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Reviews For: MFJ-993

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : MFJ-993
Reviews: 123MSRP: 259.95
Description:
MFJs exclusive IntelliTuner™, Adaptive Search™ and InstantRecall™ algorithms give you ultra fast automatic tuning with over 2000 non-volatile revolving memories. You get a highly efficient L-network, wide 6-1600 ohm matching at full 300 Watts SSB/150 Watts CW, 1.8-30 MHz coverage, Cross-Needle and digital meters, aural SWR meter, backlit LCD display, remote control port, radio interface, heavy-duty 16 amp/1000 volt relays and more.

It learns while you're having fun
As you’re ragchewing, contesting or DXing, your MFJ-993 is learning! When you transmit, the MFJ-993 automatically tunes for minimum SWR and remembers your frequency and tuner settings. The next time you operate on that frequency and antenna, these tuner settings are instantly restored and you’re ready to operate in milliseconds!

Each of two antennas can learn and remember over a thousand frequencies and tuner settings. They are safely stored in non- volatile revolving memory.

Highly Intelligent ultra fast tuning
MFJs InstantRecall™ first checks its memory to see if you have operated this frequency before. If so, tuning is instantaneous and you re ready to operate. If not, MFJ's IntelliTuner™ algorithm - - based on MFJ's famous SWR Analyzer technology - - kicks in. It measures the complex impedance of your antenna. Next, it calculates the components it needs and instantly snaps them in. Then, it fine tunes to minimize SWR -- you’re ready to operate. It’s all done in a fraction of a second.

When the impedance is within its measurement range, the MFJ-993 is the fastest automatic antenna tuner in the world.

If it can’t accurately determine impedance, MFJ’s AdaptiveSearch™ algorithm goes into action. Frequency is measured and relevant components values are determined. Only those values are searched for ultra-fast tuning.

For even faster searches, you can set the target SWR to 2 (settable 1.0-2.0). You can manually tune when you can’t transmit (for listening out of ham bands).

Cross Needle and Digital SWR/Watt Meters
Lighted Cross-Needle and digital meters lets you accurately read SWR, forward and reflected power at a glance. An aural SWR meter lets you hear the tuned SWR when you can’t see or read the meters. Turn on a highly visible, instant response SWR LCD bargraph when you need it.

Backlit LCD Display
An easy-to-read backlit LCD displays SWR, forward/reflected power, frequency, antenna 1/2, L/C tuner values, on/off indicators and other information.

Remote Control Port
Plug in the MFJ-990RC remote control and put your tuner at your antenna or elsewhere and control it remotely. The MFJ-993 supports radio tuner interfaces such as the ICOM 706 series. Interface cables are available.

The MFJ-993 is a compact 10Wx2¾ Hx9D inches. Use 12 –15 VDC/1 amp or 110 VAC with MFJ-1316.

Tune any Antenna
You can tune any antenna — dipoles, verticals, beams, phased arrays, inverted vees, quads, random wires, mobile antennas, compact limited space antennas – practically any antenna. A 4:1 true current balun lets you tune any balanced antenna - - horizontal loops, vertical loops, multi-band doublets, quads, folded dipoles, Zepps.


Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001234.4
M0VEY Rating: 2010-02-10
Useful Addition to the Shack. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought a used MFJ993 at a sensible price. I wanted an auto atu installed at the feedpoint of my 126 foot " Inverted L Antenna " . I did not want to pay the price of an SGC etc. Also, the SGC would have a maximum of 200w . When used with my Icom IC-775DSP I wanted something that could cope with the power from the radio & have something in reserve.

That is why I went for the MFJ993 . This atu has a lot of features. They are probably wasted on me as the 993 now sits inside a large waterproof electrical enclosure.

I bought the plastic enclosure for less than £20
I mounted the atu inside the enclosure using some brackets. I also fitted a surface mount so239 & some banana plugs to connect up the antenna & the earth system. Power was supplied using 6 core rotator cabe, so I had some spare wire for any other project. I have an on/off switch in the shack for power to the atu.

The atu is left permanently switched on in the enclosure. It is also set to auto. Once the atu senses rf it starts the tuning procedure.

This atu will tune my antenna on ALL BANDS from 160m to 10m. It even tunes ok on the 60m band that I have a NOV for. The only non tune was on 80m below 3.7mhz. I do have a dedicated Windom for 80m tho'. I would imagine the antenna would tune all 80m if the overall length was altered.

It would not be too much of a problem to move this box from the base of my antenna & use the antenna for portable work etc.

All in all, I'm happy that I've homebrewed an external atu which has resulted in my signal having an increase of 1-2 s points on 160m. My feedline is around 165 feet long, so this has helped prevent losses in the coax.

If anyone would like any details or pics of the mods I did to convert this atu into a remote external atu, just drop me an e-mail. My details are correct by QRZ. com .

More details of this atu are here:

http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-993B

Regards,

Phil. m0vey
KJ4MNX Rating: 2009-08-15
Great value Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is my first MFJ product. I wanted an antenna tuner that was not transceiver specific; one that would work with any transmitter within it power range. It works and works well. It is not really that noisy as some folks have posted. It is easy to use and "improves" with each automatic tuning cycle. The owners manual is just fine with me...I find it easy to read and understand. It tunes balanced as well as unbalanced loads and has the capability to manage two antennas. It is a well designed antenna tuner...the LCD readout, the SWR/Power meter, and the frequency counter are quite accurate and in agreement. Several thousand "memory locations" make this antenna tuner a fine value. It will save your transmitter a lot of grief if you regularly use off-resonate multiband antennas like my G5RV.
ND9B Rating: 2009-03-18
Works as advertised, except the peak power reading. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The only complaint I have with this product is the lack of peak power reading. Even with "Peak Hold On" set in the menu, neither the analog meters, the bar meter, or the numeric readout indicate anywhere near true peak power on SSB. I have to temporarily switch to CW to get an accurate power reading. I'm hoping that MFJ will see this review and come up with a software update to fix this.

Otherwise, I find this product performs well. If the peak-hold really worked, I would rate it a 5.
N3UJJ Rating: 2009-02-04
GREAT TUNER Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This was my first tuner (bought at the recommendation of the dealer), so I had nothing to compare it to. Well it’s been almost 2 years and this tuner has performed flawlessly. It has tuned everything I have thrown at it. Yes the manual could be better, and the cable for my IC-7000 took 3 months to arrive (I built my own in 20 minutes). I am so pleased with this tuner, I bought a MFJ-998 2 months ago when I bought an amplifier.
KE8U Rating: 2009-01-10
993B opinion Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought the 993B a couple of months ago and upon removing it from the box I noticed that the analog watt meter was defective.It was stuck in the 10 watt position. I called the dealer and they said that I bought the last one and would have to wait until another came in to exchange it. I put it on line and every thing except the watt meter worked fine. Other than the watt meter I was pleased with the purchase. As usual the MFJ instruction manual was written in the usual haphazard way of other MFJ instruction manuals and nearly impossible to understand. I returned the autotuner and was refunded my money. Some day I will learn to avoid the poor quality control of MFJ.
K9YEQ Rating: 2008-11-21
Excellent tuner @ great price Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I would like to ditto VE3FDT's review. I have owned enough tuners from other manufacturers over the years to rate this one as excellent. I just bought the 600w version and it does an excellent job also! I remote these devices at the foot of the antennas and inside a weather-proof box, I will not waste my money on any more outdoor enclosed units. This unit does what I needed it to do. MFJ is a different Co. than what we have seen in the past.
VE3FDT Rating: 2008-10-17
Another MFJ product that works great! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Decided to write this review because I will be parting my ways with 993B soon. Not that there is anything wrong with it. Quite to the contrary! Just need more power, then maybe MFJ-998?

Another MFJ product I own that works great!

MFJ-993B is well-constructed and does exactly what the specs say it will do. I have owned it for over two years now and it has worked just flawlessly.

Any of the MFJ haters willing to explain my luck?

MFJ 993B is fast and accurate. It quickly (or "instantaneously" if the frequency has already been operated on) finds the match within pre-set SWR limits. It handles my DeltaAlpha multi-band dipole DX-LB+ anywhere between 1.8 to 30 MHz. (Also handles my 20-10 meters 5 band Hexbeam extremely well, but that is no surprise.)

If I really had to come up with a complaint, the only thing to mention would be "loud", but truth be told it does not bother me that much. And even if you have extremely sensitive ears, it is worth suffering for the value to price ratio.

I again have to give a "5" to an MFJ product. Did that for my old MFJ-492X memory keyer and do it again! Another MFJ product that does what it is supposed to do at a very reasonable price.

Come to think of it: maybe the key is to never buy direct from MFJ. Maybe my luck comes from the go-between doing the QA for me and rejecting all those famous MFJ lemons long before I get a chance to lay my hands on them?
KA1YBS Rating: 2008-09-22
Nice Tuner Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Here is my opinion on the MFJ-993

I got the B version about 6 months ago.

I have used this tuner with three rigs over that time frame and it has served me well. I use 450 ohm feedline straight from the tuner to a 160m dipole. A very short run of RG-8 between the rig and tuner.

When I first got the tuner, every time I hit TX the box rattled and sounded like a gear was stripped on something. After 100 or so various spots were tuned, it is very quick to re-tune, usually in less than 2 seconds!!!

Much easier to deal with for band/frequency hopping like I do than a manual LC tuner! No more 'cheat-sheets'!

Now, the cons:
1. No peak power on SSB. I work mostly phone and I find it comforting to see my peak power sitting around 100w, but not on this tuner. An average conversation peaks at 40-50 and falls rapidly (as it should), I just like the peak reading of my old MFJ 949E tuner. I emailed tech, and they shrugged it off saying only a couple people complained :( There is a peak-hold function but it's useless.

2. My TX frequency is off on the MFJ display, always. I need to calibrate, I guess. It was always off from day 1

3. Sometimes (rarely) it just won't match. My first thought was my feedline was a little long/short, but after tuning somewhere else and then going back, it tunes... dunno.

4. Power lead is VERY short. I mean, 6 feet would be realistic!

5. Tuning is LOUD, my wife can hear it outside the shack on a few second match!!!!

All in all, a 4.5 on performance and a 4 on aesthetics. I have not opened it up to rate build quality, and won't because of Murphy...


KE4BIW Rating: 2008-08-21
Best purchase yet! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Finally I have a stealth, multi-band antenna that actually works, thanks to the 993B I purchased. I have tried numerous antennas and tuners over the last 18 months including LDG and SGC. The LDG just does coax so you get tons of loss on non-resonant antennas and the SGC coupler would feed window line but I always got tons of noise. Now with the 993 I feed a 40 meter dipole in the attic, fed by window line and it tunes every band from 40 to 10 to 1 to 1 SWR. The unit is easy to use and was operational with just a few minutes set up. I only wished I had bought this unit 18 months ago as I could have saved hundreds of dollars.
KQ4MK Rating: 2008-06-18
Very nice tuner, but don't buy direct.. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I also bought the "B" model, and use it with an Icom IC-7000 in a base configuration. I am still working the possibilities with this unit, but so far, it works like a charm. I'm very impressed. Someone mentioned that the binding posts were not up to snuff, but they seem to be the same standard MFJ red plastic posts that I have been used to since the 1980's. I never had one fail over the years, and they just work. I suppose they could be replaced with longer ceramic posts if that is important, but I'd rather keep the plastic version, and spend the ten bucks elsewhere.

I am using a 160 meter dipole strung between trees, and fed with 450 ohm ladder line. I started the transmission line length at the shorter range of the suggested lengths offered in the well written manual that came with the tuner, and trimmed it a bit from there allow a good match across the HF bands. So far, I have not had any problems getting a match across the HF bands.

The 450 Ohm line is intercepted by a lightning arrestor outside of the shack window that connects straight down to the mains ground, and enters the shack from there through a 2" thick styrofoam block about 1 foot high, and the width of the window opening. The window sash closes on top of it to hold the styrofoam feed through block in place, and the ladder line is terminated into a pair of Radio Shack bananna plugs that fit straight into the ends of the MFJ binding posts. It works perfectly. When I'm not operating the station, or when lightning is in the area, I can pull the plugs in one second, and push the feedline out, and flush against the styrofoam feed through block. Using bananna plugs with balanced line, or a longwire offers more electrical contact area, quick disconnect, and no clearance issues with the case.

All in all, I love the 993B. I used various manual tuners with 160, and 80 meter dipoles for years, and worried that an auto tuner wouldn't cut it, but it works like magic. Watching feedline length for odd 1/4 wave multiples on the various frequencies used is a matter of reality for ANY matching system, so that isn't unique to the 993B at all. If you hit some untunable impedances in a ladder line fed dipole system cut for your lowest operating frequency, do some feedline trimming, or add length until you get it right.

My only complaint is that I usually bought MFJ products at Hamfests, or in a radio store. This time, I ordered online through MFJ late on a Friday night. It wasn't until mid day Monday that they informed me that it was back ordered for possibly four weeks. Ouch! I cancelled that part of my order, and let them ship the power supply I also ordered at the time. Big mistake...

I found the 993B in stock at HRO for the same price, and free ground shipping. I ordered it, and it arrived in NJ from Deleware the very next day. The same day I ordered it, I had an order confirmation from HRO, as well as tracking info from UPS in my email within a few hours.

Late that day, MFJ sent me an email stating that "Your order is completed and will be shipped shortly. Please allow 7-10 days to recieve your order". I was never sent a UPS confirmation, and it cost me $20 for the pleasure of blindly waiting for days. If I also bought the power supply through HRO, I would have saved $20, and had it the next day.....

Lesson learned, but I love the tuner.

73
KQ4MK