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Reviews For: MFJ-949E

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : MFJ-949E
Reviews: 132MSRP: 149.95
Description:
300 watt 1.8-30MHz antenna tuner
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-949E
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001323.8
G4WXF Rating: 2012-04-07
Easy to use-Does the job! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The MFJ-949E is a T-Match tuner, just like any other manufacturer’s T-Match tuner, but is of a lower build quality than some.
If you do some research you will discover not only the shortcomings, but also the strengths, of T-Match tuners i.e. their ability to tune almost any strange load (albeit with unfavourable LC ratios resulting in additional loss).
This is why commercial manufacturers love the T-Match design – it just about always works.
Over the last 30 years I have acquired many different tuners i.e. Z-match,T-match + 4:1 balun and a classic link coupled unit.
The best, in terms of RF efficiency and balance, was always the link coupled unit.
However, when making A/B measurements, using a pair of calibrated RF ammeters and various balanced loads, the MFJ unit comes very close to the the link coupled unit and, on some bands, is a little more efficient.
The same holds true when measured using various doublet antennas and overall I am impressed with this tuner’s performance.
The metering is accurate and easy to read, the build quality is of a reasonable standard, and the in-built 50 ohm load is very useful for transmitter testing.
For the money it does an excellent job.
MFJ manufacture niche products for a niche hobby market and all in all do a pretty good job considering the price. Their manuals are usually informative and run to several pages.
More expensive T-Match tuners don’t necessarily perform any better.
I have sold all my other tuners and now use a 949E exclusively to tune my doublet antennas.
If you are looking for a flexible tuner to use with your 100 or 200 watt rig then the 949E is most suitable.
NB5VO Rating: 2012-04-06
GOOD WAY TO BLOW UP YOUR FINALS! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Ok folks, they can't fool me. This is the deal. If you want to risk catching your finals on fire then buy this tuner to detune your radio. The problem with this is fairly simple. They use cheap friction contact capacitors. That means the electrical contact is wrapped around the shaft of the capacitor so when the shaft rotates high voltage is applied to the turning bushing contact. This causes arching and carbon build up of the contact area which eventually leads to open circuit and intermittent contact of the tuning capacitor. I only tuned 100 watts of course. This tuner worked fine for first couple hours of use. Borrow money to get a high quality tuner unless you don't care about your radio. And these days with solid state finals, they can blow out easily as you know.
KB5QMG Rating: 2012-01-10
Just getting started with it Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
First off let me state that my new MFJ-949E tuner is the first manual tuner I have used. So I am just learning this machine now. I was concerned some, having read these reviews, about the possible QA issues with MFJ. When my unit arrived, and I heard a rattling noise inside the unit I feared the worse. However, turned out to be a half piece of what appears to be a ceramic washer and one tiny silver bolt. I removed these items, and double checked the inside soldering and connections and all looked good. I assume these misplaced items were just that..

OK just used my tuner on 20m. Using less than 30w it is tuning up my g5rv just fine. The swr meter on my rig and the tuner match exactly..

The 949E seems easy enough to use.. I had a 6 yr old LDG-Z100 and it just finally quit matching to my satisfaction , so out with the old, and in with the new..

I will post back in a few months to let you know how things are going.. I was pleased to see how this unit was put together inside.. while inexpensive, the work looked just fine.. minus the two parts that seemed to belong to some other unit..

All in all at this time, I am happy with my purchase...

73 de kb5qmg
N3LZG Rating: 2011-07-01
Everything I need to tune up. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Picked up an MFJ-949E used at a hamfest in 2010 for $75. A very good bargain, in my opinion. The built-in antenna switch, balanced line connection, balun and dummy load are nice touches for anyone with limited space.

After owning this tuner for about a year, I am very satisfied with its performance. Connected to a 135' OCF dipole, I can tune most anywhere from 80-6m to 1:1. No problems or faults at all after over 1300 contacts+ in various modes and bands.

Only advice I can give is to make sure this box is well grounded and read the instructions... never touch the inductor switch while transmitting.
K2OWK Rating: 2010-12-29
Dual meter reads UHF 6 meters Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is my second review on this tuner. I would like to add the following. The dual power VSWR meter will operate on the 6 meter band when used as a through system. You can not use the tuner at this frequency, but the SWR meter works fine. I have a Yaesu FT-450AT and just for kiks I used the MFJ VSWR meter to see what it would do on the 6 meter band. It worked normal. I called MFJ to verify this use, and they said it should work fine this way. I now have saved the price of an SWR meter for the 6 meter band. I rate this as still a 5 as both a tuner and a wattmeter.

----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by K2OWK on 2010-05-11

This is the first antenna tuner I have ever used. I got back into ham radio a few weeks ago after a 50+ year hiatus. I bought this antenna tuner used. It tunes my SB401 transmitter on all avalable bands using a 40 meter dipole to better then 1.2 to 1 VSWR. The big bonus on this inexpensive tuner is the dual needle meter that can read avarage power or peek power and SWR at the same time. It is a little touchy on the tuning but is easy to get used to. I would recommended this tuner.
N5HNY Rating: 2010-08-31
Very Useful Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I know MFJ has a reputation for so-so quality. I actually got my 949E cheap because the case was drilled incorrectly. I fixed the case and have been using this tuner for about 12 years. It's been behind a Drake TR-4 and Yaesu FT-102. Both putting out 250 to 300 watts. It's been running behind a FT-301D and now a FT-901DM and Dentron GLA-1000 running 300 watts. It's works just great behind my Icom 706 equiped with the 10 watt tuner modual. The 30/300 watt switch makes this easy. The lighted meter is nice but not needed. The built in dummy load and antenna switch are a nice touch. Random wire, coax, or balanced line with internal balun. It's tough and works great. You can't beat it for the money.
James H. Lincoln Rating: 2010-07-27
Good for the money Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm using the MFJ 949E in the shack to tune a G5RV shorty, an end fed longwire and a ground plane. I have no problems tuning any of the three antennas within their respective bands.

I know MFJ has some quality control issues with some of their products however all seems good with my tuner.

My only complaint is the knob design with the notches. After turning the antenna selector switch a few times, the forefinger and thumb get sore. The photos of the tuners I've seen show a different design knob with a smooth (un-notched) area for your fingers to turn it. It appears that this design would be more comfortable to operate.

Basically, the design, performance and operation of this tuner are very good considering the low price. A plus is that MFJ is very dedicated to service if you have a problem.

All in all, I give this tuner a definite "thumbs up".
WP4AOH Rating: 2010-05-20
Poor quality control Time Owned: more than 12 months.
In order to confirm that your MFJ 949-E was assembled correctly, you must open the cover and verify the position of the knobs in relation to the capacitors and the tapped inductor. They keep installing the knobs incorrectly. The transmitter and antenna capacitors when adjusted for maximum capacitance (plates fully meshed) will indicate zero (0) on the knob indication. The same applies for the tapped inductor,letter A as shipped from MFJ corresponds to the maximum inductance. If you follow MFJ instructions on the tuner's manual (higher frequency bands will tune in the lower inductance settings ie. A, B or C) You will end up burning your finals or unable to find a match because of this manufacturing errors. I have corrected many of them for other hams experiencing tuning problems. I found the same problem on an MFJ 962 I also have. The knobs were incorrect and the roller inductor was installed incorrectly,actually wound incorrectly. Maximum inductance was obtained with the inductor set at 000 on the turns counter. I tried correcting the problem but my counter was moving in the opposite direction ( I inverted the roller inductor inside the tuner) I decided to leave it as it came from the factory. I hope this information helps others.
I don't know if they have corrected this problem in recent models. Older models are probably wrong,check yours. Hope this information will help others tackle MFJ,s quality control problems.

Carlos Roig WP4AOH

Carlos Roig WP4AOH
K9FON Rating: 2010-04-15
Not bad at all! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I got a 949E just recently to replace my MFJ 969 that i gave away to a needy ham.
The 949E came new in the box with the meter bracket broken but i suspect that was due to shipping. I use the 949E to tune the edges of my 80 and 160 meter tuned dipoles. It works great for what it is. I can get my 160 meter dipole down to a 1.1=1 on 1.871 (it normally is a 2.1=1 and causes my Kenwood ts 450s to fold back power) and the CW portions of my 60 meter dipole down to a 1.2=1 from a 3.1 swr. I havent tried it on my ladder line fed 160 meter doublet yet. I see how many owners will bash this tuner because it sparks. Well this tuner is not a miracle maker and it wont tune a dipole cut for 40 meters on 1.800 Mhz or other wild antenna concoctions. Also, when tuning up always use low power then gradually up the power as you tune.
W0DV Rating: 2010-03-05
Not Bad Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Been using the 949e for about 3 years now. It does what it's supposed to do and I have had no issues with it. I would recommend it.