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write your own review of the AMAC SC-1B Antenna-radio controller.
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KL7IVK
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Rating: 2/5
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Jan 30, 2006 12:48
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SC-1B/C
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The common problem with these controllers is a message that comes up and says "Loss of control or antenna jam". There is no way to fix them since he has gone out of business. Do not buy one of these junk boxes as there no longer worth it.
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W9AIR
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Rating: 0/5
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Jun 30, 2004 15:36
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DO NOT BUY!!!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I have owned one of the AMAC SC-1C controllers for about 8 months. This review supercedes the one I wrote before. I had the controller hooked up to a Tarheel M-200-A screwdriver antenna, and initially, the combination worked great as indicated by my last review. However, about four months ago I began having trouble with the controller. It would not retain the antenna settings in memory (and it is a L-O-N-G process to reprogram it)! After several e-mails to the manufacturer, I was told to send it back to him (after he eliminated the antenna being the problem, which it wasn't). He has had the unit now for aobut 3 months and I have emailed him, telephoned him, and even wrote a couple of "snail mail" letters, all to no avail!! He has since shut down his website as well. The way it looks now, I am out my controller as well as the $279 that it cost!!! There are better controllers out there for your screwdriver antenna! This one is a loser in my book!!!
Mike, W9AIR.
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N1SV
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Rating: 0/5
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May 19, 2004 13:59
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POTENTIAL BUYERS BEWARE!!!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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In the spring of 2003 after installing a screwdriver antenna on my pick up, I realized one of the inherent drawbacks of this type of antenna is the method in which they are controlled. The simplest method to adjust the antenna is using the “up / down” switch supplied by the antenna manufacturer and to monitor the SWR using either an antenna analyzer or if available in your transceiver,an SWR meter. I used the SWR meter in my IC-706 reducing the output power to about 10w. The idea of a device that could automatically adjust my screwdriver antenna for my current operating frequency made a lot of sense both from the standpoint of safety while in motion as well as simplifying control of the antenna in general.
I decided on the Amac SC-1C automatic antenna controller primarily because it was designed around my Tarheel antenna and second because it interfaced directly with my IC-706. The manufacturer offers 1 year warranty on their product with free firmware upgrades. My Amac SC-1C arrived within a week of placing the order. My first impressions when it arrived were that the control box seemed quite large; it’s about half the size of my IC-706. There were no problems installing the unit though I did have a hard time finding a location to mount the rather large controller. The first time I turned the unit on the display didn’t seem to be functioning as the documentation described so I contacted the manufacturer who determined the controller was faulty. I returned the unit and after about a week and a half the repaired controller arrived with the problem solved.
Before you can begin using the SC-1C controller you have to calibrate it for your antenna. A calibration routine in the controller steps you through the procedure and saves the position for each of the many calibration frequencies. In order to achieve proper accuracy there are more calibration frequencies for the lower bands and fewer for the higher bands. The controller reads the current operating frequency and using the calibration data adjusts the antenna to the proper position in any ham band.
The calibration procedure is very lengthy, I found if you make a mistake there is no way to back up to the previous step. You have to continue to the end and then restart the calibration again. I also found it easy to get the controller into a state during the calibration routine where it would automatically fully lower the antenna until it hit the lower limit switch.
After successfully performing the calibration with the MFJ 259B, I found it necessary to repeat the entire procedure using the SWR meter in my IC-706. This was due to differences between the SWR measured by the 259B and the IC-706. I found that if you did not recalibrate with the IC-706, the SWR the transceiver measured on some of the lower bands could be above 2:1 in places.
Aside from being able to automatically adjust your screwdriver antenna with a single button push you can also enter a frequency directly on the controller’s keypad and the unit resets the transceiver. After a couple of weeks though I started to find that the SWR on the lower bands had shifted significantly. The manufacturer couldn’t offer any explanation but did suggest going into the manual mode and adjusting the position at one of the calibration frequencies on 80 or 160m to resynchronize everything. This seemed to resolve the issue but after a week it began reoccurring again.
With the help of the antenna manufacturer I was able to determine that the antenna was operating properly and that the problem was with the controller. On and off for the next 6-8 months I worked with Amac at resolving this issue. Amac sent new firmware to me twice, on one occasion the EEPROM was faulty and had to be returned. While the new firmware didn’t resolve the problem it did add 60m and MARS capability and along with it significantly more calibration frequencies further lengthening the already long calibration procedure. The problem got so bad that I was recalibrating the controller approximately once every one to two weeks taking almost two hours each time. I even returned the entire controller to the manufacturer for repair and still when it returned the controller still wouldn’t stay calibrated.
Last November I finally threw in the towel, returning the controller and requesting a refund (Which Amac agreed to). To date though Amac has my controller and my money and has not responded to my phone calls, e-mails, or written correspondence. Is this a company you really want to do business with? Having just returned from Dayton, I now understand they may have gone out of business!
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KD5SRL
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Rating: 2/5
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May 6, 2004 23:29
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Worst Tech Support Ever!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The unit works flawlessly and as stated, a real excellent product when mated to the Tarheel antenna system.
Purchased the SC-1C controller from AMAC, however, getting tech / service question answered is the worst I've seen. Took almost 3 weeks to get my controller, then Bill's Website states product support for Kenwood TS-480 series, however, no mention of that in the instructions that accompany the controller. I've left voice message and email but without any response. All this company cares about is the sale... nothing to do with customer service! According to his webpage, if you have a problem just call, only he never answers the phone or his voice mail... not even his email! I finally figured it out in the menu controls referenced for the TS-2000.
However, I can't recommend anything that something could go wrong with and the manufacturrer of a product is this difficult to reach for help.
Bottom line: You better have a working unit and not need any tech support.
The product comes with a 10 day complete satisfaction guarentee, however, that is null & void if one can't get the company to respond.
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GM6JUA
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Rating: 5/5
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May 4, 2004 15:33
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SUPERB
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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First unit I ordered went missing in the post
Bill immediately sent of a replacement unit,
the build quality is excellent as is Bill's attention to his customers I'm using the unit with a HI-Q 3/80 setup and a ts 480 and it does everything it says it should. The only thing I had to do was fit a second reed switch 180 degrees to the first one to increase the number of counts per inch as the HI-Q antenna coil is only 9 inches long but 3inch diameter works great
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WB8BRC
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 15, 2003 20:40
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a 'must have' for any screwdriver antenna
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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When I first received my SC-1C it didn't work. I called Bill on a weekend and he spent considerable time on the phone with me trying to troubleshoot the unit. We tried everything but the controller would only move the antenna in one direction. Bill asked me to send the unit back to him, which I did. Bill found a defective part, replaced it and now the controller works perfectly. I am using a Yaesu FT-857 and Tarheel 200A screwdriver. The Amac SC-1C works seamlessly with the rig and antenna. I can change frequency using the keypad on the controller if I want to. Either way the controller 'reads' the frequency and adjusts the antenna to the best SWR. Nothing could be easier! And Bill is very patient and easy to work with. The unit is well worth the money.
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K2MIT
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 2, 2003 23:34
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Great Design, Great Tech Support
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Just finished the installation of a Tarheel 200 and an AMAC SC-1B. Had some initial set up problems due to a wire that wasn't making good contact in the controller.
Bill was with me every step of the way. After a few phone calls we got it working. Talk about tech support--once I called on Sunday to his cell phone and decided to not leave a message. 10 minutes later, he called me back because he called the last number that dialed him!
My only suggestions for improvement are the case--could be a little better and the manual--it needs to explain more. But what it lacks, Bill makes up in helpful advice on the phone.
What I love about this device is that there is no need to transmit to find a good SWR. Just take an SWR meter (such as the MFJ 259) and connect it up to the antenna and go through the calibration routine, noting the points of lowest SWR as you go from 1.8 mhz to 54 making about 20+ or so midpoint readings. The device then interpolates any intermediate frequency it reads from the radio.
I am using an Icom IC-706 MKIIG and the combination with the tarheel and the AMAC controller is great. 80 and 40 meters work great. You have to wait for the screwdriver to spin up but its never more than about 2 minutes. Definately longer than when I had my AH-3 antenna tunner but it never could get 40.
Good job bill. This should be standard with the Tarheel.
--Jeffrey Steinberg, K2MIT
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AG5Y
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 15, 2003 09:30
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Excellence continues!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Just finished installing the new SC-1C in the mobil (updated from the SC-1B)to go along with the Tarheel that I had updated with the new 12 volt motor and 2 magnets. I am amazed at how well you can tune the antenna with Bill's new DDR capability in the SC-1C. There is no more "in-between" situations that prevents an almost perfect match. Bill has done it again. One of the greatest collaberations - AMAC and Tarheel continues to prove to be the best in mobil operations. Thanks Bill and Robert!
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K1SWR
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 23, 2003 11:43
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Great product
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just got the new SC-1C installed in my car. I use it to control the little Tarheel antenna, talk about transparent! as others have said, 2 or 3 keystrokes and your talking away on your favorite frquency. I rate Bill's controller a 5/5 and his quest for customer satisfaction a 10/5. pleasure doing business with someone who really cares about the customer. Thanks Bill!!
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KC4UII
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 25, 2003 21:50
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Great controller
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Picked up Bill's controller to use with my Tarheel antenna for mobile HF operations. I must say it sure makes band changes and rig control easy and safer during mobile use, with the capability to access memory locations, or direct enter a frequency, or spin the VFO and then tune the antenna with a very few key strokes. Controller was very easy to interface with rig and antenna. Installation was straight forward and calibration routine simple to setup. Only complaint I could have with it, is keypad is not lighted for easy access at night. But Bill informs me that a new version or with upgrade to current version that he has this modification in the works. Always nice to see someone willing to listen to what ideas the user might have!! I liked the fact that with the ICOM 706MKIIg the controller does not need the rig to TX to find the correct spot to tune the band your on. Has to save wear and tear on the rig finals not to mention cutting down alittle on the QRM on the bands. Bill also stands behind his product, any problems encountered are quickly dealt with making the whole process very enjoyable. Can't go wrong with this product!
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