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Reviews For: MFJ-259B

Category: Antenna Analyzers

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Review Summary For : MFJ-259B
Reviews: 238MSRP: 259.95
Description:
HF/VHF Antenna Analyser
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-259B
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
152384.2
OZ1ESC Rating: 2013-01-29
Flawless Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I guess i'm one of the lucky ones, that "won" a perfect example of the 259-b.
It has been at work here in the schack(and a lot outside), without a single hickup.
I put 10 NiMh cells in for convenience, and although it now is a bit heavy, i just love this gem.
All the best
oz5es / (ex-oz1esc)
AF4BH Rating: 2013-01-20
I hate to love it and love to hate it at the same time! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is my follow up to my original review made on Dec 1, 2011 22:45. Life took a turn on me so I set aside all my antenna projects for over a year. I took it out and charged the device back up. Turned it on and the device showed that it went through the initializations. OK! I've got all my parts ready and began to make my match box for my EFHWA.

You have no idea how frustrated I got spending 3 straight nights to find a resonance on a simple LRC using a 3K resistor, a 250pf variable capacitor, and a T-200-6 torrid. There was nothing I could make the MFJ-259B to make a meaningful reading. The stupid thing stuck at >25 SWR, and R=>650 the whole damn time! No matter what I had done!

Frustrated with my seemingly bad craftsmanship on the circuit, my attention turned to the MFJ-259B itself. I asked my self if the thing was really that bad. After all, I spend $200+ a year ago and the thing had been virtually sit in the box unopened except when I put 10x new rechargeable batteries in it. In other words, it was brand new, and totally unused; which also means that it just came out of MFJ factory.

My EFHWA project was now taking a sudden turn to trouble shoot the MFJ-259B. I did done a lot of researches. Many had said that the detector diodes would be the bad guy under strong static and/or nearby AM stations. Fear of having one or all four detector diodes burnt, I tear the whole thing apart just to locate the 4 detector diodes.

Step 1: Visual inspection. The SO-239 has a thin wire solder to the circuit board. It really looked suspicious because the contact point underneath it looked very dry (or lack of solder).

Step 2: Before I proceed any further, I wanted to make sure if the local oscillator still worked. I tuned the MFJ-259B to a specific frequency. It worked!

Step 3: Before I tear the whole thing apart while suspected a bad solder join at the main signal input, I took out my VOM then verify the connection from Step 1. Load and behold! There is no connectivity between the SO-239 and the circuit board!

Step 4: Put my dummy load in and vola! The thing was fixed!

How can that possibility be done with a new device that just roll off the manufacturing line? This is totally unacceptable and unbelievable how incompetent their QC are. You are talking a simple dummy load check to see if the display could show 1.0 SWR. It is that a simple check and it apparently did not take place.

Within seconds, I was able to verify my 9:1 un-un was working according to my plan once the MFJ-259B was fixed. I love how this device can save me hours of guess work, but also hate how this device wasted hours of my time to repair BEFORE it started to work!

Sad. Very sad!

----------------------
Earlier 2-star review posted by AF4BH on 2011-12-01

Just arrived today from Gigaparts. They had a pretty good sale price during the black Friday week. Anyway, I opened the Gigaparts' packaging and took out the white rectangular MFJ-259B box. As soon as I grabbed the box, I heard something rattling inside.

Not Good!

On the bottom of the device, there was a red label apparently affixed by a QC individual. It was done on 9/22/2011.

Anyway...

I opened the battery compartment and there sat a lone screw washer. I picked it up and got ready to put it back together, but the rattling did not end.

I had to open the rest of 6 screws before I found an aluminum screw sitting on the bottom of the case. I extracted the screw and examined where that came from.

Oh well, I think that the screw and the washer are free gift from MFJ. So I actually paid less for more!

I am waiting for my rechargeable batteries to arrive so I can't tell if the thing actually will work or not.

MFJ, why did you do this to me? I really want to give you a 5 but you have determined to disappoint me. Sigh!

p.s. I'll post a follow up after my initial use. Good luck to you all new owners.
AG6GX Rating: 2013-01-12
Extremely Handy Unit for Homebrew Antenna Building & Tweeking Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Borrowed a friends unit (KT6LN) and it worked perfectly, any one who is considering antenna construction will find this unit invaluable. Greatly improved the reception performance as well as transmition performance. I built a maypole 4 element inverted V cut for 80/40/20/10 meters with less than 2.0 VSWR on all bands - can tune up on 17 and 6 meters as well. (Performance there is not great but reasonable.
KD6ET Rating: 2013-01-05
Start With Dummy Load Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
For dummies I was totally lost in the instructions. Finally I tried attaching a carbon dummy load and then recorded all the readings at 7.2 MHz.
Then I attached what I thought was an antenna with a good SWR and recorded the same readings bext to those of the dummy load. Suddenly most of the readings made sense. Here the are:
Dummy Load---------------------------Antenna
Impedance measures from display and meters:
SWR=1.2, R=47 X=9------SWR=1.0, R=52 X=7
Same Measures From analog meters:
SW5=1.3, R=52------------SWR=1.2, R=50
-----------------------------------------------
Coax Loss=10db-----------Coax Loss=11db
Capacidance:C=2378pf, Xc=9 C=2267pf, C(X=0), Xc=9
Inductance :L=0.205uH,Xl=9 L=0.237uH, Xl 10
Considering the variability in meter measures, the two sets of measures are very close meaning that the antenna's electrical characteristics compare favorably to a dummy load except the dummy load radiates heat and the antenna radiates RF.
VE3GZB Rating: 2012-12-14
Absolutely smashing! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had this for over a year now and no ham shack should be without such a versatile tool! It takes so much guess work out of antenna building!

There's been not a lick of trouble out of mine.

If there's anything I would change, it would be to possibly add a fine tune pot next to the main tune pot.
K5WZI Rating: 2012-11-23
Great Tool! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just received my 259b from HRO. I've already determined the resonant frequency of my new moxon.
No problems at all with the analyzer! Perfect!
So easy to use!
VA3IF Rating: 2012-09-09
Great Item but.. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is an indispensable tool for anyone who toys with antennas. IMO it is well worth the money spent. It works very well and agrees with the SWR meter on my FT-950. It is easy to operate in the normal mode, and the manual is clear. One of the things it does in the advanced mode is finding faults in coax. This tool told me that there was a fault 81 feet from its insertion point and it was right on the money.
On the downside, the build quality is not there. There was a loose screw inside the unit right out of the box. The front face was marred and scuffed in three places; it looked as if it had been used on field day by a klutzy ham. Also one screw on the battery access panel was not "run in" properly and was driven in partially (and at an angle) I couldn't believe that the quality control sticker had been affixed to the unit and then it had been shipped in that condition.
That being said, for the money it is a real time-saver and, after seeing the unit perform, I would definitely buy it all over again. I just wish that the build quality wasn't so disappointing.
LNXAUTHOR Rating: 2012-08-26
9 years and still great! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
have had my 259 for a number of years and it has served me well

this is one of the standard pieces of equipment every ham should have

i only just had to fix one small problem recently: the machine screw and star nut holding the analog meter bracket loosened and rattled free - no problem - just removed the screws and re-installed and tightened w/a little blue loctite

i wish the AA compartment was easier to get to, but honestly, i just use an external AA holder and power cord when i want to use the unit

i'll have this analyzer as long as i'm a ham
KJ4FGI Rating: 2012-07-26
Can't beat the price Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased mine 2nd hand, I have built Baluns and antennas, I don't have three thousand dollars on a pro unit and this has all the bells and whistles I need and more that ones in its class.It does have a lot of functions. I use rechargeable batteries in this one and also my MFJ-249, yes, the quality of assembly (solder joints) look like a 9 year old assembled it but it works and is inexpensive.
M0CFM Rating: 2012-07-09
Very Good! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Got mine from the main UK supplier, Box was un- opened and on first inspection found the power switch surround was rattling inside! Typical MFJ, such a shame you have to do a final QC on the product! Why don't they have a website where you can leave feedback and report the initials that are written on the little red QC label? In fact why have a QC label?
As per most MFJ products, once inspected/repaired they work very well!
Sort out your Quality Control MFJ!