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Reviews For: ICOM AH4 auto tuner

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : ICOM AH4 auto tuner
Reviews: 144MSRP: 319 street price 8/2000
Description:
small mobile/base wire tuner 160-6 meters. Remote control with ICOM HF rigs
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/hf/ah4.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
351444.8
KK7XE Rating: 2012-12-13
Best Auto Tuner Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a second review after a year of using the AH-4. My antenna has changed from what I was using back then, and am now using a 120' Doublet, fed with 600 ohm open wire feed. One half of feed on top, the other half on the bottom. No ground. Does it work? Really could not ask for more in a tuner. I always power down to 15 watts on my 7200, and it tunes up anywhere the 7200 can transmit. It hears well, transmits well and never, has had a problem. A very nice product and seeing as how all I use is 100 watts, honestly could not ask for better results from a tuner. It's such a nice interface with my Icom, and many of their other radios. Of course having it outside, very quiet, and I would say you can come up with a variety of ideas on wire antennas, and it will tune them. The price is fair, especially with the wonderful results you get. If I ever go HF mobile, will get an 102 inch whip and an AH-4 and be ready for the road. I have had 3 other auto tuners from various other companies, and this has worked the best.
AD0AR Rating: 2012-12-10
Best one I tested yet! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
There's that saying that you get as much music as you paid for and this is no exception.
I purchased my AH-4 for my IC-7000 all mode radio. I have not used it for it's intended purpose as a random wire tuner, but ended up removing the HV ceramic insulator and installed a SO-259 for feeding a Antron-99 antenna that has the top most section removed and replaced with a 102 inch steel whip antenna.

In my particular install the tuner was located in my garage at the end of a 100 foot run of 400U and 100 feet of control cable. Then I had a 12 foot length of 400u that went from the tuner to the base of the Antron-99 on top of my garage.
Switching from 6-10-12-15-17-20-40 meter bands was as easy as pressing the band change button on the radio and keying the radio for a moment to kick in the auto tune mode in the IC-7000. A moment later I would have a little red box that says TUNE light up on the display giving me that satisfaction that I wasn't going to blow my finals when I started calling to see if the frequency I just qsy'd to is in use.
Cons:
This unit uses AIR wound inductors for higher efficiencies. That itself is not a CON but a bonus, but if you want to mount this tuner on something metal, like in the trunk of a car, don't blame the manufacturer if it won't load up on all bands as now the Q of the coils are all lowered or out of whack as all the values have changed across the board.
Another thing- this tuner can radiate! DO NOT place it right next to your radio! If this thing is within 10 feet of my radio and I use 6M, the radio will go through fits and may even shut down.
Also, if this thing won't tune in your setup, place a 100 ohm 20W NON wirewound resistor across the output of the tuner and try tuning. IF the tuner kicks out and will not tune that, replace your coax- either the shield or the center of the coax is open. This tuner needs 15W to tune and if your coax is out of spec, it will not tune jack squat.
The piece of coax and the pl-259's that comes in the box with the tuner are not so good and that's how I learned that one.
I've seen some websites advertise that this thing can tune with 300mw, but actually it will only radiate 300mw while tuning with the 15W input.
The only other con I can think of is that it can only handle 100W.
Bottom line, whether you are mobile or have a base setup, this AH-4 has proven time and again that it is the little auto tuner that could tune anything I throw at it, including an experiment with a 40 foot aluminum extension ladder....
In God we trust, all others we monitor
73
AD0AR
USN Veteran
VK2HMC Rating: 2012-12-10
Fantastic! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Used one of these at JOTA this year, 80M Full Horizontal loop fed by ladder line down to homewound 9:1 balun at AH4. The other stations on site using windoms etc could not hear half the stations we could hear using the FWL and AH4 and they also experienced a lot more RF noise.

When I was testing this tuner, I hung a 50ft bit of wire off it and was able to work Canadian station (from Sydney, Australia) on 40M using 100W.

The beauty of the AH4 is you just plug the control cable into the rig, the AH4 input into RF1 output on the transmitter and away you go. no brainer.

I run an AH4 100ft away on the bottom of a 23ft verticle. The AH4 tunes all bands without a problem.

These are probably one of the unsung heroes of ham radio, I would not hesitate recommending this tuner to anyone.

A great experience from ICOM.
W6QT Rating: 2012-10-08
Sweet Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Interfaces with my Icom rig and other Icoms as well. I have mine connected under my patio outside to ladderline feedline and dipole with a wire counterpoise. It matches quickly. Snatching up DX made easy. Highly recommend this to Icom users.
KI5SO Rating: 2012-10-08
Impressive! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own two of these and this is another review. If you don't run more than 100 watts, this tuner just makes operating easy and efficient. Besides a great big loop, about the best you can do is a 75 meter inverted v with ladder line (any durable kind) attached to your AH-4. Amazing. Attach anything with enough wire and you are in business. Best tuner of it's kind and is twice as good as the Yaesu FC-40. Worth every penny, and I can tune 160 meters too on my 75 meter inverted v feed with 300 ohm webbed ladder line. It's really that good and you get your power out to the antenna; it's not wasted. You can get interfaces from BetterRF to use this tuner with Yaesu and Kenwood. Connects up to modern Icom 100 watt rigs right in the back of the radio. If you are thinking about one, go ahead and do it.
KF7ORO Rating: 2012-05-23
Great if you have antenna restrictions Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
If you've got antenna restrictions, this tuner is one great way to get on the air. I don't have a big enough yard for radials to put up a vertical. Also don't have enough of an attic for decent size HF antennas. So I did a bunch of reading and decided to try the AH-4 with a 120' loop of wire on the roof of my 2-story house. I was able to feed the coax from the tuner into my 2nd story spare bedroom shack. The whole setup is pretty invisible and really works well. It tunes 80-6 meters just as advertised and the integration with Icom radios is seamless.

I'm running an IC-7200 right now and mainly got it because I thought I'd be forced to do most of my operating portable. The AH-4 works so well, I'm thinking about getting an IC-7410 and making the 7200 my backup/portable rig.

I'm a pretty new Ham and don't really have any brand loyalty but if it weren't for this tuner, I'd have a hard time getting on the air so as long as I live where I do, I'm probably sticking with Icom just because of the AH-4.
N2LJ Rating: 2012-05-02
Very useful! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had mine hooked up to an IC-7000 for just over 3 years, feeding a random length "delta" loop in the attic. It worked fine, so long as I stuck to 40 meters and up. Not the tuner's problem, but my ability to hang more wire in the air!

I understand why they did it, but it would be very nice to not need to solder on the coax connector, locking the weather-sealing grommet onto the coax. There must be a way to get the same weather seal without that.

BTW - the "cheap and cheerful" way to make a control extension is a pair of the Molex connectors from your local electronics supply, and a length of trailer wire from the automotive section of your favorite box store.

73!
N6CAZ Rating: 2012-02-24
So good I bought two! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased my first when attempting an HF mobile install in a Honda Civic in about 2005. I went through a few antenna revisions, starting with hamsticks and winding up with an 8' CB whip. No complaints whatsoever! I later moved it to a Toyota pickup and then upgraded the rig from an Icom 706MkII-G to an IC-7000. Even better!

The second AH-4 I purchased went to work at the home QTH, an antenna restricted townhome. I started with an attic loop, then later moved the antenna to a spot under the eaves with the antenna wire (about 70') up in a tree and over the roof peak. Everything I added or changed made it work better than before as time went on. The ground was only a counterpoise wire, and while everything about my location was bad, I had many contacts and no one ever spotted my stealth wire. I had contacts on almost all bands from 80M to 10m, even with bad band conditions. Can't say much for 6m, but the wire length was likely the problem. I simply made a J-pole for use there.

While I did have a brief problem on 6m in the mobile (the 8' whip is close to resonance and a no-no with this tuner) I have had NO issues with these workhorse tuners with three different Icom rigs. I've extended the control cables and even with harsh environments, there have been no failures. Amazing little boxes!! Oh, and they DO perform beyond specs - 160M will tune with enough wire and a good ground or counterpoise.

Now one is in the box after moving, and the other is sitting on my apartment balcony. Even with a shorter piece of wire and a ground to the railing, I am able to tune 80M-6m. I'm not sure I'd replace a dedicated resonant antenna for this if I could have it, but in a pinch it just WORKS!
N1FDX Rating: 2012-02-24
Works good for me. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have the AH4 installed in a PCV enclosure at the base of my DX Engineering 43' vertical remotely controlled from a 756pro3 in the shack. It works excellent, tunes 80 thru 6 with no problem. This is a great product. I've tried it with dipoles, loops and long wire and seem to work well there also. If you are one with antenna restrictions this tuner could be quite a help.
http://home.comcast.net/~n1fdx
9H1AK Rating: 2012-02-24
Very Good Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been using this AT during field days and what I use mostly is a 15ft.fishing pole with 47 ft of coiled wire. Its earthed direct to ground and contacts were made on all bands exept 1.8. I think its well spent and although a little bulky to carry stillmoney well spent.