About the best intro into the MFJ-259/269 series analyzer yet! The old adage "don't start in the middle, start in the beginning" applied here while so many simply don't do that. The "club" I listen to spend most of their time bragging they completely miss the educational aspect unless it's something that is new to themselves. Thank you Randy K7AGE.

I always remark how helpful Radio Hams are! They're happy to share with the rest of us their knowledge, and in doing so, introduce new people to the hobby. Great video Randy,! Thank you Sir!

This is a great video. I am a newbie (KM4IAW) and I just purchased a MFJ259C. Would love to see you posting more video on other functions of this antenna analyzer.

Thank you for your excellent video/explanation of using an antenna analyzer. You have shown me that the MFJ analyzers may not do as much for you as something like the SARK 110, but it costs a lot less, and is actually a lot easier to use. Too many features, and it takes longer to read the manual and understand just how to use the tool. The MFJ-259C (or 269C) seems to have just the right amount of features to make it easy to use as well as extremely useful.

Nice job on the video, short, simple, and concise with great audio.

thank you sir,,, you are MY online Elmer now..ive learned more in three months than I have in a long time time with mine here...also,, just (today) got mfj 269 aanalyzer..I love it and you taught me all I need to know for now.

Thanks Randy. This video is very good for new hams. Appreciate your efforts to share the information

Hi Randy! I too am a very new operator! Your videos and instructionals are as important as some of the test equipment I have accumulated. You really have the talent of a natural teacher. Please keep up the great work and thank you!! 73! KA0RSN

Thanks for the video. I'm a new general licensee (yesterday) and I'm still trying to figure out how all of the different test equipment works in the real world. Your video was definitely helpful, and gave me an easy "ahh ha" moment that helped me understand this.

Hi dear Randy!Thanks for the video.You really have the talent of a natural teacher! Leo.UR3iF.

Would love to see a video on what the differences are between the different MFJ antenna analyzer's 259/269 ABCD etc etc to many choices out there

Well Randy, that was the "perfect" explanation of an antenna analyzer in action; short, sweet, and to-the-point. I am slightly biased, as that's the way I tune my tuner prior to actual transmission. Tune the tuner with the "MJF" and tune the transmitter into a dummy load. Connect transmitter to antenna and we're good to go. Thanks a lot. Great audio and video quality too. 73.

Thank you Randy! Picked up this antenna analizer while I was in Florida, hanging out with a bunch of ham buddies. 73's brother, and thanks again! KB2QZK

Thanks for the help Randy. Just where I need to be, the basics. You explained it well.

Thank you for explaining CLEARLY the use of the MFJ Antenna Analyzer. I am about to build a vertical fan dipole and this is very helpful. 73's de KD4MAN

Thank You Randy for a Very Educational Video. I am a New HAM and enjoyed watching this Video.

Awesome vid on AA uses. Randy thanks for creating/posting 73, Hamp

Get a Rig Expert Analyzer. So much more advanced and many more options. I believe they are competitive with MFJ and the batteries last forever.

Thanks Randy. I have your video saved. Some of my friends look only at the SWR and not the Impedance. The impedance is way off and not close to 50ohm.

Great information.........Thank you...... Lots of good pointers.......

Such a delightful man to listen to..

Thanks for posting! I'm new to amateur radio so I assume at some point I'll get an "ah-ha!" moment when all of this will make sense. :-)

Great topic and easily accessible demo! For those that want more depth -the Alanta Radio Club You Tube page has an excellent series of videos featuring Martin F Jue himself covering all aspects of operation the MFJ Antenna Analyzers. These things are what made grid dip oscillators a bit redundant. They are sort of a GDO married to an RF bridge. But even with this, I still use my GDO sometimes. Can't have too much test equipment.

Great Video Randy, I echo the comment that I would like to see a series on the other functions that the analyzer can perform. Also you may want to point out that there is a difference ( I believe) in measuring SWR with an antenna laying on the ground, verses measuring it in the air ( or vertical in your example). 73, thanks for your dedication to the hobby

Also I just purchased a MFJ259C to check the resonant frequencies on what appears to be some bootleg Motorola logo rubber duck HT antennas that I got for a homeowners watch group that are used on the (no license MURS band). The antennas had the correct Motorola part number and Bat wing logo and font on the Motorola markings on the antennas, but they were obviously about an inch or more shorter than another Motorola rubber duck I had and the insulator in the bottom SMA connector was not the same color. I also ordered an SMA to PL259 adapter for the test. Wish me luck, Cliff 73

Superb video for the new ham and nicely explained. Thank you sir. 73s from the UK.

Hi! I would like to bring to your attention the NanoVNA Vector Network Analyzer. It does exactly what your graphic is showing. At 50 dollars. These MFJs cost a fortune.

Just picked one of these up used, glad I did. Thanks for the video, very informative KI5TKD, 73s

What a great tool. I have one of these and I want to get the best use out of it. Thanks Randy. Great tutorial on this.

Mahalo for the info Randy, Aloha

Very nicely done. Thanks.

At Field Day 2016, we were at the rural home QTH of one of our club members and we experienced some of the extraneous RF as mentioned at 2:55 but it took us a while to trace. It turned out to be the underground dog fence that was pumping erratic RF into the analyzer, making it practically useless since the coax was lying on the ground for many feet not far away. Once we put the antenna tuner inline, that isolated the analyzer and we could tune the G5RV to any frequency we wanted and it worked like a champ, but as it was, we could not take a "barefoot" reading just to see how the antenna was on its own.

Nicely done! Next, a grid dip meter.

Hi Randy, I know hams do not like to venture into CB Radio. But I will use CB for this example question. I am a tech class ham and I have question that is probably best left to an RF engineer, but I will hope you can answer it. Can reflected power be an unreliable issue in some instances? I am referring to IF the MFJ ANTENNA ANALYZER shows a (CB antenna mirror mount installation for instance) to be resonant on 27.085 CB channel 19 on a tractor trailer mirror mount installation (when the antenna is vertical). But the VSWR meter shows high on reflected power on a VSWR Meter. We see these antennas tilted forward like a bull would have its head tilted down on these mirrors all the time. This would put the field strength forward signal toward the ground. I assume that this is done because the CB shops VSWR meters are getting reflected power back from the high sleepers and the higher trailers. Would it hypothetically better to tune a mirror mount antenna installation of this type with the analyzer and leave the antenna vertical (for better forward gain), OR would there theoretically or actually be a real reflected power issue that could damage a radios RF output section. In other words I think I am asking if the VSWR meter is an actual reflected power reading or a possibly false reading. I guess I probably sound stupid, but I am trying to learn a little about RF Theory. 73 Cliff

Thanks for your time. Great tutorial Randy!

Another great informative video Randy. Always get something from your videos.Plan to order a 259C. I have a MFJ 209 and don't like it one bit.73 Bill AB9QU

I appreciate and enjoy all your videos! This subject seems like a "must-do" in order to operate properly within the Amateur Radio Bands? Thank You!

Have now subscribed to your channel. Thank you.

okay thanks once again , so I have learned that there is a difference between an SWR meter and an SWR analyzer..... That explains the price differences. thanks again

Great video. Thanks. I am new to this and your videos are very helpful!

Randy, do you think it's best to always assume that lowest SWR is equal to resonance? Or, should we be looking for some combination of things such as a reasonably low SWR but X=0 and 50 ohms? Or, something else? Thank you.

Very good video explaining the antenna analyzer. 73's from WP4YN.

Nice job. Thanks.

Nice video Randy! Thank You

Thanks Randy. I have been using an assortment of analyzers, just for fun. Your reminder to short the antenna first is good info that I had forgotten. No damage yet, but want to prevent any. Also keeping a lab note book is great advice. We hams sometimes get too hurried and forget the basics. If you don't remember where you have been how do you know where you are or if you are making progress. Dave K8WPE

I have a NanoVNA, but this is besides the point I think (as it does the same thing, just plots automatically). Should this measurement be performed at the antenna feed point high up and not at the shack when cutting the antenna to length? To take the feedline coax out of the equation when tuning the antenna?

Randy, thanks for the video. I was just confused by your wording. I think you meant that to get the antenna resonate on 7.2Mhz you have to make it 'shorter'. But you kept saying 'shortening it'. Which makes me think of an electrical short and not making the antenna smaller in length. Is that what you meant?

What does it mean when your VSWR is lowest but the impedance is near 60 ohms? The RG-8X is brand new but every monopole mobile antenna is around 60 ohms.

Thank you. I have two used vertical HF antennas that I am testing and they both did not show a resonate frequency, new installation for me. I think they are both bad. I will be replacing one and rechecking. My father was a ham radio operator W5OQA in Grove Okla. He hand made his QSL cards, do you have one. He is a silent key now and I would like to have on of his cards.

An antenna analyzer does actually transmit signals, but they are extremely-low-power signals, on the order of microwatts.

I just bought a 259 and wasn't sure how to use it. Can you cover how to measure capacitance, and the freq counter?

Randy -- So, you merely remove the antenna coax from the back of your transmitter and plug it into the analyzer? Is that the simplistic hook-up? Thank you.

Informative as usual, Tks Randy

I have an mfj 269 and it's awesome mfj has a new antenna analyzer and this model even uses aa batteries I think

Thanks Randy , picked up a 249 in beautiful condx. @ the Willkes Barre Pa hamfest today for 30 $ ( estate sk ) and is perfect for what I do … best 73 de ka3fad

can you damage the device if you forget to connect your antenna. because its basically an transmitter.

Great video Randy, thanks for sharing! 73!

I have the 259D I have not used it yet I am wonder how to use it to help me tune my imax-2000 but I am confused because my radio puts out 300 watts and the higher the watts are the higher the SWR goes so I can't figure out how to check this. any help would be appreciated greatly Thank you.

Very interesting video, thanks

Cheers for the video randy.

Shouldn't the measurements be made at the base of the antenna, as close to the feed point as possible and not from the shack to get an accurate read?

H Randy, Thanks for a very informative video. My aerial is a doublet (in the loft) with a 450 ohm ladder line feeder. Can I still use an analyser with it? If so, how do I connect it?

okay so im looking for the best way to set a Wilson 5000 i may have to trim it but i would like to get the wave a flat match on the 27 mghz band im looking at possibly buying this analyzer it does cover the 27 mghz band correct ? i want to make sure i buy the correct model

Randy, say someone finds some old, random antenna at a garage sale or some place and they have no way to know which band or frequency the antenna is meant to be used on. Can these analyzers automatically tell you a resonant frequency for the randomly found antenna?

thank you for your work sir.

Hi Randy, I was wondering if you could tell me what the trick is to knowing whether the antennna is too long or not long enough based on what the analyzer says? OR if you have a video that already explains this, would you kindly point me in its direction? Thank you sir. I appreciate all you do for the Ham community. 73, de KD7SJT

Thank you

Randy another excellent,informative and educational video do you like 40 Meters or do you have another HF band of choice you enjoy or is CW your favorite mode of operation all together?73's.Tony Ridlen KC9QVE Kokomo,Indiana

Thanks Randy. I learned lots. I finally pushed that subscribe button. Will you shorten this dipole the same way you shortened the 10 meter dipole you made? Thanks again. 73 KE0OAP

Thanks for the good videos. What does the Xs number represent?

Do some people call it residence? I know it is resonance. So what about using the impedance negative or positive to effect a match with caps and coils?

You set forward Full Scale Deflection whilst switched to VSWR. Does that mean that the push button over rides theVSWR/200watts/200 watts selector switch? Thanks for the video. 73

You said at one point that this analyzer can go outside of the amateur bands, which caught my attention. How about the area between 230 and about 400MHz? The specifications make it appear that you can only use amateur bands, which seems sort of silly.

Really nice video! So sad that these antenna analyzers are so expensive. Well, the whole hobby is.. But it would be nice if something could be cheap at least =D hehe

Randy, Great video. Thanks! How would I use the MFJ unit to tune my 204' G5RV, with the feed-point up on a 40' fiberglass mast?

I'm a total noob at Ham Radio. I mostly listen into stations. Is swr important to transmitting only or does it effect receiving too?

I have a question, if you have a dip how do you know if its the antenne and not the lengte of the cable ? 73 .. Ger

Great video

Thanks so much Randy!!

What do you mean "short the center to ground before connecting coax?" How do we do that please?

Fine work.. thank you!

Very good video! Many thanks! 73 KI5KET

Please can you do a video and explaining the Rs and Xs readings

Hard to find videos for operators on CB I find you ham guys to Technical

I found one of these, someone left batteries in it for many years, the battery tray is ruined I will need to get a new one, I noticed it does have an power cord connection and inside I seen a jumper, is it possible to put rechargeable batteries and it will charge them? also since I have to replace the tray, couldn't I just use a 9v battery?

Good video, there is another video where a guy is using the same meter to tune jumpers and antenna leeds , it's interesting but beyond my understanding.

HI Randy!... I used my mfj269 analyzer to tune a home made 5/8 for 2m as an experiment. I can tune perfectly the antenna, but as soon I take it 10 ft on the mast the swr gets crazy and the antenna is useless.... Have you any clue whats happening?... tanks! I don't know what to do

thanks

I always enjoy your videos - would like to see you do one on an antenna analzer on a all band antenna. K5ROC

excellent, thank you!

Very well done. Thank you!. Now if I only understood "matching"... 73 de KD2HHU

hello randy, nice video. cheers. azhar

How often should we check the antenna analyzer???

Very well done👍 73 KV5P

I’m not a Ham operator CB operator I’m thinking of buying an Analyser

Thank you finally someone said keep a notebook OMG kg6mn

How do you go about getting "X" to zero?

Thanks for posting! John KC5NGX

Rules of presentation to a broad audience. First time you use an abbreviation SWR, also say the whole name, ONCE. I’m a ME not an EE so I’m basically stupid. There I said it. Inductance leads current in a AC circuit, right? I don’t know what that means. My son is an EE.. HE enjoys playing with me like a cat with a half dead mouse and I paid for his education.

73 N3UKP