cheap antenna analyzer

Holy ####!!! Do ya know how many radios I could buy with 30 g's?

 

I just picked one up at the Charlotte Hamfest yesterday. I like that it can be set for "vanilla" SWR readings on a freq you specify, but that it will also sweep an antenna system from pretty much any range between DC and 260 (or so) MHz. I haven't even put batteries in mine yet, but once I do some tests here at home and the test antennas at the shop, I'll report back. I *wish* it would cover up to 470 MHz, but frankly since I don't really do EME ("Moonbounce") anymore, I've always had good luck on a metal-roofed mobile by cutting the spike to the cutting chart and letting it go out the door. Resonance is so much more important than SWR.
I should have my own evaluation posted sometime this week.
73

 

I'll letcha know how it goes. On the first page of the destruction manual, it says in all caps, "Do not run the calibration test until you have the proper calibration loads. Running the Global Calibration sequence will render the unit useless until it is returned to the factory."

All I've got is a DC-1GHz 50 ohm load, but I suspect I'll also need 25, 75, and 100 ohm loads, but haven't read that far yet.....

 

You know I never could understand why they don't put in a reset routine in the software, it seems that if you mess something up, it could be a good thing to wipe it out and start over.

By the way QST had a little bit about how to calibrate these things, I went out and got a group of loads made for this - from 25 to 300 ohms.

 

I've got a mfj 259. Still have those loads?

 

I saw somewhere how to make them. I'll see what I can come up with.