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Reviews For: MFJ-948 Deluxe Versa Tuner II

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : MFJ-948 Deluxe Versa Tuner II
Reviews: 34MSRP: $119.00
Description:
300 Watt fixed inductor tuner/4 pos antenna switch with tuned/untuned option/cross needle meter
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00343.7
W3LOW Rating: 2003-09-28
MFJ is OK Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Here is an update about my previous post:

Received a replacment 948 from MFJ about a week ago. Got it on the air is it works flawlessly and tunes up my G5RV easily. Nice tuner with and easy to read display and controls.
It's a keeper.

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Earlier 3-star review posted by W3LOW on 2003-08-30

Purchased this tuner a few months ago. Took the tuner out of the box the other day and heard loose parts rattling inside unit. Also noticed the 'inductor selector' switch would hardly move and felt awful. Took the cover off and found loose bits of plastic and an inductor selector switch that was broken. Called MFJ, they are going to send out a new tuner upon receipt of the broken one and cover the shipping back to me.
Thought, not bad service. The staff was willing to help and knowledgeable.
Probably will be a continued MFJ customer.

W3LOW
N3NDW Rating: 2003-07-13
A great tuner Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had this tuner for a couple of years, and its worked great. I used it on random wires form many locations in motel rooms when I travel, and on my 80 meter dipole at the house. Just a great tuner.
KC4IVG Rating: 2003-06-18
CRAP Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Horrible Capacitors that have 0...Yes ZERO spacing and rub badly....In other words both of them are a dead short over most of the tuning range

Horrible INDUCTOR that hardly makes contact


ABSOLUTE JUNK

The cardboard box it came in is worth more than the tuner

I bought new from R&L months ago. Packaging was first rate and no damage in shipping.

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Earlier 0-star review posted by KC4IVG on 2002-07-05

Recieved the tuner this morning via ups....well packed and no sign of damage.

Fired the rig up after connecting the tuner and its a nightmare!....no set indents that can be remembered or written down for tuning purposes. Seems they have replaced the tube style fixed inductor and plain switch with a nightmare of an inductor and its end edge wound on a peice of PVC with a switch built in!.....too many positions with not enough detents marked on case and it takes forever to find the right one. When I first turned the knob it felt sick as if the knob was slipping on the shaft making a grinding noise! Had to open it up to see if something had come loose in shipping.

Its a 5 min job to tune a 80 meter dipole on 80 meters or the same on ten meters. Sometimes its impossible to get anything to tune at all.



I looked inside and found the super cheap inductor costing all of ten cents and two fairly nice looking ceramic ended capacitors....Nice looking until you turn them....the plates first slide and touch one side then the other....It looks as if they have been stepped on in the shop somewhere before they were put in!


The best thing you can do is NEVER....I repeat..NEVER buy this tuner!!

You'll be glad you didnt!

They sell an even more deluxe version with a built in dummy load....Its just as bad according to some friends.

Mine goes back to R and L in the morning after less than two hours use. I rate it a 0 because its not worth picking up even as road kill...
VA3KAI Rating: 2003-05-24
Works okay for me Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought mine about 2+ years ago and use it to tune my 102' dipole and about 65' of 450 ohm ladder-line.

Tunes all bands (80M to 10M) quite well, good reference markings for easy re-tune when switching bands. Never had it open but all switches and tuning knobs work well and feel solid.

Still very happy with my purchase for $99 on sale while visiting U.S. on vacation.

73's...... Al