Great video. It's cool seeing the changes occur, as you make the adjustments in the tuner. It also gives you an appreciation for how complex tuning adjustments can be.

Great video, Ape. This is a superb didactic illustration of the role, function and use of a tuner --the ATU merely being a machine-driven optimized version--in an antenna system!

That looks alot like my MFJ-949e inside. It's simple and works great. Thanks for the detailed review, you explained things much better than the instructions.

Nice video, Ape. Thanks for showing practical use of a NanoVNA, it's great to see the visual representation of adjustments. Cheers, K7KS

I love fixed width character sets. It just makes sense. Everything lines up perfectly.

Once again Ape ! great tutorial ... you make sense and deliver in an easy to understand format. Kudos and keep up great work mate 🙏

A nice piece of kit. Old school cool design that stands the test of time. Great to see live results from the nanovna too.👍🤓

Educational as always. Thanks Ape.

I have been thinking about building a new antenna, and decided that I want to run a double zepp through the balun built into my MFJ -949. This video has me now convinced that I want to do this because it took the "sorcery" away from how the tuner operates.

Top notch video, Ape! Thanks for posting this.

Nicely explained and great use of the nanoVNA. I have a Heathkit SA-2060A manual antenna tuner that I built way back in the 80’s. It’s way bigger (it will handle 2KW) but its internal circuitry is very similar except that it has a roller inductor. I haven’t used it since the 1990s and I can’t wait to hook it up to the NanoVNA and get it back online!

thanks for the review, I have and use the MFJ-949E, no auto-tuner here, it has served me well, only slight disadvantage to a tuner like this is that you require an SWR meter in between it and the radio, I do like the built-in SWR meter, al ve3gam

Great educational video. I need to make more use of the Nano VNA that I have been. Thanks

It's on my list to learn how to use a manual tuner...thanks for the explanation.

I just bought a used yaesu ft-817nd and an ldg auto tuner. I also found the CQHAM TB-BOX. It's a manual tuner and power bank built together to fit the 817. Honestly I am more excited about how the TB-BOX integrates with the radio than I am about the LTG. I am also interested in the simplicity of the manual tuner hence the reason I looked up your video. Great video explaining everything and showing exactly how it works. Thank you.

Thanks Ape! My CW Elmer is going to walk me through this when I get home! Almost don't need it! Thanks boss, Brandon.

9:00 this explains something I've observed with my 949E, thank you for that simple explanation. I was looking for a video like this before but family life and job life took me away from research... Matt not be the same model I picked up (the 949E has a dual-needle meter) but it's obviously the same basic design...

I have a MFJ-901B and it works great for a 100 watts or less. Uses it many times for qrp. As stated in the video don't hot switch it while transmitting.

Good info Ape, this reminds me of a small heathkit tuner I have

Awesome video and explanation! I have a Versa Tuner II (MFJ-941E) that I feel the need to connect to my Nano VNA and...play around! Be well and stay safe Ape.

Many thanks ,have one ,excellent

Great video Ape, how wonderful it would be to have a tuner with a single purpose output showing that sweep at all times.

Great for g5rv antennas and many others.

I have an 901 Versa tuner that is a tan and wood grain in color. I wish it had a date one it but I actually have it on my rig right now and it’s a jam up tuner. I hope to get another for my /p rig.

Good video! I have trouble hearing you sometimes. I have a MFJ-949E. It has a power meter, SWR meter, Dummy Load, and antenna switch Plus everything in that tuner.

Well, explained thanks! You mentioned 450 ohm window line. Would this tune up 600 ohm ladder line?

Great video! TU Quick Question: Do Z Match Tuners work the same way? Do they have a Capacitor and Inductor? 73

I think this is one of the first products MFJ imported

I like your style! Going down to the nitty gritty! I wish you could go more into the Smith Chart but I understand that it is audience dependent! So you have tuned your antenna on both the Smith and SWR views in NanoSaver? What happens if you connect the Antenna line on the S21 port? Is that even applicable thinking that you can tune the entire system with the antenna inline??

Can you please explain what those symbols on the inductance dimmer are? And how they help

Really enjoyable, Ape! You are having too much fun! Are you an electrical engineer? Is there an Ape bio or resumé laying around somewhere? Your videos are really, really good! Thanks and ATB! 73, John - KK7JBZ

Just researching that for my Icom 7300 and MFJ 993B Auto tuner. MFJ said I need a MFJ 5124i Tuner cable. What does this cable do.

Finally was able to be left alone long enough to finish watching I never understood how to plot smith charts manually or how to make the calculations but clearly there's no magic to them and they shouldn't drive people batty. I just need to take the time to learn them, but I would like to see how the different adjustments affect that chart specifically. If I ever pick up a nano I'll be able to do that for myself. This is a good primer on what these tuners do, though. Question: is my understanding correct? Tuning the antenna with a tuner only makes the antenna "look better" to the transmitter. Correct or incorrect? I mean, a ten foot long wire isn't actually made resonant itself, so how can it send radio waves out any better? I think it doesn't. Does the tuner just re-reflect the reflected power back to the antenna? I wonder if that can affect radiation pattern any at all. Anyway, thank you for this informative video!

Hey ape can I use a tuner in place of a balun/unun for antenna matching (e.g. 49:1 for efhw or 9:1 for efrw). Thanks for the tuner deep dive!

I see your tuner has the flaking paint on the bottom front too. If MFJ reads this, fix that part of the manufacturing process. I had paint chips falling onto my radio display.

What would those variable capacitors cost if one could order them?

hey I have that one. On an Icom 706iig

noob question that I’ve been afraid to ask. If I place an antenna tuner on an end fed random wire, should the 9:1 unun be at the feed point as usual? Or does the antenna tuner replace it? You said a 4:1 unun is part of the antenna tuner, does this obliviate the need for the 9:1 unun?

I have the MFJ 969 matcher. Take what is here and put it on droids.

Will not don6m at all?

Is it true that an antenna tuners only benefit is to protect your radio from reflected power, and that they can't actually improve the strength of the signal radiated by an antenna?

6:18 dot-matrix? I'd have said typewriter.

This unit did not work for me. Running an indoor loop antenna, my rig's max 3:1 ratio internal tuner handled all bands from 80 to 10 with tuned SWR well below 1.5:1. Placed a MFJ-1026 noise canceller in-line to kill a QRM problem, but this MFJ unit doesn't allow the use of the rig internal tuner without frying the noise canceller, forcing me to use an external tuner. Tried the 901B over the course of a few months, and despite it's reputation for being able to tune up a wet noodle, it killed my power out across all bands, and the SWR never went below 2.5:1. Tried a wide variety of tuner settings and different coax jumpers at various lengths - newly purchased LMR-400 - to see if that voodoo would help to no avail. Needless to say, my 901B is up for sale 😑

I think you need to tell people you are changing the electrical characteristics of the antenna, but not it's length.

Whose interested in the knobs, get on with it.

COIL INDUCTOR

Who needs a tuner? I had kenwood 520se and swr meter and nothing else and vertical gp antenas and many dxes worked with it. Cut the antena wright and swr 1:1,1 or so.

silly man got it WRONG !! WRONG !! WRONG !!

I good video many compliments, i should i buy a manual tuner for my 20 watt max hf radio. I am undecided between the MFJ 901 model and the MFJ 902 model. The 901 tunes up to 160m (1.8) Mhz while the 902 has 6 Meters (which I don't care about) but starts from 80 m ie 3.6 Mhz. The 901 has the coil in the air, the 902 has coils wound in 3 toroids. What's the difference? Which do you recommend to buy between 901 and 902? I am inclined to buy the 901. Could you tell me how to make the bridge? I saw in a forum that they mount a switch which is certainly an alternative to the jumper. But what specifically is the jumper switch for?

Good intro to tuners and the follow up with VNA and computer was a great demonstration. Thanks Ape! 👍👍