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Reviews For: MFJ-986

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : MFJ-986
Reviews: 79MSRP: 330
Description:
Covers 1.8-30 MHz
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-986
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00793.6
JIMBOB Rating: 2001-06-18
SMOKE THEN FIRE !! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
i paid £300 for my shiny mfj 986 tuner brand new in the box,when i took the tuner out of the package i could hear something loose and sliding up and down the unit,it sounded like a loose screw or something when i put it in line i put 100 watts into it and tried to tune it down but it would not budge, 2 seconds later i heard something crackling and pop and smoke started to bellow out behind the main tuning knob,i sent the piece of junk straight back to the shop and they gave me a full refund, after that i tried a diawa 518c tuner it wasnt any dearer just 100% better and lovely to use,at least this one didnt catch fire like the 986 and nearly burn me and the shack down,im afraid that mfj quality control is none exsistant and it all boils down to bad workmanship on mfjs part,if i was you id stay well clear of this model until they start doing checks on there new out going stock after all i was only putting 100 watts through mine when it started smoking,imagine if some poor operator was belting 3 kw through it in a contest and it was a faulty unit like mine the poor old sole would be burnt to a crisp.
KI5FJ Rating: 2000-11-15
Excellent performance Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have about 10 years of use on this older model. Other than replacing the O-Ring drive for the turns counter about every 3 years I am satisfied with my investment. A quick and stable match up to 600 watts SSB 160-10 meters has been my experience. I have matched beams, loops, dipoles and verticals. I have used the internal balun but I prefer a outdoors balun to reduce in-shack RFI.
KG5IF Rating: 2000-10-12
Very solid tuner great value for the $$$ Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Owned this tuner for several years. It'very reliable and easy to use. I can tune to resonance in seconds with the inductance and cap knobs. Would really recomend this for fixed station use. This tuner does take up a big footprint on your table due to the power its rated to carry.
Its a great asset to my shack.
K9IUQ Rating: 2000-09-22
A Chevy Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had this tuner for 6 or 7 yrs. When I first bought it the cap shaft had a bad wobble in it. Sent it back and got another tuner. The second tuner cap shaft wobbled even worse then the first one. Called MFJ and they sent me another capacitor which I installed myself. This one didnt wobble.

The inductor looks homemade (and probably is). Overall the quality is what I expect from a MFJ product - cheap. But it doesnt have a $800 price tag either. You gets what youse pay for.

BUT - this tuner is VERY easy to use. Only one cap to tune. And it works great, will tune anything I have thrown at it, and in 6 years it has seen some VERY strange antennas from me. Just dont expect it to take 1500 watts. It protests a little on some bands when I feed it more than 600 watts.

If you can live with the low quality (dont tell anyone you have a MFJ tuner on the air) you will like it.

A very good design, works great.
W4HRC Rating: 2000-06-29
Great Tuner, Fantastic Service!!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought the MFJ 986, Differential T Tuner used more than 5 years ago. When I purchased the tuner the knob on the roller inductor was broken and MFJ replaced it free of charge. I recently broke the plastic shaft that connects to the differential capicator and the tuning knob and MFJ replaced that at no charge. I've ran 1kw through this tuner and I've never had any problem with it. I think it is a great tuner for the money and MFJ'S service is second to none!!! de W4HRC
JAMES_BENEDICT_EX_N8FVJ Rating: 2000-06-17
OK for $ Spent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purchased an MFJ 986 Tuner about 3 months ago. I decided to remove the cover to review the build quality. The variable capacitor is not the quality of past years. The shaft wobbles slightly and the fixed plate assembly actually wobbles with rotation of the shaft. The wobble causes an estimated one to two thousandths variation in the plate to plate clearences. The roller is more exact, but less than say 'mil-spec' quality. I make use of about 750 watts pep to a dipole antenna using a 4 to 1 balun. The bottom line is I can tune 1.8 to 30 mhz and operate with a flat SWR! The tuner has never flashed over and I believe should operate to 1200 pep or better without a problem. The tuner is rated 3KW input. Reads like the 5 hp vacuum cleaner that draws 6amps @ 120 vac or approx. 1/4 horsepower! Ok, for $260 or so, the package is attractive and compact. The meter which measures watts and SWR is reasonably accurate. The antenna switch can select three antennas and a dummy load. I removed the 4 to 1 balun and installed in PVC to remote associated RF out of the shack. Bottom line- The meter, antenna switch, balun and of course tuner are worth the money. The tuner performs as advertised.
KL7DC Rating: 2000-03-26
Handles 1 KW Amp Fine... Time Owned: unknown months.
I've used one for at 6 years now and run 600 to 700 watts through it on all bands without a whimper. It's used primarily on a 75 Mtr open-wire fed dipole on all bands, and occasionally on dipoles for 40 and 20 mtrs. I've 2 gripes. One is the easily chiped front panel, and the other is having to clean the carbon from the coil with alcohol every couple of years due to probable less-than-adequate roller inductor contact. Because of this, I'm not sure if I'd run more than 1 KW input through this tuner. Does anyone have any legal limit experience with this one? 4 stars for ease of use and good performance.
KC6VCH Rating: 2000-03-26
It worked excellent last night. Time Owned: unknown months.
I put it through its paces last night and it did everything it said it would do. Anyone that buys this unit read the manual, it's vague in some places, otherwise it's a good unit.
NG6Z Rating: 2000-03-21
Workhorse Time Owned: unknown months.
I've owned & used the MFJ-986 differential T tuner for 4-5 years. It will handle 1KW without a whimper. I normally use it to load a balanced feed line all-band dipole. I recently used it to load a 10, 15, 20 meter tribander to successfully work (SSB & CW) FO0AAA on all three WARC bands.