands on one of those. I do have a Signal Hound spectrum analyzer and tracking generator that allows me to do antenna analysis but the MFJ is a smaller package. Thanks for the tip. Hank/CommsPrepper
Great video, CP!! Keep up the good work! We aprpeciate it!
Glad you said toward the end, “Makes the antenna look good to the radio.” Earlier you had said something to the effect of, “Makes the antenna resonant,” which a tuner does not do. Having said that, this is a great video! After years of using auto tuners I bought a Yaesu FT991a that although it has an internal tune, it will not tolerate an SWR in excess of 3:1. So I bought an MFJ 949E. Your video was fabulous, allowing me to learn how to operate the tuner .... Max noise and the adjust the capacitors. I think it could tune a metal trash an. 😉 MikeinMinnesota N0WDM
Glad the video helped.
FYI A tuner provides a conjugate match to allow max power transfer deaming the system resonant
Hello Mr. "Commsprepper".
I have been studying your videos on ham radio, enough to have gotten me started in obtaining my proper licenses --> thank you very much, Sir.
Now, I am torn in getting an antenna analyser (tuner and SWR), before turning on my YASEU FT-857D. I know you've gone with the D-Star route, in seeing your mobile mount on your 2015 NISSAN truck. Getting back to base stations, what is the latest MFJ Tuner Model that you suggest?
Thank you Sir, for your hard work in producing these types of videos/lessons for us "newbies" to follow.
Oscar Lechuga
(KG5ULB)
Hey Oscar don't you have Zello if you do I think I talked to you on it
Just found this video, great job explaining how to use the tuner. What really caught my eye was your rig! I had no idea that Motorola made HF radios. I guess that thought was rather narrow minded, but I've just never heard of one. What can you tell me about it?
It's a Motorola Micom 2E. I don't think they are made anymore. I no longer have it.
Great video and very good tips .
saltire546 Thanks.
Great demo! I own and use several tuners, almost daily. But, I hate doing so. They are a necessary evil in the “compact” and restricted world many of us are “forced” to live in. They make your radio happy so that at least some RF is actually radiated. I mean, in theory one could “tune up” at 1:1 into a “paper clip” antenna, but your radiation efficiency will knock your 100 watts down to less than QRP at the antenna….which is much better than nothing, I suppose.
Is there a danger of harmonics when trying to transmit 7mhz on a 20m antenna (even though it's tuned)?
Harmonics would not be created by the antenna.
Nice video. I just want to know how to set the buttons on the bottom of the panel. Not the on/off button obviously, but the other two buttons. Thanks in advance. Joe N2OIB
one is power range and the other peek/average for the reading. Average provides a delay on the needles.
Hi, I have an MFJ antenna tuner, but was not sure how to use it until I saw this video--very helpful. I have a Di--Pole for 20mtres made with 2 mag mount antennas joined with a centre connector,without the magnets.It works fine,but now I can check it.It is on a pole 20ft high near trees. About 1ft below it on the same pole I have put up another Di-pole for 80Mtres.Can you tell me if it will affect
the operation of the 20mtre Di-pole and vice--verser. Are they too close to each other? I was intending to switch from one to the other with an antenner switch.They won"t be used at the same time. Many Thanks--Frank--UK.
Frank, this is a very complicated subject with so many variables that it is virtually impossible to state how the two antennas will effect each other. Why not visit your local library and do some research. When you do, you will quickly come to realize that as fascinating as antennas are they are just as complicated, at least to me anyway. Goodluck and 73. Mac W4OSD
Rodney Hayes Hi, Rodney, Thanks for the reply.I will take your advice and maybe join a Ham Radio Club again. I belonged to the Milton Keynes club based at "Bletchley Park" UK a few years ago.Many Thanks 73 Frank M3 FEC.
frank curry
Big Bletchley Park fan here, Frank. Dennison, Turing, all those unknown (in a lot of circles), heroes of WW2. Fascinating stuff.
So whenever you move to a new frequency you have to stop and tune? Do you tune using an AM carrier? Wouldn’t transmitting to tune on a frequency you want to respond on interrupt others trying to respond to the CQ? How do you tune without disrupting others?
You need to re-tune anytime you change frequency. AM or RTTY setting provide a carrier for tuning (low power). Tuning on frequencies is rude. Move slightly below or above, listen, and tune there with lower power.
Keep it coming and 73
Nice video. I just got the MFJ-941E . Can you explain a little bit about the black Watt button is it in for 30 Watts or out? and what setting do you use for full power. Thank you KC2YME
I don't have mine in front of me but the setting (button depth) is silk screened on the face. The 30/300 watt setting applies to the meter scale / power. Radio has more than 30 watts then you need to use the 300 scale or you will peg the meter and ruin the movement.
Great video!
Thank you.
Bob when transmitting. are you using the tune control to apply power to check swr?
thks
mike
The radio in the video (Motorola Micom 2E) does not have a tune control button. I set the radio to AM (for steady carrier) and set the radio to low power (10 watts).
Thank you Commsprepper for an educational and instructive 'How To' video. I just got a second hand 949E but no power supply and I wondered if you could answer me a question from your experience. Is the `12V PSU only for the front panel light - it looked from your video that the red switch was not depressed? The strange thing is that the circuit diagram shows that the 12V supply goes not only to a lamp but also to a transistor Q1. So my question is - can I use this successfully without a 12V supply or will I get incorrect results?
Many thanks
Regards, Bob from Scotland, UK
PS I hope you are still active and enjoying this hobby....
Yes you can use it without power. I have never powered my tuners.
@@Commsprepper Many thanks for that. 73s Bob
VERY USEFULL, THANK'S FOR YOUR EXPLANATION....GOOD JOB.....S51LD
very nice production. I have 1 question, i have the same tuner with a TS-480SAT and when the tuner says my SWR is about 1:1 my radio still shows it is maxed out. what am I missing or doing wrong?
+Michael Hardy Sr No, that's odd. Do you have someone in your area with another SWR meter to test with?
+Commsprepper I'll have to check around. there was a ham who just sold all his hf stuff as he got out of hf. I will ask if he might still have a swr meter.
Try to borrow a 50 ohm dummy load that is able to handle the TX output Check what the radio is showing with it straight into the output. If it shows a 1:1 match and output at full power that should prove the radio ok. Now connect the dummy load to the output side of the atu. Go through the tune up procedure and see what is going on when you change the ATU settings. Make a note of the settings and the test frequency then compare these to your antenna/dummy load settings. It should give you some idea as to what is happening when you are tuning a antenna with an unknown impedance. Note ! check the jumper coax from radio to ATU.Do a physical check and an electrical check if necessary for continuity on both centre conductor and the braid plus see if it is shorting out i.e a fine wire from the braid to centre pin on either end. It does happen and would throw a right old wobbly as you go to transmit and could easily blow the finals of your radio. Hope this helps out.
73 de G0WXU . Ex. Royal Signals
Really great video... very instructive. 73
jeeze… just when I think I am finally getting a grip on this I hear you say you CUT your antenna for a certain frequency… ZOOM right over my head… I will watch more videos to understand this subject better... but i wonder if you could cut it for the highest frequency and tune it DOWN to the others with your tuner.? I live in a neighbor hood that will not LOVE me sticking a ton of antennas on my house (unless I can figure out a way to make them pretty) lol… i will watch the rest of your videos and I will probably buy the tuner you are demoing since it appeared pretty straight-forward. thanks
Terri - split you antenna needs into two parts. 1) local communications which can be addressed with a simple VHF/UHF whip antenna from hamradio.com. When installed correctly no one will notice and if they do - tell them it's for XM radio or something.
You challenge may be 2) regional/long-distance antennas that will be connected to your HF radio. For my last two living locations I have gotten by on a 14mHz dipole antenna that were 33 feet long and strung up in the trees. Not the best in the world but they did/do work for what I need.
Watch these two videos- they should help clear this up for you.
Antenna cutting tape measure for Emergency Communications
Antenna Information for Emergency Communications
thank you
google the "no nonsense ham study guide" it has everything you need to take your test and nothing you don't. about cutting the antenna:
when we refer to frequency sometimes we refer to the wavelength in meters (the distance the radio wave travels in one cycle). in order for an antenna to function properly it's length needs to be devisable by the wavelength sometimes you can make it 5/8, 1/2 or 1/4-wavelength. so to tune an antenna you have to trim it to dial it in the the frequency you want to use it on. look up multi-band dipole antenna if you don't want to put up a lot of antennas. also if you are a ham operator your neighbors and even the state cant say anything about your antennas.
Good video. Thanks.
Also you have to make the adjustment on every frequency you want to use ?????
yes. change frequency and you have to re-tune.
will the 949E operate on the 2 meter and 70 cm bands?
MontiR Aruba No - it's an HF only tuner. Here is a link to the manual: www.mfjenterprises.com/support.php?productid=MFJ-949E
you would need to feed your antenna with something other than coax,right?
Coax is the typical cable used (50 ohms not/not 75 ohm TV type cable). You can also use what they call "ladder line" cable but I never have.
de-oxit is a every 1/4 of the year routine for me :)
Nice explanation.
Our Rights Shall Not be Infringed!!!
Great video, comms!
Thank you.
What would you using for a Dipole coaxs??? TNXS
RG-213 or LMR-400
Good video! Thanks.
Thank you.
Thank you !!!
I hate to bust your bubble, but the ATU does not make the antenna more resonant. You kept saying that the antenna is now resonant after you tune it with the ATU. The only thing the ATU does is makes the radio "think" he is transmitting on a resonant antenna. It keeps the radio from blowing his finals, which is what happens when you push a lot of RF back into the antenna port. So, if the antenna is not resonant BEFORE you added the ATU in-line, it's not going to be any more resonant AFTER you add the ATU in the mix.
Perfect, thanks!
Glad it helped!
Thanks for the great info!