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You can
write your own review of the AUTEK RESEARCH VA1-RF1-RF5 RF ANALYST.
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KENNETH
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Rating: 4/5
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Mar 14, 2007 13:50
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Bought mine new
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought mine new. Thought I would wait a few years until a review. I have used it with all sorts of antennas and no problems in the two years I have used it. Folks buy a used unit then review it… but who know how much it was been abused in the past? I keep mine in its original cardboard box wrapped in the bubble wrap. I like the small size for camping and traveling. It needs a fresh battery to stay accurate but the low price point was the main factor for me.
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N6TZV
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Rating: 0/5
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Jan 31, 2007 23:02
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Gives New Meaning to "Cold Solder Joints"!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I am a lucky one. I was given the RF-1 by a friend a few years ago. he said it was touchy and difficult to use. I tried it and agreed. I had an MFJ 259, so I put the Autek on the shelf. About a month later, I tried it again, but it was dead. I replaced the battery, still dead. I measured both batteries and they were good!
What's going on here? I opened it up and was amazed. Virtually NONE of the "solder" joints had actually been soldered! The display had NO solder on any pins. Same with the buttons and switch. I carefully soldered all joints, put it back together carefully, and now it works. Lack of actually soldering many connections is the cause for most of the problems mentioned here. This is a new meaning to Cold Solder Joints. The soldering iron never touched them!
But I don't trust it much. It never seems to agree with other devices such as the 259 or Kuranishi (which do agree with each other). Even on a dummy load it wanders some.
So, even though I got it for FREE, and got it to work, sorta, I only keep it as a spare, not a back up.
This is really a poorly designed, poorly made, poorly executed product. JUNK, in less polite terms.
I'm sure some folks got units that were actually soldered and calibrated, and I'm happy they did. For everyone else, this is a crap shoot. Do YOU want to risk blowing $150? What do you think your chances are? Do you feel lucky today?
Bottom line, don't support a company that takes advantage of their customers. There are alternatives that actually work.
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W9PMZ
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 26, 2007 13:57
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Good unit assuming you can read manuals.......
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've owned both the Autek and the MFJ-259B. The 259B has this unit beat for button usage and the analog meter is a plus. But the Autek unit does its job as advertised. I do agree that the display is a little lacking; otherwise it would be a 5. I was able to tune in a Hustler 6BTV in no time using the Autek. If you have to climb a tower and adjust an antenna this would be the piece of kit to use.
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K2GW
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 26, 2007 13:24
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Read the Manual
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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As the Autek RF1 only has a published frequency range of 1.8-35 Mhz, it's not surprising that some have difficulty getting it to work on UHF.
My HF transceiver has a similar problem when I try to use it on 440.
My Autek has worked fine for tuning HF antennas over the past 4 years.
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KA3NXN
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Rating: 0/5
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Jan 19, 2007 16:04
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Total junk and even worse customer service
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I have had the unit for less than a year and the display often fades in and out. The biggest problem is the inaccuracy of the unit at UHF frequencies. No matter what you plug into the unit it will not read below a 2.8:1 SWR in the UHF band. I work for a large military contractor who produces antennas & radar gear for the government, and I brought the thing into our RF lab and connected it directly to a dummy load that covers to 18.0GHz, still the RF-5 will only read an SWR of 2.8:1. Enough to drive one mad when you think the problem is in your antenna. I contacted Autek and they acted like the unit was no longer in warranty and I had to send it in with 68.00 to get it repaired. Or I can replace 3 obscure diodes in the unit that are almost impossible to find to see if this will fix the problem. The diodes are HP5082-2835. Does anybody know where I can get these without having to place an order of $200.00 minimum? Remember this might fix the problem. The guy on the phone was also a jerk, treated me like I was the one who broke it. The only thing left was for him to do was to yell at me. DON'T BUY THIS GARBAGE! I bought a Kuranichi analyzer, an excellent product.
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KB3DSK
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 19, 2007 11:50
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Bought used. Went back to Manufacturer and was treated great
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I recently purchased an older Autek RF-1, used from a local swap meet. The unit had a small problem with the Display. Being a tech, I figured I would do the repair myself. I emailed the manufacturer about my defective part and was asked to call and discuss the problem directly. I did as I was requested and was pleased to find I was directed to one of the engineers to discuss my problem with me. I was informed of what the normal trouble cause was, and was told how to effect the repair myself, if I desired to. What could have been a costly repair was solved over the phone at no cost. I was also informed that if I preferred they would gladly do the repair under a flat fee basis. I am very satisfied with the service. Where most places are quick to tell you, they no longer support a product. I was pleased to find someone who is eager to help you. And who stood behind their product.
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KE7HTQ
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Rating: 3/5
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Dec 18, 2006 09:11
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worth the money if ...
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I did order one and then read the reviews. I was ready to cancel the order but it was already shipped.
When I received it I immediatley opened it and effectively there was a dozen connections not soldered.
The readings were inconsistent and it was difficult to adjust the frequency. And as I was too busy I put it aside.
A few days ago, I did open it and solder all the
connections and redid a few others. As I don't have the schematics I followed the traces and found the circuit
for the fine tuning. I did solder a trim potentiometer accross the resistor that comes from the fine tune pot and
the varicap diode. Reducing the value until the oscillator stopped working properly.
Than increasing the value above the point where it is working in a stable condidtion.
The value I found is 1,800 Ohms.
Now I can fine tune from 14 to 14,640KHz and my readings are stable.
To conclude, this is a fine design with a lousy manufacturing and an inexistant quality control.
Do I regret that I bought it? NO.
73, Yvon KE7HTQ (ex ON5KQ)
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K0ZN
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Rating: 1/5
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Jun 17, 2006 21:11
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Don't buy one.
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Worked for about 6 months...became intermittent and then finally quit.
Called Autek for service advise. Guy on the phone was sarcastic and some what condescending about my questions and/or repairing it. He clearly had little interest in customer satisfaction.
Customer service sucks. I will buy something else rather than repair this thing.
"Avoid".
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NL7W
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Rating: 2/5
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Apr 3, 2006 12:23
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RF-1 needs help...
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The RF-1, purchased new about 10 to 12 years ago, has always had the dreaded LCD display problems -- the same problem everyone seems to vent about since its inception. You'd think they'd correct this particular issue over a decade, but apparently unsuspecting hams come along all the time.
Anyway, when I can get the display to function, it works ok.
It rates a 2 because of its frustrating display issue -- the worst rating I have given any product.
The Palstar ZM30 looks pretty good to me right now...
73.
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W3UTD
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Rating: 1/5
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Apr 3, 2006 11:12
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Weak
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Worked right out of the box ... once.
The next time I used it, I noticed the display was weak. Needs a new battery I thought. Well , a new battery did nothing, so like a good responsible Ham, I opened up the case:
Only one or two of the pins for the display were actually soldered. Also pins for On/Off, FREQ and SWR buttons were not soldered.
How the heck this thing worked the first time is a mystery. What's more of a mystery is how something like that could get out of the factory.
How do you not solder components to a PC board?!
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