[NCARC] NCRC Superfesrt Prizes

Steve Henry steveh291 at comcast.net
Thu Jul 13 11:11:25 EDT 2006 

Hi Ed-

>>The MFJ 259B Antenna Analyzer is a great idea, but a better one
>>is to get the MFJ 269 which also covers the 440 MHZ band.

>>I sold my 259B after I bought the 269.  They both work well.

I didn't choose to buy the MFJ 269 due to some problems mentioned out on
eham.net.  I'm cutting/pasting some information that I sent to K0OJ who had
the same suggestion.  Let me know if you've had the issues noted below.

'73

-Steve

Hi Kooj-

Ah, now I spot it.   The one that covers 440 (MFJ-269 at $359.95) has an
issue with usability that traps some folks.  That's why I didn't purchase it
myself but went with the HF/VHF unit -  below is some info I cut and pasted
from eham.net  However if other club members think this is ok then not a
problem with me.  I also didn't really see myself using it on 440 that
much... it only does SWR and that's it-- all of the other functions are
defeated.

'73

-STeve

K9FLO  Rating: 5/5  Aug 21, 2003 01:43  Send this review to a friend
Excellant test set   Time owned: 0 to 3 months
Well made unit with good quality parts. The test set has been working better
than my expectations. The most important thing for the new users is to READ
the manual a couple of times before you turn it on for the first. Make sure
the UHF button is in the OUT position before turning on the power and do not
operate the UHF button without the band switch set to UHF/114MHZ position.
If you don't, you will cause damage to the set. Which brings me to a
suggested improvement, MFJ to add some kind of a lockout for the UHF button.
One other thing I noticed is the N conector is a floating mount so handle it
very carefully! I too have the red label with initials on it, probably
quality control check (nice to see instead of a made in China label). Enjoy
this test set for this will make your antenna work enjoyable.

KB0WNW  Rating: 3/5  Jul 6, 2003 14:29  Send this review to a friend
226 mile paper weight - part 2 & 3   Time owned: 0 to 3 months
Got some feedback to report on the replacement unit.

First, my local ham shop contacted MFJ and had a replacement unit shipped to
them very quickly........which I appreciated. I think this shows a
commitment to support their distribution channel and end users.

After using my analyzer on a UHF antenna project for about 20 minutes, I
rapidly discovered that the SWR function wasn't operating properly. Next I
reviewed the instruction manual for any tips on what I was doing wrong. To
my horror, I realized that I may have violated one of the many rules
regarding the use of the UHF functionality. Long story short, you have to
follow very exact and specific instructions as far as what buttons need to
be pushed in what order while being mindful of when the power is on and when
it isn't. It was at this point I realized that I damaged the unit by having
the red UHF button depressed for UHF usage while not having the band switch
set to UHF......I was curious if the UHF antenna I built was resonant on 2
or 6 meters so I turned the band switch. On the plus side, the problems I
was experiencing were not on the HF or VHF areas of this analyzer.

After calling MFJ tech support, my fears were comfirmed. Apparently I blew a
transistor in the meter circuit. The tech even knew the exact part on the
schematic which told me that this was a common problem. I told the tech that
it was too bad that a little engineering couldn't be done to prevent the
damaged I caused by my simple error. He agreed.

Next we talked about getting the unit fixed. To my relief, the tech agreed
to repair the unit under warranty but told me that they currently had a 3-4
week backlog. After explaining that I was in the middle of a project, the
tech agreed to expedite the repair. After sending the unit to MFJ second day
overnight delivery, they repaired the unit in one day and sent it back UPS
ground which was OK by me. Unit appears to be functional for now with a
replaced meter.

Bottomline, it appears to me that MFJ is trying very hard to improve their
products and is concerned about their distributors and end users as
witnessed by their tech support.......which is worth a score of 4 or 5 in my
book. On the negative side, their equipment appears to be plagued by many
quality problems that include assembly (detailed in my previous evaluation)
and design issues such as this.......with is worth a score of one for poor.
Hopefully my final score of "OK" fairly reflects my experince with MFJ's
analyzer and their tech support staff.

Good Luck and 73's.
Todd KB0WNW




-----Original Message-----
From: O d Jenkins [mailto:k0oj at msn.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 9:43 PM
To: steveh291 at comcast.net
Subject: Re: [NCARC] Winter Superfest Prizes


READ ITEM 1 IN FULL
----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Henry
To: O d Jenkins
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 9:23 PM
Subject: RE: [NCARC] Winter Superfest Prizes


Didn't see any message from you on this.... assume you meant to type
something...  ;)

'73

-Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: O d Jenkins [mailto:k0oj at msn.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 9:06 PM
To: steveh291 at comcast.net
Subject: Re: [NCARC] Winter Superfest Prizes



----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Henry
To: ncarc at mailman.qth.net
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 8:45 PM
Subject: RE: [NCARC] Winter Superfest Prizes


Hi Michael-

Couple of ideas (prices are retail... I think we get a discount)

1.   MFJ-259B VHF antenna analyzer ($239)  how about the one that also
covers 400 to 470 mc? oj
2.   ICOM IC-718 HF Transceiver ($599)
3.   Kenwood TH-D7A(G) 2M/440 CPU HT  ($329)
4.   Arrow antennas
5.   Free NCARC 1 year memberships
6.   Garmin GPS18 GPS receiver devices you hook up to your PC ($129)
(probably can find a cheaper alternative)
7.   13.8V  5.5A DC power supplies (SEC 1223)  ($99.95)


Sort of an odd twist idea--- would need to think about the logistics and how
to get the right "expert" assigned.  How about we auction off HAM "Slaves".
NCARC club members available (at a price) to do ham radio work-- putting up
antennas, changing out coax, tuning up radios, radio repair work, teaching a
class, whatever.   $25/ hour of slave labor.   We would need to be careful
how this is positioned because a lot of this we should do for free as good
ham citizens......  but this a fund raiser sort of thing.

'73

-STeve



-----Original Message-----
From: ncarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:ncarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of Michael Robinson
Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2006 3:05 PM
To: ncarc at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [NCARC] Winter Superfest Prizes


What would you like to see as prizes for the January Winter Superfest?

All suggestions are welcome.

We'll decide at the meeting next week.

73 Michael N7MR

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-----Original Message-----
From: ncarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:ncarc-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of WA5SWD at att.net
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 7:06 AM
To: ncarc at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [NCARC] NCRC Superfesrt Prizes


ALl,

The MFJ 259B Antenna Analyzer is a great idea, but a better one
is to get the MFJ 269 which also covers the 440 MHZ band.

I sold my 259B after I bought the 269.  They both work well.

Ed  WA5SWD

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