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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
M0RLY Rating: 2002-05-26
Good Value for Money Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had recently purchased a 756PRO and was using it with a Cushcraft R8, which didn't give a good VSWR on all bands, so I purchased a MFJ 962D.

This did all expected of it, and solved my VSWR problems, while at the same time provided a convenient way of integrating another antenna and dummy load.

The control of both the capacitors was very smooth, but I felt the plastic gears of the roller coaster let the product down a little.The build quality was generally quite good, but MFJ's QA procedures let the unit down in that a screened cable associated with the metering fouled one of the capacitors. It had only been secured to the case by means of adhesive tape. A nylon 'P' clip solved this permanently! Each time I return to a previous band setting it's settings were spot on as if I had never moved away from the original setting.

I suspect that some of the previous adverse comments of arcing and intermittents are due more to abuse, such as tuning up on high power, and band switching while still transmitting, are the 'real' problems with the unit!! The MFJ has given me more than 12 months of trouble free use.
KA3WED Rating: 2002-04-08
Don't Buy!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just went to a local hamfest and bought a brand
new MFJ-962 tunner. What a piece of junk. First
off, case was warped. hooked it up to the rig and the meter didn't work. Turned on my AL 811 Amp at
300 watts and blew a diode. being very upset and
lucky it was a two day hamfest I returned this peice of junk and got back my money. Please read
the reviews and trust your fellow hams. Stay away from this tunner.
N4RNM Rating: 2002-04-01
Beware.... Time Owned: N.A.
This tuner seemed to work great for the first few months, however this evening I attempted to use it with a ladder-line fed dipole. This is the same dipole that I had been feeding with coax. Using the same Ameritron 500-watt solid-state amp I have been using, the tuner began to arc at the bandswitch. Upon opening the case, I was shocked to find what appears to be the same coax switch used in the "300 watt" tuners. It was burnt beyond repair, and I'll now have to temporarily hard wire the switch to await a replacement from MFJ. I should have known, after a few bad experiences with the MFJ tuners rated to handle 100 watt transceivers, that this so-called "1.5 KW Roller Inductor Antenna Tuner" could not even handle 500 watts. I will let you know how MFJ handles this problem.
K0KAV Rating: 2001-12-29
Works Great!!! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I've never had any of the problems, QC or operational, mentioned by some other posters. My 962D works as well today as 9 mo's ago when I bought it new. I highly recommend it. Never a glitch when operated properly and in conjunction with the AL-811 series amps.
AD6WL Rating: 2001-07-25
Another non Quality product Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Only using 500 watts and I always tune w/low power but the diodes inside blew out. I call MFJ, they will send me the diodes no problem. Ok, like all MFJ products you must fix them to get them to work. A month later the forward power meter goes out. So I use the tuner with a Diawa SWR meter which works great.
MFJ needs to incorporate some kind of Quality Control. Very poor quality. Shame on you, Mighty Fine Junk.
JIMBOB Rating: 2001-06-18
handles the power Time Owned: more than 12 months.
great tuner,bought mine second hand and its great,does all the things its suppose to,the only down side is the size of the damn thing,you will need a 18 wheeler to get it back home to the shack.(hope you have a big bench)
W1EMJ Rating: 2001-05-06
Poor at first Time Owned: more than 12 months.
When I received this tuner, and ran it on 80 meters with only 500 watts, it only took a few months for it to arc and burn up. While the company was easy to communicate with I had to buy the updated band switch and upgrade that they were aware of. It has worked fine since then.
But I think they should have paid for the upgrade on what they knew was a poor design. All the other items I have bought from MFJ has been total junk. I wont do business with them again.
N5RNL Rating: 2001-04-27
Good, Solid Value Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had no problems at all with this tuner or two other MFJ tuners that I have owned. You cannot expect a device at the bottom end of the price scale to be a Cadillac, but if you can settle for a Ford, this tuner should serve well. I have experienced none of the quality issues that others speak of - perhaps I have just been very lucky - but until I do, I can only speak of my own experiences. I check out any new electronic device before I operate it, and I did so with this tuner. I checked for burrs on the capacitor plates, I made sure the inductor maintained continuity over it's full travel. I looked for cold solder joints and loose connections. If I had found problems, I would have returned it to the shop I bought it from. I found no extraordinary issues, so I put it in line and it has worked fine ever since. As long as I am careful to operate it as it is designed to be operated and don't exceed it's power ratings, I expect it to continue to perform as designed.
K5VOA Rating: 2001-02-17
A little better than expected, but buy with caution Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The 962D comes in a variety of configurations. Mine looked nothing like the one in the picture. It has a "digital" inductor counter (not a true turns counter). It's blue face is different from some other 962Ds. I think someone other than Ten Tec made the chassis (the Versa Tuner III) and they put their MFJ name on it. Inside the usual mediocre quality, I had to remove shards of aluminum and floating wire chunks, globs of solder and other junk. The SO-239 connectors were so cheap that after one connect/disconnect cycle they were "sprung" and would not hold connection without arcing! I replaced all with amphenol connectors. Once I had removed potential disasters and cleaned it up (sad for a new piece of gear), I was surprised that it worked very well on all bands including 160. I use it with a Ten Tec Centaur at about 600 Watts. No arcing as long as I keep the inductor and roller clean. Don't expect high quality, and plan on regular maintenance, but at medium power, it should get the job done at a low price. Or maybe I'm just lucky!
KB9VHU Rating: 2000-11-15
Great tuner! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This tuner tunes all of my HF antennas to a 1.1 SWR or better on all bands! I disconnected my FC-20 autotuner (very poor performance... 2:1 or 3:1 is the best that it does on most bands) and now use this manual tuner to match impeadance. My only complaint is that it needs to be "idiot-proof". You can overheat/burn terminals if you tune with too much power or adjust the antenna dial while TX (probably why the bad reviews below). I would also prefer a digital readout for the roller inductor number. TIP: with a marker you can draw a line to extend the antenna and transmitter dials so that they can much more easily be read.... My tuner works great! I tuned 3 or 4 freq. per band and created a chart with settings. It only takes a few seconds to "dial-in" and touch up the SWR with the inductor dial. Sorry that others have trouble with theirs.