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Reviews For: MFJ-989C

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : MFJ-989C
Reviews: 144MSRP: 360
Description:
Handles 1500 watts PEP SSB output power
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-989C
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001442.7
KI4CRA Rating: 2008-01-06
Something Else Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I picked this tuner up in a trade a couple of weeks ago, so this is just a first impression kind of review. First off, let me say that the 989 tuner I have is the "B" model, Versa Tuner V. As I said I picked this up in a trade, not real sure how old it is. It is very clean on the inside, which suprised me to say the least. No burnt smell, no loose connections, no loose solder connections, all is as it should be. I hooked this up to my Yaesu FT-897D and a 102' G5RV. I am not running any power, The max power I have is 200 watts from my Kenwood TS 480HX. Anyway, having said that, when hooked to my 897 and the G5RV, this tuner tuned it all down to a 1:1 SWR from 80-10 meters. True there is no power there, am thinking of asking one of the guys here in town who do run amps. to hook it up and give it a go.
The only thing I found, was that the inductor knob is a little tighter turning than my MFJ-962D tuner is, (see my review on the MFJ-962D). All in all not a bad tuner, have to wait and see how things go and will give an update in a couple of months. Hope to catch you on the air. From my QTH to yours 73 all, have a good day.

73 de Mark
AI4HO
N4HNH Rating: 2007-12-06
Good tuner! Almost great tuner! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned my MFJ-989C for many years. I used it to tune a G5RV back in the 90's. I needed a tuner that could handle the 1KW from my Ameritron AL-80B. I have been very pleased with the range of the tuner. It could probably tune a tin roof.

I have read reviews where users mentioned arcs coming from the inductor. They attributed it to the lubricant used to lubricate the roller. Mine did arc the first couple of times I put high power into it and then it was fine.

One complaint keeps me from giving the tuner a 5. The roller inductor becomes intermittent over time. Certain spots make little or no connection. For example I tune my ladder-line-fed 160M dipole up for 20m with an inductance setting of 8. But I have to go between 7 and 8 to get solid electrical contact. I usually tune to close proximity by watching the S-meter on receive and I can hear when the roller loses contact with the coil.

I looked inside the tuner and noticed the "greasy" substance that seemingly is intended to keep the roller from squeaking. But it seems that over time it builds up between the roller and the rod it travels back and forth on. This rod is also a conductor and needs to make solid contact with the roller. But what I have discovered is a black residue collecting on the coil turns and the roller surface, seemingly from the lubricant’s reaction to current flow. I guess I will try some tuner cleaner and live with a squeaky roller.

Have I considered another tuner? Sure! I purchased an LDG AT-1000Pro auto-tuner from HRO just today. They told me it would tune just about anything, including ladder fed dipoles, if I purchased a 4:1 balun to connect the ladder line to the tuner. I gave it a try this evening. Of course this is the subject of a different review but the LDG AT-1000Pro fell short of being able to tune the 160m dipole to 160m or 80m, while the MFJ-989C can handle it well. I get a perfect match with the MFJ-989C.

When tuned with the MFJ-989C on 75/80m and 20m the 160m dipole at 35 feet usually out performs my off-center-fed dipole that is at 50 feet. The LDG is supposed to be able to handle a 10:1 SWR so my MFJ-989C must surely go beyond that.
AF6XN Rating: 2007-07-23
Does need to be tweeked etc. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased mine some time ago at eBay. The 989C was not represented properly so needless to say, the guy got negative feedback. That said, I had to retrofit a new meter bulb, replace the roller inductor belt (free from MFJ thankfully), snap the dummy load back in (one side was completely off the post), clean the bunt carbon stuff off the inductor coil and clean the roller, then re-assemble the best I could so it wouldn't wobble. Since I kind of got burnt with this eBay purchase I figured I had nothing to loose by going through it myself. I downloaded the instruction manual from the MFJ site and noticed that the Recommended Tuning Chart differs from my unit. I figure it's because the chart is for the gear driven model and mines the belt driven inductor. (does anyone have a chart for the belt driven model)

The dummy load seems to be off a little since it's SWR is 1.2:1

Now that it's cleaned up and everything seems to work fairly good, I figure for the money it's doing what it's supposed to do. It will tune my ground mounted vertical on all 4 bands and it tunes my 17M eve mounted dipole. My amp is only good for 400 to 600 watts so I probably won't have any problem with arcing. For the price ($100) used, it's better than shelling out the bucks for a legal limit auto tuner for now.
K2FDR Rating: 2007-07-22
Aim I lucky or what? Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This berated tuner has performed beautifully for me. I purchased is used for 150. about four years ago. I have run 1500 watts key down without issue. Two problems since I have owned it... the light bulb blew out, and secondly the rubber belt snapped. The lightbulb is still out, however, MFJ sent me a few extra replacement belts at no charge.

Worst sin: the wattmeter tends to read slightly lower than reality.
K8ICB Rating: 2007-01-28
The manual is wrong ! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The MFJ manual has a lot of wrong information .The inductance is at zero when the counter is on zero.
On my unit which I purchased used , the capacitors were wide open at the zero settings , they should be fully closed .The charts and tables are also incorrect for start up settings . I contacted MFJ and was told they had been that way for some time , they just never got around to correcting them.
The unit works great when I reset the capacitors and did not pay any attention to the charts in the manual , I down loaded several manuals for different tuners and found the same mistakes time after time .
73
Dan
K8ICB in Florida
KG6KGP Rating: 2006-05-17
ok for the money Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It works OK as long as you limit the power to 1.5kw like we should. I use it with an OCF dipole and it tunes everything except the low end of 160. I've blown the meter diodes which I have also done with other swr meters.

The belt drive for the inductor turns-counter was a constant frustration until it broke. I then cut nylow press-on gears (having a cnc lathe and mill) and now I am very pleased that this constant annoyance is fixed. Feel free to contact me if you would like a set of gears though they are one-off and expensive unless I had enough to batch them. clist at hanler.com
KI6LO Rating: 2006-03-29
Fair Design - Poor Quality Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Having owned and repaired this tuner more times than deemed necessary, I think I am in the market for something a bit more reliable. I bought this tuner several years second hand. The gent I got it from said it had problems, so I figured it would need a going over. What I found was unbelieveable:

1) The TRANSMITTER tuning capacitor rotor plates were mounted incorrectly so that they started parallel on one end and were tilted so much that they almost touched the stator plates on the other end of the cap. Took this apart and realigned and secured the assembly correctly.

2) SWR/POWER meter was way out of alignment. Showed about 25% less than my Bird 43. Realigned to match Bird 43 reading.

3) With all the hardware tighened and secure, the case is twisted to the point that it rocks when trying to tune. Solved the problem (at tleast for me) by placing a power supply on top of tuner. Holds it down firmly to allow easy one hand tuning.

4) Rotating inductor readout gearing is very cheaply made and eventually cracks with age. I have had to rebuild mine to get accurate readings.

5) Inductor had some sort of what appeared to be lubricant on it (not sure if from previous owner or MFJ) causing spotty operation. Cleaned the coil and adjusted it for smooth even operation. Worked good afterwards.

All in all, the tuner appears to made of stout material capable of handling a far amount of power. I don't use an amp so I can't speak for its ability to handle full legal power. After I gave it some TLC, I haven't found any situation where it hasn't been able to match the antenna to the rig.

Maybe MFJ has cleaned up their act on the 989 in the newer releases. If you get one, I would recommend a thourough checkout inside the case prior to using. If it is not done right, send it back for another one. Better yet crack the cover in the store before you buy one (if they'll let you do it).

Gene KI6LO
WE1X Rating: 2006-03-29
The Dog's Breakfast Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Had one several years ago. As with 3 other MFJ products I owned the quality was unacceptable. No doubt there is a market for cheaply priced and cheaply made amateur equipment as there is with everything else. However, I could not accept the fact that I needed to open up new equipment, check for loose components, bad solder joints, etc. on my time and nickle. Further, any manufacturer that expects the buyer to do so does not have the consumer's interest at heart.
NB2A Rating: 2006-03-28
Poor quality Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned this a few years now. It seems over the time owned I have noticed the following:

1)Arcs abitrarily with AM/FM less that 500 watts of a second or two of keydown.
2)Main inductor goes off track at end easily without being able to tell where actual end is due tot he fact number settings seem to be inaccurate.
3)Opening up to mechanical reset inductor was a problem due to screws being too tight and two heads snapping off.
4)Paint seems to be discoloring as well.
5) Ground connection is in the middle not accessible that easily without a lot of effort needing to have everything disconnected to tend to. Using this as a central ground point in the shack makes this a pain.
6)Lamp inoperative too with only being used a few times.
7) Cross needle readings are a pain and SWR reading is not that easy either because of side type view on meter.
8) I had one and only RF issue in the shack ever with a vertical running through this tuner. It was corrected with chokes but wonder why I never had this issue with my beam. Only with using this tuner and the vertical did this take place. Coincidence? You decide.


In summary all I can say is I am thinking about buying more MFJ products such as the MFJ 269 antennas analyzer. I hope its better quality.





WK9L Rating: 2006-03-21
The vswr Slayer Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Well guys this a follow up after 2 years it is still going great I bought a mint dentron MT2000A
tuner a while back to compare after A-B'ing the 2
decided to keep the 989C you know why because the MFj out performed it! I don't know what some reveiwers are running for antennas but I have never had a one instance of any problem with this tuner! I run any where from 1 kw to 1400 watts from a Al80B and a big dentron amp from 160 to 10 meters. Flawless operation all the time, If I buy something used I would not blame it one manufacter, if it is a peice of crap I would figue just maybe, the other guy may of abused it, just maybe? And as for Palstar they make a ok tuner but for there price and QC, way over priced as well, And yes I have played with the at1km and guess what it wobbled and would not tune like the mighty fine junk conclusion, way over priced, If you want a resonable tuner that will tune a real antenna once again I have to say this the MFJ 989C is it. And also make sure you know how to use a antenna tuner, that is not a joke there are things that can and can't be done with a tuner no matter who makes the tuner. And that is all I have say about that!
Forrest G.