Screwdriver controller suggestions - What are you using?

[KF7NUA]

Screwdriver controller suggestions - What are you using?

I am going to need a controller of some sort and I have seen a few on line but nothing gets rave reviews!
I have a Hi-Q 4/80 antenna system that I am about to install.
What controller are you using?

[WX7G]

I use an Ameritron SCD-102 for my backyard Screwdriver antenna.

[N5UD]

I use manual tune. The switch box has a voltage dropping resistor to slow down the motor when close to resonance. I watch the SWR meter. I have previously matched the antenna on the various bands. TS-480 is programmed for 5 watts CW on PF key.

I tried controllers. They work....... most of the time.

N5UD

[WD5GWY]

What N5UD said! I've used the Turbo Tuner for my ICOM 706 and my ICOM 7000.
Works well, when it works. But, I have found that using the supplied rocker switch
setup with my Tarheel antennas ( Little TarheelII and 100a HP) works just as well.
Of course, I do not retune while in motion! Even my homemade up/down switch with
a slow speed switch for fine tuning, works good. And best of all, the manual switches
are much cheaper and in my thinking, more reliable. Just listen real close as you move
the antenna up and down and as you get near resonance, background noise will increase.
(sometimes dramatically) Then, make sure there are no nearby qso's in progress, and
switch to AM and fine tune the antenna for best SWR. Works good and takes very little
time once you get used to it.
KISS is the idea here!
james
WD5GWY
 

[KF7NUA]

Thanks everyone, I met a person that did the rocker switch with a MFJ-259B connected to a coax switch. When he was changing Freq, he would switch to the 259B and push the rocker, tune and switch back to the radio.

I was hoping to find something that works easy and reliable but I guess the manual way may be better.

Are these switches with a slow function easiy enough for a non electrical intuative person to construct or are there any on the market to purchase?

I was hoping the Ameriatron SCD-102 would be the way to go.

The radio I have is a Kenwood TS-480HX

[KF7NUA]

Is this what you are suggesting or just go with a simple Rocker switch instead?

http://radioroom.org/public/ki6lo/MobileHF/DK3-Scrwdrvr/SCRWdrvantcntlr.jpg

[M6GOM]

I was hoping to find something that works easy and reliable but I guess the manual way may be better.

The radio I have is a Kenwood TS-480HX

Ah. Well you have the solution there. I had a TS480 and found the rocker switch was fine but you need to do what I did to make life easier.

You want to set the PF button to TX Tune which yo do by going to menu number 48 and changing the value to 67 . That way when you press the PF button on the front panel it'll put out a 10W carrier and then you can just use the rocker switch to lower/raise the antenna until the SWR drops. Anything below 1.5:1 is fine. Putting out 10W with high SWR will not damage the transceiver as you're tuning.

[WD5GWY]

Thanks everyone, I met a person that did the rocker switch with a MFJ-259B connected to a coax switch. When he was changing Freq, he would switch to the 259B and push the rocker, tune and switch back to the radio.

I was hoping to find something that works easy and reliable but I guess the manual way may be better.

Are these switches with a slow function easiy enough for a non electrical intuative person to construct or are there any on the market to purchase?

I was hoping the Ameriatron SCD-102 would be the way to go.

The radio I have is a Kenwood TS-480HX

 I did the same thing with the MFJ -207 SWR analyzer, an old Radio Shack Frequency counter and an antenna switch. While that works, and works well, it is easy to forget to change the switch back to the radio and accidentally kill something. I found that the rocker switch is easiest and much faster. With the 480HX you have a NICE display to use that shows SWR and seems to be very accurate. (well, I have a 480SAT in an 18 wheeler and use it with a Little Tarheel II and have compared with a 259b attached and it is very close) Building a switch is not that hard to do. In my case I added a resistor in series for the low speed side (well, it worked........but don't remember the value) and that worked well. But, just using the rocker switch alone and learning to "bump" the switch a tiny bit gets it pretty darn close. And so far, that has been the best deal for me.
Good luck. The 480 radios are very nice mobile. If I didn't like the 706 MKII G I have in my pickup, I would switch it out for another 480.
james
WD5GWY
 

[K7MH]

Is this what you are suggesting or just go with a simple Rocker switch instead?

http://radioroom.org/public/ki6lo/MobileHF/DK3-Scrwdrvr/SCRWdrvantcntlr.jpg

That is a nice way to go.
All I use is a DPDT momentary (center off) switch with my BB3.
I don't have any problem finding the sweet spot without a slow speed, even on 75.

[WX7G]

I like the ten programmed settings of the SCD-102. When I want to change bands I hit the appropriate switch.

In the car I use a Yaesu FT-857 and and ATAS-120 antenna. To change bands I hit the tune button on the FT-857 and it does the rest. I often change bands a dozen times in a 30 minute drive and that requires autotuning such as I have, A turbo tuner, or presets such as the SDC-102 has.

[KB2FZG]

I'm using a 7000 screwdriver controller from Better RF with my Hi-Q 4/80 but I see you're running a Kenwood 480 so controller I'm using would be of no use to you.  Prior to the my current controller I was using a set of switches to control the up/down on my Tarheel antenna and it worked fine.

[W9PMZ]

 I guess I was off my rocker, but I bought a Turbo Tuner for my HiQ 4-160.

Works Great...

73,

Carl - W9PMZ