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write your own review of the RigExpert AA-200.
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VE3UK
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 9, 2010 19:35
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WOW what a Great Tool!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I originally started with a MFJ 269 and thought I was doing great until, I purchased the AA200. Well I could not get rid of the MFJ fast enough. The bottom line is for a few bucks more the RigExpert is hands down a clearly professional tool. I will give you one for instance.
I like designing and building antennas, well, I am pretty good at math and cutting lengths of wire or tube, but almost always, the resonant frequency is not where you expected it to be and the antenna needs adjustment. Well, with the MFJ, you have to manually tune up and down the band and watch for a dip in the SWR meter. Doesn't sound to bad until you realize that the tuning on the MFJ is not smooth and you can easily miss the resonant spot.
NO WORRIES with the AA200, you simply pick how wide of frequency band to analyze, press the button and you get a beautiful SWR plot on the LCD scream. From there you can widen or shorten the bandwidth (if desired), make your adjustments on the antenna and watch the resonant hot spot move toward the frequency you want the antenna tuned for.
Anyway, there is much more than just this awesome feature, but this feature alone is worth the extra couple of dollars, as it saves tons of time and frustration.
I laugh when I see the local guys buy the MFJ especially after I show them how my AA200 works... I DON'T GET IT?
More to follow!
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G0NMD
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 4, 2010 14:30
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good piece of kit
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Had AA200 about 2 years now. Fantastic window on how an aerial is performing.
Have just blown the final amp, but immediate response from UK agent (KMK UK Ltd). Sent "Help!" message on Saturday afternoon, received reply - to post AA200 to them for guarantee repair - at 10pm same evening. You can't say fairer than that. It gets my vote for usefulness, for sheer brilliance and for service to customer. 10 out of 5.
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EC4ALB
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Rating: 3/5
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Sep 24, 2009 06:19
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final amp chip blow
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Think is a fantastic analyzer when works, mine is since october`08, but last week the final amp chip blow, and had to mail directly rigexpert and ask for send me a pair of new brand final chips.
Now is working prefect, but wil it fail again??
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KE7VXP
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 10, 2009 19:16
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Great when works
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This review is subject to reevaluation. I got my unit in July and it died in late August. I sent it back and don't have it back yet. Have heard that some units fail when the final amp chip blows. When it worked it was very useful for tuning portable antennas and I look forward to getting it back. Any else have a unit that failed?
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VA2WDQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 12, 2009 12:34
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t is probably easier to use than describe
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I got mine 3 months ago from Yuri Onipko (VE3DZ) in Toronto ONTARIO (www.rigexpert.net). He is the RigExpert distributor and the Technical support provider for RigExpert products in North America. Yuri kindly provided quick consultation by phone and the fastest delivery I’ve ever seen.
Now I know everything about my antennas)) A low antenna SWR doesn’t mean that everything good. Most useful information about antenna performance “coded” in its impedance which is usually complex. I like the SWR and R, X scope options. The whole spectrum picture allows to see all parameters in the same time. It's easy to change working frequency just by using left-right arrows buttons. That's kind of WYSWYG graphic interface. The AA-200 screen resolution is enough to turn up any antenna by using the tool without computer. Anyway all plots look much better on a computer screen.
One more thing I like the most that I just switched the AA-200 on and started to use. The user interface is clear and intuitive. "..It is probably easier to use than describe.."
73!
Victor
VA2WDQ/VE2EKA
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KD0TRG
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 6, 2009 22:00
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This unit works
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I'm a firm believer in "if I need a tool that I will reuse, I buy the best I can research and find" - this unit fits the bill. Using this on my IC-756ProIII with a Hi-Q resting on a tripod. The battery seems to last for ever, but we all know that it needs to be charged eventually. I'm getting 160+ runs of analysis on a single charge. You wont be disappointed.
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N3DF
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 5, 2009 09:22
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Perfect for Buddipole
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I purchased my AA-200 at the 2009 Dayton Hamvention for the primary purpose of tuning and adjusting my Buddipole portable antenna. It is perfect for that purpose. Although more expensive than the MFJ-259B that I previously used, the AA-200 is faster, easier and more enjoyable to use for this purpose. I highly recommend it to other Buddipole owners.
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PAULVBIRKE
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 28, 2009 16:24
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Super Value for a Good Price
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Just got mine and already a whole new world is opening up. Now I can see what my antennae are really doing. For antennae development such as my interest in ExH antennae and capacitive antennae, this instrument and its data gathering and output presentations will be invaluable.
thanks Yuri Onipko, VE3DZ Distributor in Toronto ON Canada
yours truly
Paul V Birke PEng
Guelph ON
VE3PVB
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KI6QYJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 27, 2009 01:33
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Simply the best for Amateur HF & VHF
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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(Note -- I am now AF6ME, Extra class, but registered here under my old call, KI6QYJ -- and I can't find a ready way to update my account for the new callsign. :D )
I decided I wasn't going to spend money on an analyzer unless it was truly portable, could graph, and would show me whether reactance was capacitive or inductive. When the time came, I did a lot of research and reading on what was out there, and ended up buying an AA-200 from Array Solutions ( http://www.arraysolutions.com ).
Rugged, long-life rechargeable battery pack, computer interface (USB) for either running the analyzer direct from a computer (with GREAT high-resolution graphs made FAST) or downloading the many memory pages where you can save your on-site measurements and graphs. BUILT-IN help, a quick and easy to navigate menu, a large, high-contrast, backlit display... And lots of features to make life easy for hams (like built-in one-touch band settings for the HF bands). One very nice feature I've never seen anywhere else is the ability to give instantaneous readings on FIVE different HF bands simultaneously -- just the ticket for making changes to trapped multi-band antennas. Instead of chasing your tail trying to tune your Butternut or trapped vertical, running through the cycle of tuning for each band in turn and then trying to fix what got screwed up as other bands were tuned for, you can see in real-time how settings for other bands change when you make changes to a trap for a given band, GREATLY shortening the time spent getting multi-band antennas dialed in.
The battery pack has lasted me through a full DAY of antenna tuning and adjustment at a club field day without going dead -- compare that to the "yardstick" of MFJ analyzers that suck batteries dry in no time. The provided software has been flawless, runs smoothly on 64-bit Windows OSes (more than I can say for most ham-related software!), and is as easy to use and navigate as the unit itself. And of course, you can drive the AA-200 via the software without having to look at or touch the onboard controls.
Support from Array Solutions has been top-notch, with immediate email support for questions or problems. When a small issue cropped up that I could fix myself, but would require opening the unit, Array Solutions told me that if I was skilled and careful in my repair, they would continue to honor the balance of my two-year warranty, saving me the time, expense and trouble of sending the unit in over something easily handled. Never in my life has anyone ever supported a product and told me they'd honor my warranty if I fixed it myself! That's support you can count on and trust. RigExpert publishes the schematics, and even gives step-by-step instructions on their website for typical repairs.
For the record, I'm not in any way connected with either Array Solutions or RigExpert -- just a very satisfied customer who is very happy with the product and support!
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K5MRM
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 25, 2009 14:07
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Nice but expensive
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Very nice analyzer but pricey. I really enjoy all the features the AA-200 has and the software works with my laptop. Great battery life in comparison to the MFJ.
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