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Reviews For: AUTEK RESEARCH VA1-RF1-RF5 RF ANALYST

Category: Antenna Analyzers

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Review Summary For : AUTEK RESEARCH VA1-RF1-RF5 RF ANALYST
Reviews: 109MSRP: 129.95
Description:
The pocket-sized RF1 is designed to check and adjust antennas,
Product is not in production
More Info: https://web.archive.org/web/20130523062036/http://autekresearch.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001093.2
WL7M Rating: 2000-08-01
A great piece of equipment Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Although I've only owned my RF-1 for a short while, it's saved me a lot of guess work on tuning antennas. I concur with other reviewers that the display "flickers" a bit, and the tuning controls are a bit fussy, but nonetheless, it's a great piece of equipment. It's small, light weight, and the battery has lasted quite a while, apparently unlike other SWR analyzers. Transfer your readings into a spreadsheet, and you can see exactly what you need to do to shift resonances, as well as add comments when you make a change so that you can track the "history" of what you've done - no guesswork. Nice job, Autek......73, Joe WL7M
VE3JKC Rating: 2000-07-21
Best on the Market Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned the RF1 and now the VA1. The Autek is the only low priced instrument on the
market that can analyze complex impedance of antenna systems. +_ j . Read the MFJ manual. It also can differentiate between C and L. Look at line impedances other than 50 ohms.
If you want to perform measurements other than VSWR , look at Autek. All in all a first class instrument.
W9JCM Rating: 2000-07-21
So so Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Got the RF1 it did a ok job but the freq. tuning is very touchy you think the money u pay for it, the thing would be a bit more stable. And the display is not to hot it blinks alot prob bad board or something. I didnt like the PLASTIC case. Come on guys lets one drop and smack thats it for the thing. I say go with the MFJ its a bigger but more advanced.
W6LSN Rating: 2000-07-21
affordable, useful & useable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The RF-1 is a great tool. It has helped me to tune my antennas as well as map their performance. My most recent antenna is a 100' long dipole fed by 450 ohm ladder line. It is fed in the shack by an antenna tuner. The first step of my process was to map the antenna's behavior from 0 to 30 MHz. I stored all of the data in a spreadsheet.

Again, using the analyzer, I determined the optimum match across all of the ham bands. I recorded all of the data available f, L, C, Z, SWR for future reference. I printed out a cheat sheet of the tuner settings so I can QSY quickly.

Very portable, easy to carry (on the roof or up a tower). LCD Display is readable in bright sunlight. Single 9V battery lasts several hours.

I agree with the others assessments of the tuning controls, coarse is too coarse and fine has insufficient range. Once you get the hang of it, you can anticipate where to pre-set the fine so you can adjust the coarse to a tunable setting. The switches are easily bumped though I have a solution I read somewhere. Obtain a ~3/8 inch wide piece of self adhesive foam weatherstrip 1/8 inch thick and about a half inch long. Using an appropriately sized drill bit, drill a hole from the back (adhesive) side of the strip. Attach the foam tape to the case over the switch. Viola, problem solved.
NX7U Rating: 2000-07-16
Must have for antenna work! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Great units for antenna work.
RF5 very handy for 6m antenna tuning, used it extensively on M2 HO-Loop, old A50-5 beam and various 6m mobile installations.
VA1 is a MUST for HF, particularly for mobile operators I should say. Small enough to easily carry along for emergency diagnostics on the antenna. It has saved many a trip for me.
The only real complaint is that physically they feel a bit "light", the buttons and knobs aren't "solid". But I have had absolutely no mechanical problems with either unit.
N4ZOU Rating: 2000-04-11
Must have test equipment! Time Owned: unknown months.
I use my Autek RF Analyst constantly. I use it to make coax traps and balun matching systems. I have even used it in building amplifers so that setting the taps on the inductors is easy with no guess work involved. They tune up first time I test run them into a 50 ohm load. Also great for what it is sold for, building antennas! A very nice feature is the auto off control, you can forget to shut it off and it will take care of the battery by shuting it's self off after a few minutes. There are a few things that can be added.
A loop for attaching it to yourself so you dont drop it while up a tower or pole setting up an antenna. A larger LCD display for viewing Frequency and SWR at the same time without the switching/blinking display between the two readings.
K5AF Rating: 2000-04-11
Great tool for calculating losses Time Owned: unknown months.
Using the Autek RF-1 and the very simple formula they provide, you can easily calculate line losses. You simply sweep the frequency control until you find a minimu Z reading, insert the reading into the formula, and presto, you can calculate your losses.

I have tested open wire feeders this way, and find very little change in losses whether the line is running through trees, is wet or dry, or even when its laying on the ground.

This is one of the most amazing little tools one could ever find for doing antenna work. My only complaint is that the display gets weaker as frequency increases, especially when the battery gets weak.
K3AN Rating: 2000-04-11
Great Product Time Owned: unknown months.
It is great for analyzing G5RV and other multi-band antennas. I have also used it to evaluate baluns, by putting different values of low-reactance resistors across the "antenna" terminals and measuring the impedance and SWR at the feedline SO-239 (that was a real eye-opener). Finally, when our Field Day group decided to go 2A for the first time, I used the Autek to cut the coaxial stubs that minimize rig-to-rig interference. It's easy on the battery, and small enough to take up the tower or onto the roof. Bravo, Autek!
AC5AA Rating: 1999-11-11
RF-1 - small, light, powerful Time Owned: unknown months.
The RF-1 analyst does an excellent job of providing SWR, C, L, and Z of antenna systems. It is small, light, and won't kill your wife if you drop it off the tower. Battery life seems quite good. Setting the frequency can sometimes be a little touchy, but once you get the feel of it, it's not an issue. A lot of value in a very small package.