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Reviews For: Array Solutions AIM 4170 by W5BIG

Category: Antenna Analyzers

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Review Summary For : Array Solutions AIM 4170 by W5BIG
Reviews: 64MSRP: 520
Description:
Antenna analyzer measures the complex impedance (magnitude and phase) at each frequency of interest in the range of 0.1 to 170 MHz. An advanced program running on your PC is used to calculate several parameters, including WR, R+X, Mag, RL, Angle, and plot the results vs Freq or on a Smith Chart.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.w5big.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00645
WA5KRP Rating: 2008-11-04
SUPERB INSTRUMENT Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The previous opinions of electronic professionals indicate this is an excellent test instrument. I don't have an EE, but as a ham I find this to be the most useful piece of test gear I own.

The AIM 4170 hooked to a coax-fed 2M dipole made up variable lengths of 3/4" copper pipe has proven to be an educational gold mine. By suspending the antenna from a 20' stretch of parallel nylon fishing lines, the 4170 graphically demonstrates the effect of antenna height, angle of coax feed (perpendicular vs parallel to axis), proximity to nearby trees and structures, proximity to ground with or without a counterpoise, horizontal and vertical polarization, and lengthening or shortening one or both elements (1/4, 1/2, 5/8, 1WL, OCF). I had the 4170 sweep the 2M band and received multi-colored graphical data for SWR, rho, theta, resonant frequency, 3dB bandwith, R ± jX, and Smith Chart from 144 to 148MHz. The rescan feature allows you see to visually observe data changes such as when an antenna is raised or lowered, or brought near a building, by resweeping the band every five seconds. You can easily determine what effect an additional 3' of coax will have at the input of the feedline. The 4170 makes it a snap to optimize your antenna tuner when QSY.

Any antenna experimenter will find the AIM 4170 an invaluable tool and learning aid. I consider it my best investment in test gear. de WA5KRP

PA3FUN Rating: 2008-11-03
Great! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought my unit about two years ago and have been using it regularly ever since when putting out beverages and verticals for the low bands.
The unit works flawlessly.
Having a piece of equipment like this makes all the difference when you're involved in building antennas yourself. A must for the serious DX-er!
Some points of possible improvement though:
1. would like a more ruggedized version - I use it out in the open (Holland = rain)
2. USB-interface instead of RS-232.(Bluetooth interface would even be better! I now use an outboard- bluetooth dongle for wireless communication to the PC when measuring at feedpoints high above the ground).
3. On-board li-ion battery in combination with bluetooth comms would make the unit a killer for every situation where you want to measure at a remote and hard-to-reach feedpoint!
I will definitely buy a second unit if two or more of these points have been succesfully adressed!
N4FSC Rating: 2008-06-13
Excellent Product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I am an electronica and software engineer and have been a ham since the early 80s. I tried the minVNA and also the AIM4170B and sold the miniVNA. The AIM4170's reviews and comparos against $20,000+ HP/Agilent equipment (vs other analyzers) speak for themself. The 4170 also has true phase detection which becomes obvious when the phase plot crosses zero (much less hunting noise than the miniVNA). The 4170 also has a triple calibration (open/short/load) whereas the miniVNA does not.

The PC software was easy to use and I also got it working with ZPlots-AIM. The measurements are very repeatable, and as others have noted the ability to do a custom calibration to the end of a transmission line is very nice.

Now if it only went up to 1.3 GHz, hehe ;-)
K1WZ Rating: 2008-05-20
Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm a retired EE and have done a great deal of antenna work in my career and used some of the best test equipment available. I was pleasantly surprised to find the AIM 4170 because it's superb as an impedance measuring device, the software is excellent and the Array Solutions folks very responsive. I don't find the need for a PC to be a detriment to its operation although I haven't tried it at the top of a tower as yet! The AIM 4170 is a true bargain.
NE8R Rating: 2008-04-27
Excellent performance and versitility Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Received the AIM 4170b last week and the unit is very impressive. I have posted some of the graphs that have been generated at http://www.antennagraphs.com/ so I can show others what various antenna's "look" like.

Robert
NE8R
K7BUC Rating: 2008-02-17
Excellent Analyzer Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased my unit from Array Solutions.
Since I wanted to use my Toshiba laptop which runs Windows Vista, I purchased the USB cable option along with the AIM 4170. Driver installation was a bit tricky. I called Array Solutions, who put Bob W5BIG on the line with me. He had me running in a short time. Great customer service!
The AIM 4170 is amazing. The hardware quality is A-1, the software is easy to use, and the customer service is outstanding.
With my Autek VA-1, it was a "best guess" to analyze antennas. Yes, it worked fair as long as the impedance was close to 50 ohms and the reactance small. In contrast, the AIM 4170 can handle my end-fed, loop, and vertical antennas just fine.
For working with complex reactive components the AIM 4170 is outstanding. A ferrite core can be characterized so that there is no doubt as to the mix. Cables can be checked for resonance, loss, and characteristic impedance. And, lots more.I find new applications for the AIM 4170 every day.
This is the most useful piece of test equipment I have ever purchased.
For the price its a real bargain. There won't be many of these on Ebay, folks won't want to let them go!
Bob is constantly upgrading the software, and really "listens" to what customers want. Thats refreshing.
Am I happy with this unit? You bet!
W1FK Rating: 2008-02-04
Really Nice Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Many years ago I used and/or owned a General Radio RF Bridge, and a Boonton RX Meter, standards in the field at the time,(Heavy, complicated electrical mechanical linkages, etc.) Three years ago I purchased an Autek Analyst ($200). I never have had the problems others have reported with this last tool,and I considered it a fair deal given its competition in the $200 to $300 dollar class analyzer. But last fall I purchased the Array Solutions AIM4170. I bought it for several reasons, among which were the numerous blazingly good reviews in radio magazines and on this website, and my previous experience with Jay and his products at Array Solutions. I've been delighted with the capabilities and performance of this instrument. I had a little difficulty getting it going with my new laptop; a simple phone call to Jay solved everything.
W1FK
G3XTB Rating: 2007-12-24
The business... Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This unit is the best ever. I have an MFJ259B which is a joke compared to this unit and I only realise now how much I was being fooled by the thing. Also I bought a mini-VNA from the UK retailers after a struggle to get any sense out of them with technical information. You get what you pay for, and comparing known loads after some testing with the firm's Agilent equipment showed very close results with the AIM but some serious inconsistencies with the mini-VNA. I later returned the mini-VNA to the UK retailer (Lynch the pinch) after the customary argument with them after I have wished to return anything for a refund. The only criticism of the AIM is that hopefully the next version will be USB. RS232 9-pin serial really is getting a bit long in the tooth now.
N5DF Rating: 2007-11-23
A must-have instrument for any ham interested in antennas. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've been using my AIM 4170 for about four months. The device has exceeded my expectations.

It produces results that are far more accurate than my MFJ 259B (which I recently calibrated)
or my TAPR/TenTec VNA 6000. To get more accurate results, I would have to use my high-dollar ($30K-plus)Agilent impedance meter that is in my university laboratory.

I live in a very harsh RF environment. Within a few miles of my house, in two different directions, are several high-power broadcast transmitters, some AM and some FM. My MFJ 259B and TenTec VNA are useless when I'm trying to analyze my 40 meter rotary dipole or X7 tribander; stray RF does them in. However, when
connected to my HF antennas, the AIM 4170 produces very good results; it seems to be unaffected by my close-by broadcasters.

My AIM 4170 and lap top are portable, and I look forward to using the combination for demos in my electrical engineering classes. As a electrical engineering professor, I teach engineering circuit courses every now and then. My lectures on "real-world" passive components should be reinforced by classroom demonstrations using my AIM 4170. My students will probably be amazed to see both parallel and series resonances in a radio-frequency choke or piece of transmission line (shorted or opened at the far end).

You need an AIM 4170 if you tinker with circuits or antennas. The device is amazing!! I have no hesitation in giving the AIM a five out of five.
AD5TU Rating: 2007-11-07
Bingo! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
As a satisfied owner of the MFJ269B (albeit a minority based on the eHam.net ratings), I felt that there _had_ to be a better analyzer with a decent computer interface, plotting capability, and impedance measurement and designed to be used beyond just a transmission line/antenna. I purchased the AM4170 after reading Bob's original article and other reviews. Based on my research I felt the AM4170 would make a good investment. My new tool arrived today and I have to tell you the 5/5 rating of this instrument is low. I agree that 10/5 (as one reviewer said is should be rated) is appropriate. The AM4170 is easy to use, easy to calibrate, and has a great software package. It is slightly less convenient than the MFJ469B in portable applications (although it is portable it requires a laptop). As one reviewer noted (see Array Solution's web site for review links), this instrument works well with handheld analyzers for those that are at the top of a tower. I’m anticipating a next generation AM4170 (70cm ability?) with a newer AD DDS chip, but even so, I won’t sell this gem, I will upgrade and keep this unit for backup. For midnight engineers and Hams, however, this instrument is well worth the price, IMHO. So, in summary, I’d say the AM4170 is to antenna analyzers what the SDR1000 was to HF transceivers.