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| Reviews Summary for Array Solutions AIM 4170 by W5BIG |
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Reviews: 41
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Average rating: 5.0/5
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MSRP: $520
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Description: Antenna analyzer measures the complex impedance (magnitude and phase) at each frequency of interest in the range of 0.1 to 170 MHz. An advanced program running on your PC is used to calculate several parameters, including WR, R+X, Mag, RL, Angle, and plot the results vs Freq or on a Smith Chart.
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More info: http://www.arraysolutions.com/Products/AIM4170B.htm
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write your own review of the Array Solutions AIM 4170 by W5BIG.
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KU5Q
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 24, 2009 15:28
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Great for the price.
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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It's good to see the happy responses from satisfied 4170 users, and owners please add one more. The custom altering of the controlling software is the most important to me. I believe the owners of this unit are a unique group as are the designers of it. It would be great to incorporate the electronics into a display and control package like that of perhaps the AEA Bravo devices. That would be killer. I hope there is a enough future demand for such a thing to make it a reality.
Jay and group are fine people. I'm surprised someone hasn't come by and posted a 0/5 spoof review in the same manner as has been done with other equipment in these reviews. Sure it will happen sooner or late. Reasonable people can see through the silliness. Good thing.
KU5Q
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K3LLH
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 24, 2009 11:25
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Outstanding equipment
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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.. this is one of those pieces of equipment that makes you wonder how how got along without it in the past.
It solved an antenna problem I'd been working on for hours in about 30 seconds. My only complaint is that I now have to find more problems to solve .
Support is excellent; the manual/help files are well done. In short, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys understanding, designing and solving antenna problems.
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KD0FES
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 1, 2009 10:41
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Exceptional
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The AIM4170C is proving to be a very valuable tool. My goal was to get something that I could use to log and document various antenna configurations or designs. The graphical format allows great comparisons as changes are made. I really like the re-scan feature which allows me to make changes and see the difference in real time.
This is a great learning tool for me and I would highly recommend it. I liked the idea that software updates could be downloaded and new features added. Coincidently, a software update was posted right after I purchased my unit.
I had it running about 10 minutes out of the box. I find it easy to use and haven’t really explored all of the other things it can do yet.
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EI4GXB
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 7, 2009 03:10
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Top Class Product
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I purchased the AIM4170C at the Friedrichhafen Hamfest recently from Array Solutions booth. I looked at the MFJ, Mini VNA also but having got a personal demo from Jay WX0B I was convinced this was the way to go if you're serious about antenna building. Can't recommend this product highly enough.
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W3VR
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 12, 2009 16:50
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Fine VIA
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Just purchased today from Bob at the Array Solutions Table/Display at Ham Com in Plano Centre in Plano, TX. After talking to people I know that have the 4170, and having a chance to use one for some antenna projects, I had to have one. I'm very pleased with the functionality and features of the 4170 for the price compared to the MFJ269 it will be replacing. The MFJ was okay, but the 269 was broke when I received it. Sent it back, HRO sent me another one, also broke. I just decided to fix the 269 myself and keep it. It will be a backup.
Of course the 4170 requires a PC, but that's fine for me as the superior feature set, accuracy, and functionality make it well worth the purchase price.
Very pleased.
W3VR
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K2PO
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 29, 2009 22:07
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Excellent!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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My AIM4170C was a birthday present to myself.
Actually – I bought it a month *after* my birthday. For more than a month before, and for a full month after, I studied specs and reviews of all the competing units. I dithered and dithered – not able to finally decide. The AIM unit kept coming out on top, but I kept hesitating at the price. Sure, it does everything imaginable, but would the cost differential over other analyzers be justified? Eventually, after spending *way* more in time than the '4170 cost, I ordered the unit.
I couldn’t be more pleased.
The other reviews give the technical highlights. The real delight, however, is absolutely dispelling all mystery about what’s going on at the other end of the coax. Want to know if another radial under a vertical is warranted? Add one and see if the feed point impedance changes. Want to know if grounding a nearby antenna affects the resonant frequency of an antenna under test? Try it and see what happens. Want to know if an antenna’s SWR changes with wet soil below? Get out the hose and give it a spray.
Antennas are complex in the sense that their impedances, resonances, bandwidths, etc. are functions of myriad unknown – and often unknowable – environmental factors; modeling is an exercise in optimism. The AIM4170 lets you pierce that intractable shroud of obscurity and see what’s actually going on. Repeatably. Accurately.
And, as others have noted, the customer service is excellent as well.
/Bill, K2PO, Portland, Oregon
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N5KNG
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 25, 2009 12:06
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Fantastic! Analyzers don't get any better than this!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I bought this unit specifically to teach myself about antenna theory. Having never used an antenna analyzer before, I wasn't sure what to expect. But by following the included "quick start" instructions, I calibrated the unit and analyzed my trap vertical antenna over the entire HF spectrum in about 10 minutes - right out of the box.
I can't say enough about how easy this unit is to use, and how quickly you can generate a colorful, detailed graph that has everything you want to know about your antenna - and more. Seriously, I never did anything like this before, and now I feel like a pro. Fabulous!
I have always been curious to know whether my antenna was properly configured, since I inherited it from another ham years ago, and never touched the tuning. I mean, it worked OK on several transceivers, but the SWR was never anything to write home about. Well, I guess you have to be careful what you wish for, because I know now that it is resonant in all the wrong places. But that's actually good news, because now I also have the means to precisely tune it to resonance, and to verify the result.
I should also comment on how service-oriented Array Solutions is - I phoned them today and was immediately put in touch with Jay, who was extremely patient and helpful. These guys are great!
Everyone else has already said how accurate the unit is. Less well-known is the fact that you can remote control it (to make measurements right at the antenna feed point), and it can be powered using batteries. Of course, you can also calibrate it to offset a regular feeline, or any weird-Harold setup you might have leading up to the antenna.
Just buy it - you won't regret it.
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JA1EYY
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 13, 2009 18:12
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Excellent VIA
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I am a RF engineer in Japan. I have an AIM4170C. I have found the AIM4170 to be very accurate as I have compared it with our vector network analyzer (R3765,ADVANTEST) in my RF lab. As part of my duties I make filters for the Power Amplifiers for HF and 6m. When I saw the smith plots displayed by AIM software, I was hugely surprised. Unbelievable! It showed the exact same results as the expensive instrument. And it was much easier to use. The AIM 4170 is a very capable instrument!
Setup is very easy if your PC has an RS232C port, or USB-serial coverter. Turn on AIM power switch, and the software can find the AIM on your PC automaticaly.
You can even test and learn about it before you buy it, download the latest version software from AIM 4170 page from Array Solutions web site, run the software without AIM4170C you will see many kind of menus and functions to explore. There are sample plot files you can work with .The Help files also interesting and teaches everything you can do with the instrument.
It has many functions ,it is not only an antenna analyze but also can measure your transmition line, LC network tuning, and so on. The AIM4170 is so powerful it can even teach engineers about RF, and makes learning about Circuit theory, Smith Charts and RF techniques easy.
Shigetaro Suzuki / JA1EYY
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NS5U
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 13, 2009 12:58
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Without Peer
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Got my AIM analyzer today.
I have wanted a VNA since I first understood what they could measure. It is an indispensable device. It could be stated the VNA is to AC/RF circuits what a DMM is to DC circuits. The data displays graphically and makes it much easier for me to comprehend. The AIM4170C has the option to plot to a Smith Chart and saving results for comparison is very easy as is rescanning or even cycling scans. The data it provides can be acquired with a variety of other methods which require an array of simple devices but at the expense of complexity and my own gross induced errors. Except for the calibration step before a test using a new fixture the VNA is point and shoot with a direct informative output avoiding many discrete measurements and calculations.
That kind of tedium robs me of the great joy of discovery found in experimenting. A VNA provides close to immediate gratification and fuels the "what if I change just this" approach I take in achieving understanding. A VNA belongs on every experimenter's bench.
The AIM4170C is a single port VNA which is affordable for the hobbyist experimenter and offers accuracy approaching lab instruments which even very used can cost well over $5000.
It is built into a very strong case. The cost of the base unit at $540 is at the upper reaches of my budget. The competitive TAPR VNA at ($655)is significantly more expensive even before an investment of SMA connectors/adapters. It is not as accurate as the AIM4170C.
My AIM4170C is in the low 3k serial numbers and dated internally 8/08. If this is an indication of actual production date and quantity it represents an excellent value as the economy of scale just doesn't apply. Looking only at its functionality and accuracy it is certainly not expensive. With what I have spent over the years on numerous devices and homebrew projects to accomplish some of the same tests the AIM4170C is capable the price is a bargain. If I were just starting to assemble gear the AIM4170C would be an early purchase and fill the need for any other antenna analyzers,swr meters, crystal checker circuits, and lots of other devices.
The other competitor to the AIM4170C is the N2PK VNA which is a kit requiring some advanced skills to source let alone to complete and it is at least 50% more expensive depending on the features the builder includes. There is one UK ham which is offering to build a N2PK VNA for what some have reported to be approximately $1000. Without transverters the N2PK VNA has a 60mhz upper limit while the AIM4170C will cover 170mhz.
It really isn't fair to compare the AIM4170C to other "antenna analyzers" as it is dependent on a computer for function and is inherently more accurate although without much more than a laptop and battery it could go portable and by calibrating the feedline it will check installed antennas from the shack but it won't replace my field instruments. While adequate for most purposes concerning antennas the venerable MFJ-259B just isn't in the same class.
The AIM4170C is (from tests published on the web) close to commercial vector network analyzer accuracy.
(http://www.bnk.com/w0qe/AIM4170_page1.html)
(http://www.antennasbyn6lf.com/files/vna_comparisons.pdf)
The Mini VNA didn't do as well as either the TAPR VNA or the AIM4170C in the comparisons published on the web.
The AIM4170C demonstrates significantly higher accuracy than either the Mini VNA or the MFJ-259B in tests published on the web. Those reports and the price $540 convinced me to choose the AIM4170C.
The provided software doesn't require installation and it found my USB/serial adapter without issue. The software is frequently updated and accessible on the web which I consider a major asset.
A quick setup, calibrate, and check shows all my coax jumpers, dummy loads, and one high pass filter look very good. My "lab grade" attenuator has some pronounced anomalies which can now be accounted for when in use. Something I wouldn't have known otherwise.
I am busy now building a few test fixtures to make measuring coils, capacitors, crystals, filters, and other circuits easy and accurate.
I am pleased with this product and the possibilities it offers.
Jim Benson
NS5U
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G8JNJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 17, 2009 09:13
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The best for antenna measurments
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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What a great piece of kit. I bought this after using a Mini VNA for some time. Although the mini VNA is very useful, I found the accuracy and measurement range of the AIM 4170B to be much better, especially WRT impedance (which can be measured up to 5K ohms as opposed to the mini VNA limit of about 2K).
I use both the supplied software and Zplots with the unit and find them both extremely useful (I just wish Zplots would update in real time as it does with the mini VNA).
Downsides. Having used the mini VNA, I wish the AIM 4170B used an USB interface (also to power it) as having to use an RS232 lead and USB converter as well as a separate 12v power supply is a real pain. Especially as you really need to string ferrite beads on the cables to minimise interaction with the device under test. I also wish it was a two port device like the mini VNA, so that it could be used to measure through loss, and that the upper frequency limit was a bit higher. However these are only minor complaints.
If you are a serious experimenter - buy one of these, you will learn more about antennas and matching in half a day than many other folks will in a lifetime.
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