[ICOM] Advice on AH4 tuner

[Cletus W Whitaker]

de WB2CPN South Central Pennsylvania  2004.05.20

I've used the AH-4 under a great many circumstances,
and used the AH-2 for years before the AH-4 came out.
ICOM gear from my 756ProII and way back to the
720 and other older ICOM rigs.  Even fixed a TS-940S
to work with the AH-2.  So, I've used random length
wires hung on fences and motel parking lot lamp posts,
various Field Day configurations, and in my back yard
where an AH-2 is tied to a 155 foot long wire and a
65 foot well stem for a ground.  For balanced lines
such as ladder line or matched coax on center fed
dipoles, always use a good balun.  The 1:1 is my choice
because it maintains the balance better than a 4:1
does.  I work a lot of MARS, SHARES and FEMA frequencies,
so I always run a SWR/FREQ check to look for any spots
that the AH-4 can't handle.  In those cases where I
have to make the AH-4 happy I just add 6 or 8 feet of
ladder line.  The AH-4 rarely encounters a combination
it can't handle, and it's easy enough to adjust the wire
length to avoid these spots.  (The 155 foot wire mentioned
above is too long for general use, but it's going to become
a 155 foot center fed dipole in a few days.)  One last
good thing to say about the AH-4, one Field Day some of
the ex-Nam types and I set the little AC generator and
the radio under an overhanging pine tree, used the tangled
up AC cords and a metal stake for a ground, and wrapped
some antenna wire all around the tree.  We kept the MARS
schedule, and worked some FD's that day.   73  Clete