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Reviews For: MFJ-962D

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : MFJ-962D
Reviews: 97MSRP: 269.95
Description:
1.8 - 30 MHz 1.5 kilowatt AirCore roller inductor antenna tuner
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-962D
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00973
G4MJA Rating: 2005-12-02
Good after calibration Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have the Versa Tuner III which I bought new about 18 months ago. Fit finish & internals are good but the calibration of the power meter was a mile out! My rig at the time was a TS870 - the meter showed a 150pep output at max drive - I wish! I returned the tuner to the supplying dealer who calibrated the unit with a Marconi test rig. Since that I've had no problems, it has tuned a variety of antennas just fine. It seems buying one of these units is a hit & miss affair - if you'r lucky you get a good one!
W9ICU Rating: 2005-11-22
Not what I expected Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I purchased my MFJ 962D at the Graylake Hamfest Sept 04, brand new from MFJ. Didn't even open the box til about 3 months ago when I got ready to use my new amp. Tuner tunes ok but, I have some complaints also. Paint on cover had two big chips in it, more like it just flaked off instead of being chipped. The cabinet is not straight its twisted, causing the tuner to teeder todder on two feet. The Inductor knob does not turn easily in fact its almost impossible to turn it with the little indent made for that purpose, you have to push so hard to turn it the unit moves around on the desk. I listed it on Ebay hoping to sell it and by a PALSTAR but never even got a bid on it. So i'll keep it as a backup as long as it does (tune) ok, if it give me any trouble I'll junk it. Did buy New PALSTAR AT1KM and love it best tuner I ever used. It did cost me about $100 more than the MFJ but it was sure worth it.
KG4EDA Rating: 2005-11-22
Believe the Ratings Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I read the reviews and still bought the MFJ 962D--my bad. Next time, I'll pay closer attention.

The case was badly painted (even "sticky") when it arrived. The corners weren't sticky because there was no paint there.

The "counter" on the inductor was badly installed. Even if the gears on the "counter" had been drilled straight and even if the threads on the set screws hadn't been stripped, the counter numbers were not really visible in the window and from the looks of the design, never would be. Also, that type of counter does not reproduce its position very well.

In any event, the tuner died after only three days.

The fact that the MFJ warranty specifically allows owners to "repair" the tuner without voiding the warranty should be a clue.

I'm glad that some people have had a good experience, but in my opinion, it's junk.

After sending it back I bought a Palstar. It's only a $100 more, and it's unbelievable what the $100 extra gets you. The Palstar cap has a vernier drive (not on the MFJ), the Palstar inductor is silver plated, the digital counter "snaps" each number into position as you crank the handle (vs putting your finger in a dial and spinning). If you put them side by side, you would think that is the best $100 you ever spent. I do.

Also, the Palstar is made in the USA, a country I'm personally fond of.
KI3Y Rating: 2005-11-14
Avoid at all cost! N3XQ Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I needed a tuner that would cover 160 as well as the other bands. I read the eham reviews on the MFJ 962D, which were not all that good to say the least and figured I would try one. After all, "How bad can they be anyway?" Sad to say, I found out! I drove an hour to HRO in New Castle (nice bunch of guys to deal with) and Rick kidded me when I pick it up, "I shook the box and nothing rattled." I should have stopped and opened it up right there, but was in a hurry. When I got to work and opened the box I found: A white spot on the top of the cabinet where the primer (?) wasn't covered by the final coating, the cabinet wouldn't sit evenly on the table (it was twisted out of shape), Along the left top edge of the cabinet there were two deep gouges next to each other as if someone had taken a chisel and hammer and wacked it, both were 1/4 inch deep showing the bare metal, the roller inductor felt like and sounded like it was turning in sand when you tried to turn it and when you turned the other control knobs, they were so out of shape their edges moved in and out toward the panel front. Like I said, "How bad can they be?" I can't believe MFJ has any quality control in operation, how else could that piece of junk ever make it out of their building? I returned it to HRO the same afternoon and they gave me a refund. I ended up buying a used Palstar 1500 (original model) from a local ham. Wow, if you can find a used Palstar, grab it! To be fair concerning the MFJ, I know of a few Ham friends who have the 962D model and like it, but I would suggest that you be very careful and consider a different brand if at all possible.
W9RPE Rating: 2005-07-06
Almosy funny! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Well, this is my third MFJ tuner, so you would think I'd learned by now.

I wrote a review on the 989C I bought new in 1987 and it rated 1/5. Warped ceramic core out of the box. I then bought a 949e. It continually blows the sensing diodes at any power level within it's rating, so it's pretty un-usable.

Now I buy a new 962D. Well, It works ok after 6 months and it only wobbles a little on the table. But, over the last few weeks the vinyl(plastic) cover on the face has begun to bubble up. This is unbeleivable. It's just developing inch long x 1/2 inch wide air pockets under it and peeling off. My shack is in my home and I have heat and ac so it has been in an almost continual 72 deg F environment. I've never run power over 400 watts through it and that only for a brief dx hit and run contact.

I'm going to save my money for a quality tuner next time.

Ron
VK2TTG Rating: 2004-08-16
Issues Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I like to be fair with my comments about this tuner, however I have some issues with it's general build quality that I would like to share with all.

Electrically, I have had no issues what so ever with this tuner. I have only used it with 100w, with an 80M offset dipole, and a G5RV, from 160M up to 6M. In all cases, the meter has absolutely no problems tuning either antenna to 1:1 for all the above mentioned bands. Although the tuner is only specified for HF, I have used it many times on 6M, and it works well (SWR meter might however be inaccurate). I have also had no iddues with flash over on 160M when using the above mentioned antennas. So, in summary, electrically, the tuner performs very well. However, mechanically is another issue...

As I have seen else where with other MFJ's, the chassis was a little bent as came from the manufacturer. As a result of this, the 4 feet do not mate properly on the desk, and the tuner rocks as I use it (really annoying, had to fix this by adding tape to 2 of the little feet often). However, still this does not fix the rocking, only lessens it. I am contemplating fitting adjustable feet to the tuner. Also the roller inductor is really awful to use. Infact, operating the inductor has the effect of hurting my finger after only a few turns. I actually hate having to rotate the inductor more than a few turns, and often elect to stay on 1 band rather than having to endure the pain of operating the inductor when changing to other bands. On the plus side of this, I have had no issues with having to clean the roller, because I think it is so tight it will never experience bad connection issues. All the 962's that i have seen have the same issue with the inductor, and apparently to varying degrees the same warped chassis issue too interestingly (not just mine). There should be a better compromise for the roller inductor that making it so tight it is almost unuseable!

Finally, the allignment of the antenna switch is poor. I find that I have to guess which antenna is selected most of the time. I have thought about opening the lid, and try to allign the switch. This is another example of a small thing that totally destroys the enjoyment of using something like this. Frustrating MFJ!!!

Anyway, that's my 5c worth. In all, a good value for money tuner, works well, however, try to find one that doesn't rock, and make sure you can live with the roller inductor's stiffness prior to buying one! Finally, check the allignment of the antenna switch!

Steve Morton
VK2TTG
OCEANARADIO Rating: 2004-07-02
Excellent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Flawless performance, returns to exact 1:1 setting (with very minor touch-ups) time after time on all government bands. Using with a dipole and longwire, I have no complaints, especially for the money. I have always made very small fine tuning adjustments under low power and this tuner always does the job. This unit will remain as a backup now to new MFJ-994. It's a keeper.
LU5DDX Rating: 2004-06-21
bueno es suficiente Time Owned: more than 12 months.
el at no anda mal a pesar de tener que tener anotado todos los puntos de sintonia porque te perdes pero el instrumento no es muy presiso que digamos .
soporta un 25% menos de potencia de lo especificado en condicion de sintonia .ahora despues de ajustado el at llega a soportar la potencia espesificada .
saludos desde Bs . As . jorge
K4VIZ Rating: 2004-02-10
OK with reservations Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had the 942D for 6 or 8 years. It will tune just about anything. I use it to tune a random 160 meter dipole on ALL bands from 160 m to 10 m using the internal balun and 450 plastic twin lead. My only gripe is that every few months I need to take the cover off and clean the roller inductor. The wheel doesn't make good contact all the time and then tuning becomes erratic. After a clean and lube it is OK for a few more months. Maybe a little more could have been spent on silver plating the coil and wheel??? I suppose for the money it is a good deal.

Tom D. / K4VIZ
VA3UP Rating: 2004-02-10
Works fine once you fix it Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Lets face it this is a low priced tuner for it's power handling capacity. Mine needed lubrication of the slide wheel that goes across the roller inductor, the meter light packed in after two years of not very frequent use and the function of the meter button is reversed - so much for quality control BUT - when I sorted it out it tunes anything to anything on any band at the 600 watts I put out with no arcs or other problems.