|
New to Ham Radio?
My Profile
Community
Articles
Forums
News
Reviews
Friends Remembered
Strays
Survey Question
Operating
Contesting
DX Cluster Spots
Propagation
Resources
Calendar
Classifieds
Ham Exams
Ham Links
List Archives
News Articles
Product Reviews
QSL Managers
Site Info
eHam Help (FAQ)
Support the site
The eHam Team
Advertising Info
Vision Statement
About eHam.net
|
| Reviews Summary for Array Solutions AIM 4170 by W5BIG |
|
Reviews: 53
|
Average rating: 5.0/5
|
MSRP: $520
|
|
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.
|
|
Product is in production.
|
|
More info: http://www.arraysolutions.com/Products/AIM4170.htm
|
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this review.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
|
You can
write your own review of the Array Solutions AIM 4170 by W5BIG.
|
G3UJE
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Feb 1, 2012 15:25
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
A very excellent and professional product.
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
|
I ordered this analyzer online from the W5BIG site last Friday (27/1/2012) and was astounded when it arrived in the UK at 11am on the following Monday. Obviously, I am still getting used to all the features of the device but so far I am very impressed with the customer service and the overall quality of the product. Being a keen experimenter with LF antennas, I have very quickly realised that I should have purchased the AIM 4170C a long time ago! It seems to do exactly what it says and is beautifully engineered. I can fully endorse the copious praises made within other reviews on this site and would like to thank the W5BIG team for an extremely professional product.
|
|
VE3PBE
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jan 5, 2012 16:42
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Great Tool for Tough Jobs!
|
Time owned: 3 to 6 months
|
Every job has a RIGHT tool. This AIM 4170C IS aboslutely the right tool for RF system tuning.
Great service, with excellent uncluttered software.
Living in a very tight Urban subdivision (4'-8' apart) where aestheics force stealth and attic antennas.
However, the attics are pyramid-shaped roofs with soffits, gutters, down spouts, facia and roof valleys are all metal.
It's really rough to find something to work from 40-10M with any gain or directionality.
Using the 4NEC2 design software (reviewed on this site) I found a wire beam geometry that could work.
However, determiining all the real affects of the surrounding objects, house wiring, velocity prop. changes using 12ga insulated wire, roof attenuations, etc., were too tough to model in software. This the job the 4170C was built to do.
The AIM 4170C became the right tool to use. With my laptop, I could plot the theoretical band response vs actual. After installation, I found about a 2MHz discrepancy. With this new ratio I pruned my installation and used the SWR prortional audible tone feature to do the fine tuning. I got to SWR 1.2 on 40M and 1.45 on 10M as a natural resonance.
With MFJ low-end tuner I got the whole thing to tune beautifully from 80-10M. The 4170C also showed bad connections in my Co-ax with it's TDR function and ant. potential for 2M.
I now have one antenna with 1 coax cable, no balun, for all my HAM work!
Thanks, W5BIG! Great product!
Only problem now is the household touch lamps modulate with transmissions over 20W output!
Next project.
|
|
KB7AZ
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Sep 13, 2011 06:28
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Essential for Antenna Design and Tuning
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
|
The AIM-4170C is a truly five-star performer. I live in an antenna-restricted area and build my own stealth antennas. The AIM-4170C has been instrumental in getting my antennas properly tuned. I recently retired from being an RF communication design engineer, and the AIM-4170C provides the same types of measurements that I am used to using. The TDR function shows the impedance vs. distance and the absolute phase and amplitude measurements give me the information I need to design matching networks. The Smith Chart presentation helps visualize the system under test. I use the AIM-4170C with a small laptop computer, which also powers the analyzer, and taking the laptop along is more than worth the effort.
|
|
W1HFN
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Sep 6, 2011 08:07
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
FANTASTIC!
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
|
Probably the best ham radio accessory I ever bought. Every time I use it, I find some new feature that amazes me. In the past, when I built an antenna(lots of them in 52 years as a ham) I never really knew its characteristics. You do not get too much info from an SWR bridge, the 4170 tells you so much more.
|
|
NX0L
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Aug 7, 2011 15:28
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Essential for Antenna Work
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
The AIM4170C gives a fast graphical picture of each antenna I have made or installed. It was critical to quickly adjust the traps on a 6BTV w/ radials and takes the guesswork out of it and eliminates many one-at-a-time measurements. It set up in minutes and the software is easy to install and use. The only "issue" was getting the right COM port. I used a USB-to-serial adapter w/ no problem.
Scanning is quick and makes it fast and easy to see effects of nearby objects, different feed cables, etc.
I got a real person (friendly and helpful) when I called about the order, since the unit was backordered.
Highly recommended and lives up to the great reviews here on eHam.
|
|
F1BZF
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jun 14, 2011 09:24
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
A must
|
Time owned: 3 to 6 months
|
Very useful item. Able to sweep on frequency. Software updates with documentation free and a forum for help.
Why waiting for else ?
|
|
N2FVS
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jan 20, 2011 01:23
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
only two regrets
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
|
I regret I waited so long to buy it, it is incredible! I regret I didn't wait longer, to get the newer UHF capable one! Now I have to buy another one!
|
|
W2OZ
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Aug 13, 2010 09:01
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
AIM4170 works with Window Eyes Screen Reader
|
Time owned: 3 to 6 months
|
|
I am back in the antenna hobby better than ever! Thanks to Bob W5BIG and the Array Solutions AIM4170/688D, of all the antenna analyzer makers contacted over the last several years most of whom never answered my request for a serial ASCII text output of the readouts, but the AIM has a very complete interface with the screen reader WindowEyes V7.2 by GWMicro.com. Beside the graphical screen outputs of scanned antennas, the option of Excel .CSV files allows for textual examination of data in a few seconds the full 2m band was scanned on my target antenna with 16 reading averaging ,frequency increments of 10 KHz and all the antenna parameters saved including both series and parallel equivalent resistance and reactance. Also very useful 1 the Distance to fault' mode for finding velocity factors and characteristic impedance , 2 the Tone , varying tone in the 'Tune mode of the Point Data' mode where one frequency of interest can be entered the excitation continues and the antenna SWR can be adjusted by minimizing the audible tone pitch. Bob has been instrumental and patient in taking the risk with me and answering my crazy questions, but his AIM has made this blind EE capable once again.
|
|
K4AHO
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Mar 12, 2010 11:24
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Best Value in Ham Radio
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
This is a great test instrument that can tell me more about an antenna than I ever thought I wanted to know.. But what I would like to add is with Bluetooth it can be completely remoted. I used the GridConnect FireFly/Fireplug combo and now there is no concern about the instrumentation cable between the 4170 and laptop affecting the readings... It took a little thought and work but the combo works great. Also the latest software works with Win7 no problem... A great piece of test gear...
73
Jim
K4AHO
|
|
W3AHL
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Mar 12, 2010 09:41
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Lets You See The Whole Story
|
Time owned: 0 to 3 months
|
It does everything it says it does, very well!
Two minor gripes: The SO-239 connector on mine has very poor quality, rough threads. Good quality PL-259's and adapters will barely thread onto it. At this price point, spending another dollar for a decent connector is warranted.
Also, the standoffs on the DB9 connector are too short. One serial cable only grabs about three threads.
If the analyzer is anywhere near the antenna being tested, use a couple of ferrites on the coax right at analyzer connector and on the power and serial cables. It often makes a significant difference in the measurements, even when multiple chokes are already used at the antenna feed point.
Now, if it only covered UHF....
|
|
If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions about Reviews,
please email your Reviews Manager.
|
|
|
|
|
