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Reviews For: LDG YT-100

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : LDG YT-100
Reviews: 17MSRP: 199.95
Description:
Automatic antenna tuner for the Yaesu FT-897/D, FT-857 and FT-100
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ldgelectronics.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00174.1
VA3PRW Rating: 2010-12-25
Brilliant Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My first review was poor because of a supplier packaging error. Since using the unit with my Yaesu 857 I can say it does a wonderful job.
AC2C Rating: 2010-07-24
Great Tuner - 5 of 5 Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Great Tuner and Great service. I've been using the LDG YT-100 with an FT-857D for 11 months now and the tuner has worked as expected tuning a vertical as well as a random end-fed wire.

I use the FT-857 in the shack mounted hanging below a shelf. The YT-100 is strapped below the FT-857 and the two make a handy arrangement.

I recently discovered a small anomaly where tuning the FT857 when the 500 Hz CW filter was selected caused the FT-857D to remain in AM mode at the end of the tune cycle. A quick email to LDG resulted in them sending me an updated processor chip.

I think that's great service !!!

K6QT Rating: 2010-07-05
Not too bad Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The actual functionality of this tuner is pretty good - seems to be working pretty well, at least. The beef I have got with it is that it is supposed to have all these memories. The $200 tuner is supposed to remember quite a lot of frequencies that I "frequent" and I'm not supposed to have to tune them again. However, just the opposite seems to be true. Every single time I come back to an HF frequency, I need to re-tune it. I get very bad reception on it until I retune it; then everything is hunky dory again. But then the next time I am on that frequency, it sounds just as bad and the SWR is through the roof again until I re-tune it. Then I'm fine again. So if this would work with its memories, which is a highly touted fact about it, I would give it a 5, but have to lower it a bit.
KJ6BYO Rating: 2010-03-16
Mac Users Beware Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought the YT-100 to work with my Yaesu Ft 897D and Comet multiband hf vertical. Connection was straightforward, instructions well written and illustrated. The unit worked as advertised. It tunes up fast, and stores 2000 settings for even faster operation. So far so good.

As a Mac user, I decided to to try MacLoggerDx, an excellent all-around station and logging program, which obviously requires a computer-radio connection, a situation admirably anticipated by LDG, which provides a serial input and pass-thru cable to the radio. This cable also allows the radio and tuner to talk to each other. Again, so far so good.

Unfortunately, despite trying two usb-serial adapter solutions, the YT-100 would not recognize the tuner. Disconnect the computer-tuner connection, and the unit works again.

Calling technical support LDG admitted that they had not tested the unit with a Mac. I explained the problem, but no solution was offered, or promised.

So now I have a semi-satisfactory piece of gear, and thence the 2 rating.
YO3IDN Rating: 2009-11-30
Fair for the price Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought this tuner for the need of being on the air with my not so perfect antennas.
I found it to be a good quality construction (even after a peek inside the unit) and is doing the job just as it should.
Pros:
-it tunes every antenna i connected to it in every band;
-good construction quality;
-translates the CAT port for using with the PC.
Cons:
-loud when tunning;
-the dimensions doesn't fit those of the FT-857 so it can't be stacked one over the other as it should;
-the tuner doesn't work when connected to the PC, if the PC is off. One have to disconnect the PC in order to make it tune, or turn the PC on (I'm using an Prolific USB to COM cable).
W9MHB Rating: 2009-07-01
Good Stuff! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I used to have a small manual travel tuner before upgrading to the YT-100. This tuner saves me alot of time, time I am now spending on the air, rather than tuning up.

The equipment is well constructed and of high quality. The tuning cycle is short, and SWR has been between 1:1 and 1.5:1 on every band from 80m thru 6m.

There most definitely was a need for an automatic tuner specially designed for the FT-857d, and LDG did a good job filling that need.
K1ALL Rating: 2009-06-11
A dedicated autotuner for the Yaesu FT-897/FT-857/FT-100 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This tuner is an improvement over the LDG AT-897. It is a stand-alone unit rather than bolting on, but can be used with the FT-857 and FT-100 as well as the FT-897/D. It functions just like the AT-897, but has 2000 memories instead of 200. Set up was easy and so far it has functioned well as a simple, one-button tuner on all the HF bands covered by my antenna (a G5RV Lite). It allows use of computer rig control by providing an additional CAT port. It also allows you to by-pass the tuner if desired.