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Reviews For: Yaesu FC-30

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FC-30
Reviews: 41MSRP: 200.00
Description:
Matching Tuner for FT897 - mounts on the side of the FT897
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00413.2
LU1DAW Rating: 2008-03-10
Perfect to use with CP-6 Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
What use with a Diamond CP-6 and I worked quite well, the fan is turned on only tx.
I use it on the base together with the internal power suply and is excellent!
I recomended for use with a multi-band antenna and you want to expand the bandwidth.
Best 73´s
Rodrigo
LU1DAW/EB3BGM
LA9AKA Rating: 2007-10-27
Buy something else... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought one for my FT-897, but I was not satisfied at all. Limited tuning range and noisy fan. The CAT port is also occupied by the tuner, so rig ctrl is impossible. Think the LDG AT-897 is a much better choice.
IW1DFU Rating: 2007-07-23
Wasted money Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've bought an FC 30 to complete my FT897D for outdor use... but I'm sure I've wasted my money. It's not able to tune anything that has more than 1:2 of SWR... so, it's a non sense ATU... Yes, it look nice, but nothing else. Don't try to tune a G5RV because you will not be able to do . Better to buy an LDG, not so nice to watch but it' cheaper and it works 1000 times better!
PU2POP Rating: 2007-07-17
Decepção / Total deception Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Decepção total quanto ao desempenho do Yaesu FC-30. é melhor operar sem nada de que com ele.

Os projetistas deste equipamento deveriam ser condenados á guilhotina por terem projetado algo que realmente não funciona. E CUSTA MUITO CARO.

Nota: Zero com louvor

Total deception as for Yaesu FC-30'S acting. it is better to operate without anything that with him.

The planners of this equipment should be condemned á guillotines for they have projected something that doesn't really work. AND VERY EXPENSIVE COST.

Notice: Zero with praise!
WA7PAT Rating: 2007-07-11
Major Disappointment Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Well, I really don't understand why any company would put their name on a product that so severely under-performs. Shame on Yaesu.

I'm a rookie and this is my first rig. I bought the FT-897 with the internal power supply and this tuner. I put up a G5RV that I bought at the same time, then tried to figure out what I was doing wrong. I could only tune on 15mtrs; everything else was too high of swr.

I was planning on pulling the antenna down, but got some advice that I should try a different tuner. I picked up the LDG AT-897 and was immediately tuning on 10, 20, 40, & 80. I haven't tried any others yet.

Too bad. It looks great hooked to the radio, but it's suppose to tune antennas. I didn't get any value from it at all. I'm feeling too guilty to sell it some other poor sucker on eBay. I just can't do that to another human being.
EI3GDB Rating: 2006-12-30
TUNER ? Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
NICE BLACK BOX IF YOU HAD A PROJECT IN MIND,YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
M3GNM Rating: 2006-12-04
Yaesu FC-30 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
From looking at the tuner the build quality is outstanding as per normal with Yeasu, but sadly that's where the compliments end.

On connecting to my FT 897D, while certainly looking the part, I didn't come up to my expectations on ANY band. I should explain that I am using a full size G5RV, which any other tuner (and I have tried most of 'em!) would tune up without thinking about it. The FC 30 tuned only when the SWR was more or less 3:1, which is fair enough I suppose, but in the days of tuners that will virtually tune a wire coat hanger, this is really unacceptable, especially considering the price.

I am not sure if anyone has really had a VERY good experience with this tuner, however I decided to "cut" various dipoles and home made verticals for the various bands and the tuner handled them fine (bearing in mind that they were cut to near perfection!) and even then the tuner was struggling. I decided to use my MFJ tuner and without hesitation or bother, it tuned EVERY band on the one antenna i.e. G5RV. The FC 30 came no where near this. Overall a bad tuner, but the only saving grace being that it is well built. I am afraid that this experience with the tuner might have actually put me off Yeasu because if this is the type of gear that is now being sold at over inflated prices, I believe that Yeasu has finally taken it's eye of the ball. Stick with the manual tuners.... ok, a little bit fiddly tweaking and tuning, but in the long run, you will get a much better match and no worrying about your radio busting into flames.
ZS6DX Rating: 2006-05-21
Works as advertised Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This tuner works as advertised, it will tune any antenna with a SWR of 3:1 or better. I can tune a 40m dipole for the whole 40m band, the whole 15m band as well as the 6m band, as expected. It will also tune my other antennas at any spot with a SWR of 3:1 or better. Hams who have problems with this antenna tuner should read the instructions and look at their expertize, maybe they don't know what they are doing ? Or should they look at their antennas ? It WON'T tune a wet noodle, but then Yaesu never claimed it would. It will tune any antenna that my Icom AT-180 will. I think this is a prime example of the sad fact that you cannot believe everything you read on the net. I almost did not buy this tuner because of the bad reviews here, it was only because my friendly dealer gave me one to test that I am now the happy owner of one. Thanks ZS6UZ !

73, Rudi de ZS6DX/V51VE
VK2TLG Rating: 2005-06-27
FC-30 = POS Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The FC-30 well what can you say but one thing, its a POS. The Yaesu Technicians should hold there heads in shame to allow a piece of rubbish like this onto the market. I bought this tuner because I have a FT-857 and FT-897. So I thought it be good to buy a tuner that can operate on both radios. Like other reviewers on this tuner, I should have read the reviews first. I have an old Kenwood TS-450S and the ATU out tunes the FC-30 by far. The FT-897 and FT-857 are excellent little radios. Its just a pity that Yaesu didn�t put the effort into its tuners like they put into there radios. Highly recommend you don�t buy a FC-30 tuner opt around for a third party one, at least they can build a tuner
MM0MSS Rating: 2005-06-07
Avoid this tuner! Buy an LDG Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this tuner as a "bundled package" with my FT897... I thought I was getting a good deal. I wish I had read the eHam reviews first though.

My big issue with this tuner (aside from the poor tuning performance) is that if you use it you are unable to use the CAT interface on your FT897. I really need to link my FT897 to my laptop, so I now need to buy another tuner (maybe the LDG)...

I naively assumed that the CAT interface would work alongside the tuner. It was only after the goods had been delivered that I realised the tuner used the same port as the CAT.

Avoid this tuner.

Mark, MM0MSS