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Reviews For: MAXX-COM AUTOMATIC ANTENNA TUNER

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : MAXX-COM AUTOMATIC ANTENNA TUNER
Reviews: 16MSRP: $395-$595
Description:
100% Solid State Construction. No moving parts to break or wear out. MAXX-COM is the most compact, simple, and efficient antenna tuner available! MAXX-COM matches in 1/1200th of a second. 150 - 2000 Watts. .1 - 250 MHz. VSWR is less than 1.5:1 on all frequencies.

Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.maxx-com.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00162.5
WB4IVG Rating: 2021-04-07
Not All that it is cracked up to be Bad or Good! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned several of these units over the years. I got the first one when it was introduced in Dayton years ago. My father WB4STQ and myself owned and operated a HAM Store. Our location did not provide for large or long wire antennas. The first one I got did in fact work, I used it on an off center fed DiPole with the long leg being some 83 feet and the short side being 22 feet. It was used almost daily on 80 Meter MARS at 4.001.5MHz, 4.020MHz, 6.997.5Mhz, 7.335MHz. I will admit it is a dummy load in a box, however the antenna radiates what it is capable of radiating the rest goes up in heat, in other words no common mode current or SWR as it is usually called. All antennas only radiate what they can! Some are more efficient than others. Look at the little Ham Sticks they have a great SWR but do not radiate well in comparison to the Bug Catcher type mobile antennas. So do Max-Comms Work the short answer is yes, but not as efficiently as other antennas. BTW T2FD's work on this same principle so does Beverage antennas.
DH5AK Rating: 2017-10-13
It works - but with modest efficiency Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I owned such a small MAXX-COM auto-tuner. Mine was white with a light-blue sticker on it, a feedthrough insulator at each side and a coaxial female on the wide side. I bought it used as I was VERY curious. I opened it but saw that the case was completely filled with a white resin. I used it on an endfed wire antenna, the counterpoise was the metal downspout. VSWR was acceptable from 80m up to 10m. However, my signals were quite low. All reports shoewd this. Then I built my own version: 1:4 balun on a ferrite core and 200Ohm/50W noninductive resistor at the output. The VSWR was good on all bands. The reports were a bit better, but still not acceptable. To compare this I used my old Collins matchbox. It had a 500pF variable capacitor, switchable fixed capacitors to gain a range of 0-1500pF and a 10µH roller coil from Johnson. I was able to find a match on many bands but NOT on all bands. All reports were 3 to 6 S-units better than with the MAXX-COM or my own broadband match. So, the MAXX-COM will be a 2 in my eyes, as it was too expencive in relation to its performance. My own version would receive a slightly better note but still NOT a 3 as it was cheap built from used parts. The Collins coupler would receive a 4 as it was NOT able to tune on all bands (its roller coil was too small). If I would need to work in a distress service, a MAXX-COM would by my fallback position and a modern automatic coupler my first choice.
T2FD and other terminated antennas have a higher efficiency than the MAXX-COM has. They radiate what they can and terminate then what was not radiated. But the MAXX-COM first terminates all RF-energy and raditates what is caused as an RF-voltage across the dummy load. In my eyes, this is the wrong way. However, if you just have a whip and do something like frequency hopping, you do not have a lot of choices...
AF2DX Rating: 2014-10-07
It works,SWR is almost ZERO Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I made my own from the MFJ dummy load that is nothing but a big resistor.
Maxx-Com is gone now my the Company sold those magic tuners all over the world and the USA Military also put them through many test and after that all carriers had at least one of them.
Can any one here tell my why a high priced tuner will work better?
All the tuner is doing is letting the rig see that low SWR and a 25 watt resistor does the same.BOB AF2Q
VA3DK Rating: 2014-09-21
Yup just junk!!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had to rest my suspicions.

Yup, just for fun, I finally got around to opening my old(flea market prize) a Maxcom tuner. It has some resistors, a toroid and a scrap circuit board that is not connected to anything.

It was fun, confirming it really is just junk.

I still am looking for my old antenna wire wax...:-)...

73's
Dave (VA3DK)
W4EAL Rating: 2011-05-22
The ARRL dummy load that works Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned this tuner for over 5 years. It has always worked. I had the center up at 35' and the ends of the 150' span were at 10'. All I can say is it works. I didn't cut it open, x-ray it or anything else. I just enjoyed it every day for the 5+ years I have had it. If it is a resistor (I don't believe a 50 watt resistor would fit in the case) so be it. I do believe there are coils of Teflon wire within. Can't be very large though. Pan it all you want, does not change the fact that it works very well. I had used it so long that I had forgotten how to use a manual tuner. I bought and installed the Buxcom 80-1nfinity windom and took the Maxx-com down. Just to be fair I have been using the windom for about 6 months now and it works very well. The Maxx-com is quieter though. I hear lots of signals I didn't hear on the dummy load tuner but all of them are unwanted (noise, static crashes and such) but the modulation of ops I want to work are there and quiet. No programming to do no relays to stick or burn from nearby lightning strikes and no power required to operate it. Sonny is a genius. Sorry to see he has gone to another calling, but I am going to take the Buxcom down and get back to the Maxx-com.

Denny
w4eal
KF8RM Rating: 2009-10-19
Hogwash ! Time Owned: N.A.
You can do the same thing by using a coax T connector on your dummy load and connect a wire to it - much cheaper and will get out equally poor ! Use a real antenna and tuner and you will get much better results ! WH ywould anyone want to spend hundreds of $ on a resistor in a box ? I have never owned one and never will - I'm smarter than that !
KK8ZZ Rating: 2009-08-26
What a Crock! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Add a little wire to a dummy load and you have this amazing POS... shows that someone will buy almost anything... Jeepers, guys... read up a little!
SWL377 Rating: 2008-07-09
lossy resistor antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
If you believe the hype build your own and save hundreds. I think the transformer is non essential. Just transmit into a 50 ohm resistor and attach some wire to radiate. If you want a closer copy, wind your own RF transformer on a torroid and connect it as a balun, 4:1 turns ratio ought to work.

It astounds me that any EE would endorse the mfr's performance claims, but rather than descend into that maelstrom I'll just say that I disagree. Anecdotal DX accomplishments mean zero. When conditions are right you can communicate with very low radiated power. People have worked HF DX transmitting into a coat hanger.

Do you wonder why no independent lab measurements of radiated power are presented? I don't.

MAX CON or MAX COMM? you decide.
WA4MZE Rating: 2007-07-16
IT ALWAYS WORKS !!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own 2 Maxx-Coms. I have also owned 3 other (brands) automatic tuners & 1 manual roller inductor tuner within the past 2 years.
I have 2 friends, one 60 miles & the other 330 miles from me that also use Maxx-Coms. We have compared signals on most bands with different antennas & tuners & have found that there is no appreciable difference in that the Maxx-Com will sometimes be 1 or 2 S units lower or higher depending on the antenna.
I am now spending the time talking on my radio that I was spending sending the other tuners back to either the factory or to the dealer.
Given my bad experiences with the other tuners, I am willing to trade a little power for reliability. Not one of the stations that I talk to each day, on any band, has mentioned a reduction in my signal.
Before you throw rocks at the Maxx-Com, please try one. Look at the instructions & pay close attention to the part on wire length & resonance.
It appears that some of you have deemed this product a scam just because you either haven't used it or you don't know what's inside of it.
Give me a break, I really don't care what's inside as long as it works.
Oh yeah, it does not have 50 relays inside of it to fail either.
As I mentioned, while my other tuners were dropping like flies, THE MAXX-COM ALWAYS WORKED.
K0KTB Rating: 2006-09-17
Works for me Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had the coupler for a year. Works just fine. Use an Icom IC7000 with HRD Deluxe on the computer and have worked all over the world on SSB and PSK 31. Does exactly what the specs say it will. It allows me to be completely frequency agile and never worry about tuning. I have used most modes and every one worked just fine. I really don't understand the people who can ding something without trying it. If you haven't used it, you don't know anything about it. Glad I don't have to buy a used car from you.