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Reviews For: MFJ-901B

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : MFJ-901B
Reviews: 53MSRP: 79.95
Description:
MFJ'S smallest 200W tuner
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products.php?prodid=MFJ-901B
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15534.2
N2DM Rating: 2015-01-22
Good, Handy Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Purchased mine at Dayton Hamvention over 10 yrs ago. Tune my trap dipole with it, running nominal 100 watts, in and out of Amateur bands(MARS usage).
No arcing or sparking noticed. My advice, do not rotate inductance switch while transmitting! Will fry contacts.
Would buy another unit. 73, Dale.
AA7BI Rating: 2012-06-06
A Keeper Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought this tuner in 1988. Nice and compact. It's great when you have an SWR meter built into your radio or use a cheap, 50 cent, yard-sale CB SWR meter like mine. It has spent many years stored in a box out in the shed, but I retrieve it whenever I want to load something difficult or absurd, like a gutter or rusty bedsprings. It will load anything you throw at it. It may not constitute a viable antenna, but it'll match it and load it! Just for fun I once loaded two Volkswagens parked side by side with the 901B and enjoyed a nice 80 mile QSO on 75m.

I have used it with ladder-line (via the 4:1 balun), slinkies, beams, dipoles and end-fed. One time I temporarily loaded the steel roof of my new home on one side and the steel roof of the shed on the other until I could erect a dipole. I've used better antennas in my day, but it worked! Nowadays I use it to load random antennas when RVing and on field-day. I throw out a resonant quarter wave wire from the RV, pitch it up into a tree, tune it and get my QSOs.

No mechanical or electrical issues. I've stored it outdoors many winters at -40 and it has always worked perfectly for me. I may have experienced a tiny bit of arcing once at 120 watts AM on 160m with a difficult load. This certainly must have exceeded the tuner's specification of 200 watts PEP. Despite all the years of use and being a budget brand, this tuner has proven itself to be a worthy and lasting asset to my shack and does the job admirably.

Thanks to the e-ham team for a great site!

73 de Bob, AA7BI/VE5
MW0LDJ Rating: 2011-05-01
MFJ-901B Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Ive used this great little tuner for years after buying it from a box of 'Other' at a ham fayre in 2004. It will tune just about any antenna you care to throw at it where some of the much more expensive auto-tuners will give up and shut down, it even tunes down the zinc fencing that runs around our property. The only thing missing 'out of the box' is a bypass but its a 15 minute job to fit one from bits out of your scraps box.
WA6MOW Rating: 2011-02-09
great deal Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Use it when my auto tuners can't cut it. I would never be without one. MFJ has provided me with great products for many years.j
WB0FDJ Rating: 2010-08-24
Simple and reliable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had mine for many years. It's beat all to heck, scratched, dented and at times ignored in a boxful of other "stuff". But it darn near matches anything, providing you know how to use it correctly. I still use it, today, with my new Jupiter. I also have a nice autotuner that I'm not using as much. It occasionally barfs and gives me some funny setting. With my 'ole reliable 901 I wrote down the settings for each band that I need them and it takes only a few seconds to QSY. It's bare bones and at times I wish for such extras as bypass, etc, but for the what I spent on it I've definitely got my moneys worth. Nice size too....
AB3IY Rating: 2010-08-22
good low power tuner Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I use this tuner wit a ten tec corsair-it will tune anything-good deal for $99.00.easy to use and setup as well Rich AB3IY
KA5S Rating: 2009-09-15
Less expensive travel/backup tuner Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought mine used. It is not especially efficient and under some conditions with 100 watts I saw noticeable heating of the chassis and cover. But until the advent of the very similar MFJ-902H it was among the smallest (relatively) inexpensive tuners available. The 902's toroid may be more efficient.
N8QXE Rating: 2009-07-27
Needs a Bypass Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned my 901B for over 14 years with no problems, I've used it in my shack and in the feild.
My 901B is currently my tuner for feild use with my FT-817, it's been scratched and dented a little, but still performs solid.
Only one drawback, no bypass switch.
K6SDW Rating: 2009-06-11
It works.. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My backup tuner for when the Ten Tec dies (3 times thus far in 10 years!!) ....... it doesn't have the greatest range like the mega-$$$ tuners but it gets the job done when needed!

I definitely would be careful of home much power you run through it, less you like seeing smoke.

Cheers All

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Earlier 4-star review posted by K6SDW on 2001-12-26

As the other reviews indicate, this tuner works as advertised. It's a shame I couldn't give it a 5-star because as is the case with so many other MFJ products, quality control was lacking here! I had to "fix" the antenna cap where the plates were touching (simple fix) and causing some arcing at 100 watts. Price was good and it works very well on my center-fed, 450-ohm ladder line dipole.

73....ed
K4PDM Rating: 2009-06-11
Worth the money... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I used one of these mobile for a while. It is not very rugged and you 1. should make sure to tune at low power, and 2. make sure not to switch the inductor selector while transmitting. The balun is incredibly small, too. But it is worth the small price it sells for as long as you remember to baby it.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by K4PDM on 2001-05-15

For $50 used, it can't be beat for widebanding a Hamstick or similar antenna. Works fine with 100 watts in the mobile. Don't try to put more than 100 watts thru it, though--awfully small capacitors. Wouldn't expect much from that little balun, either.