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Reviews For: SGC SG-230

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : SGC SG-230
Reviews: 66MSRP: 595.00
Description:
SG-230 Smartuner automatic microprocessor antenna coupler.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.sgcworld.com/products/230/sg230.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00664.6
ON4VP Rating: 2003-11-16
The best flexible solution Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had several of these tuners before, but still have one, and it is so practical that I love it having nearby.

I used the SGC-230 smartuner in different locations, different setups, base with the DK8SQ fiber 33ft vertical, using the fence as a RF ground, used it on loops, inverted V's, end fed longwires, all you can think of.

I had the coupler in my car, using different lenghts of antenna, and over and over again I was amazed how well it works BUT :

YOU NEED A DECENT RF GROUND or you want have the results you expect !!!

The product works so well when you have a good ground, this means a good number of radials, a enough RF ground to tune against, a tower, a car chassis, all is OK when connected as it should.

I worked DXCC with this coupler, and I also had the 237 porta and the 231 (includes 50Mhz) but IMHO the 230 is the best product in the smartuner family, matches fastest, best results, handles 200 watts pep (so FT1000 or similar is ok) does full 100 watts CW or RTTY and has the best matching number of circuitery inside compared to the smaller models.

To sum it up, I love it even next to my big beams, still use it a lot, can't miss it when travelling or going /P.

I would recommend this product over and over again, just did BTW to a new ham.
K4AJR Rating: 2003-08-02
I agree with the 5/5's Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I installed the SGC-230 on my cruising sailboat eight years ago, in an aft locker beside the inverter and water heater. For those not familiar with the SGC-230, it uses only RF from the rig to activate tuning. The only connections are coax and 12VDC. It's been a solid, trouble-free performer with my TS-50S. I performed the manual-described mod to make tuning more sensitive to low power, and that works well. It tunes an insulated backstay instantly on 75-15, and I get great sig rpts. I bought another (used, almost new) a few years later to tune a random-length longwire from the home QTH, and that performs equally well. The SGC-230 would be my choice over so-called factory-matched AT's for their rigs.
MM1ANP Rating: 2003-07-07
WOW !!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
these things are always a compromise but hey, I havn't noticed it!

I need a stealth setup due to narky neighbours and with 7 radials under the lawn, and single wire round the bargeboards, the world beckons.

A great product and does exactly what it says on the box.

only gripe...a longer feed lead would have been useful

ON5ZO Rating: 2003-02-10
Works just fine Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
For the time being I am bound to a field day style setup when it comes to antennas. I used the SG-230 in combination with a DK9SQ 10m fiberglass pole to make a vertical and this works fine (with some 10 radials about 9m in length).

But the best results I had was on 40m CW: I made a delta loop with abt. 40m copper wire, and fed it with the SG-230 in one of the lower corners (2m above ground). VK/ZL coming in 599+20dB at EU sunrise, and also loud signals from the USA. Nice! This was in various contests, with 100W CW for over 24 hours. Tuned this configuration on 80m and worked my first QSO's towards WAS CW on that band - nice!

Someone wrote in his review that it's better to spend money on this coupler in stead of commercial multiband verticals, and it's true: you can also use this coupler to try other types of antennas (loops, inv. L's etc).

I had only one practical problem: the two nuts on the terminals cannot be tightened well with our European metric tools. It's either too small or too big. I pointed out this inconvenience to an American HAM friend of mine (who is a part time SGC representative I believe), and he promptly supplied me with a set of wingnuts for both terminals ànd a wrench that fits this size - for FREE.

Bottom line: I hesitated to spend the money on this but never regretted it, it's a versatile device, in a solid case.

- ON5ZO
KB5ZVV Rating: 2002-11-19
Will Spoil You Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought mine second handed, but new for about $200. I have a 70 foot inverted "L" mounted about 25 feet over a "fan" of ten underground radials of about 60 feet (the two outside radials are 130 feet, but are not straight due to property line). It is mounted two feet up a 30 foot tower with 3 eight foot ground rods and halo that is bonded to above mentioned radial system. A 3 inch wide copper strap bonds the tuner to the ground system. This forms a very good NVIS (near vertical incidence system or "cloud burner") for short to medium range use. It will tune 160 thru 10 with no problems. I get good signal reports from all over North America. Good product!
GM0OLF Rating: 2002-07-24
Great unit with excellent customer back up Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Bought a second hand unit and found that the gasket and ceramic output terminal were damaged, Contacted SGC via e-mail from my home in Scotland to enquire where I could buy replacements and within a week a parcel arrived with the new parts - NO CHARGE.
The coupler does exactly what the literature says it will do in all of my base and mobile aerial configurations. A great piece of equipment - does anyone out there want to buy a now redundant manual ATU !! and what more can I say about their customer back up - excellent!
K3AN Rating: 2002-06-20
SGC Update Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have written previously, giving this product a 5. This week I took down the outside antenna and the SGC in preparation for an upcoming move. After being attached to a tree trunk for the last 2+ years, the SGC's case was quite grungy, with lots of spider webs, tent caterpillar remnants, and other detritus. I hosed the case down and let it dry in the sun. Then I took it inside and removed the cover, just to see what the interior looked like after so long in the elements. It was completely dry inside, and the circuit board looked factory new. I could see no pitting of any of the relay contacts. The gasket is still intact. The only deterioration I could see was some oxidation of the hardware, including the threaded rod, at the top of the feedthrough insulator (which is outside the enclosure). I'll replace the nuts with new stainless ones, and this baby will be ready for more outdoor living at the new QTH. It's still very much a "5" in my opinion.


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Earlier 5-star review posted by K3AN on 2001-08-20

I bought this unit used, and originally installed it at my rental QTH (see earlier review). Now I'm living in an antenna restricted community, and the SGC has been installed outdoors at this QTH for over a year.

It feeds a 130' length of so-called stealth antenna wire that runs up and over some trees. The feedline and power cable are buried in a shallow trench from the house out to the nearby tree line, and the SGC is attached to the back side of a tree, about 2' off the ground (to keep it out of all but the deepest snowfalls). The installation is invisible to anyone but a determined snoop.

The SGC still works fine- it matches the wire on all bands 80-10 with no problems. I think it's great!

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Earlier 5-star review posted by K3AN on 2000-04-07

At the present QTH, I'm running QRP and feeding an end-fed stealth wire about 75' long that goes out a ground floor window, up the back wall of the townhouse, over the roof, and down the front wall a few feet (vinyl siding!). The SGC tunes it on all bands, and after the initial learning run, it re-tunes all bands 40-10 (including WARC) almost instantly. However, it seems to have to "learn" the 80M band each time, taking about 2 seconds to find the match. I'm not sure why that should be. Putting an autotuner like this one out in the weather at the FAR END of the coax means no losses due to high SWR on the coax. An enterprising ham should be able to find a way to use this in conjunction with that great 26 ga. black insulated "stealth" wire to get on HF from just about any antenna-restricted QTH.
WA2VUM Rating: 2001-10-20
Great tuner, although expensive! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Having read a number of reviews, I purchased one. I have a 25 foot dipole strung up in the attic and am getting good reports on 10-15-20 meters. Even worked the Pitcarn Islands with it and my Kenwood TS-940S!

Getting about 1 to 2 unit higher signal reports than with the B&W AP-10A portable antenna.
K3PZ Rating: 2001-06-11
One Fine Company Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought my first SGC-230 coupler back in 1993 because I lived in a townhouse with limited space.
My townhouse had a courtyard with a wooden 6 foot high fence all around it. I ran #12ga wire around the perimter and end fed it using the SGC-230. I was surprised at how well it worked with my Kenwood TS-450. If I could hear 'em, I could work 'em. I used that particular coupler from 1993 - 2001. I needed it serviced twice and both times SGC had it back to me in less than 2 weeks and that was shipping UPS ground from coast to coast. Their service department is first class!
I decided to buy a new SGC-230 a few months ago and put up a new antenna along with it. I'm now using a 200 foot longwire of #6ga wire. It runs up one tree 50 feet, then over 100 feet to another tree, then down 50 feet to the ground and again, I am end feeding it with the SGC-230. My radio is a Yeasu MarkV and I continually bust pileup after pileup with this setup. S9 +20 signal reports in Europe are very common. Most people can't beleive what I'm using for an antenna. I can't say enough about the SGC-230 and the company itself. The SGC-230 is one of the best solutions for limited space antennas. If you ever need service, the people there are friendly, helpful, and genuinely care about their products unlike alot of other companies in this industry.
One word of caution though if you decide to use a longwire antenna high up off of the ground. Make sure that you have a quick disconnect on the antenna side of the coupler, as some of the diodes in the front end are sensitive to static during a storm. That way you can just run outside when a storm is coming and disconnect the SGC-230 from the longwire and save yourself some headaches. I learned the hard way on this one.
Sent my SGC-230 back to SGC on Monday and had it back operational on Friday. That is what I call "first class service" ! I have no affiliation with this company whatsoever, but I highly recommend them to anybody needing a limited space antenna solutions. Great job SGC !
WA1FVZ Rating: 2001-06-03
Perfect!!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hi!
I have read all the reviews above and will agree totally that the ease of use and great results
are not exaggerated....I've had my SG-230 going on 3 years and not had any problems with it at all in any configuration - dipole, end-fed longwire, end-fed inverted V or vertical....The most load I've asked it to handle has been 110 watts of RF on RTTY for 10 mins at a time....SGC's comparison chart indicates it is capable of 80 watts rf continuous, so 110 watts RF for 10 mins seems OK....I have used 2 of Palomars Large Choke balun kits about 12 inches from the Coupler (I use 160mtrs) to keep stray RF out of The Shack....I have a typical small lot - trees not properly placed for antenna supports! - The current configuation is a 75 foot end-fed inverted V, the center being 25 feet - in an NW/SE plane - a good compromise for all bands -
OK on 160 for local, Good on 80, great on 40 and above....It's not a 'Band-Burner" and I won't 'Bust a Pile-up' but I can work state side and a fair amount of DX with ease and not have a 'rats nest' of wires in my yard.....Pricey? - Not really - With all the other antennas I've tried over the last 10 years I could have bought
2 SG-230's!....Great Job SGC!
73! - Bruce