A great video. Mine arrived today. It had a stop on the 12 pole switch, which had to be removed. With good instructions this would be easy. I have not built a kit in 30+ years. But, I have been an electronics technician for 46 years. I will feel good when I complete mine.
That thimble is a great idea. I have been looking at getting one of these and I figured that it would be as you say........very dim on instructions, I appreciate the video as it gives me an idea of what I am in for should i venture $20.00 for a project.
Welding? That's where I've been going wrong, I've been trying to solder things all these years. I've watched several of your videos, John . All very interesting, and not just the amateur radio stuff. 73, Bill, G4GHB.
Really helpful (this one and the next) on assemblying the kit! Thanks very much! I just got one in the mail! I really appreciate the way you do your videos!
Thanks for your video. Watching yours and reading all the issues made me curious to get one. Found mine for $12.53 on Ebay. Got it in a couple weeks and went to work. First thing I did was to use the provided peel and stick labels for the holes and marking of the knobs. Everything worked great when finished. Takes 1 to 2 watts to put to the dummy load swr circuit and get a good visual on the red led. Then it dims as the antenna is tuned to a 1:1 swr just as described. 73 de N4UVR
Hello John, thank you for your service to amateur radio by showing what you have learned. I am waiting on my antenna tuner kit from China and just wanted to learn what's ahead. I plan to change the design to 3 stacked toroids and air variables for more quality & higher power capability. 73 best QRP/DX
What you don't speak chinglish man I feel your pain on that one though that kind of stuff is what happens when somebody don't speak English feeds their native language in the Google translate and then simply print out what comes out
HI TInker John I managed to stuff the capacitors due to the extra long screws. Just a question, are these capacitors replaceable from shops ? If so do you know what approximate range of capacitance I would need to replace them. Thanks mate
+michael foster Michael, Thanks for watching the videos. I don't recall the value but "think" was 250 pf. Somewhere on line there is a schematic with the values. You may want to take a look at the Emtec build I did a video series on. It is a much better tuner. ~John
Quick question. Is there a good video or explanation to tune using the included led indicator? It is my understanding that you want the LED to either be maximally illuminated or is it minimally illuminated? Would you recommend using a volt meter to measure across the led leads to measure for the SWR sweet spot. If you have advise on using this without have the fancy MFJ antenna analyzer I would be very grateful. Otherwise this and the second video are great. Thank you very much!
John, thanks for watching. The light is tuned for brightness. The brighter the less SWR reflected. I am not sure if using a volt meter would give you the correct info you need in order to get accurate results. ~73/John
Good video and Great information. I built mine just for tuning my various attic listening antennas (HOA antenna restrictions ) and found the coil gives signal improvement down to 7 MHz well. The caps adjustments do get the signal improvement a bit lower. I'll take some readings on that inductor just to add to my tuner data collection, and will likely be adding a switched in molded inductor in series just to extend the range lower for my own system needs here. A bit of thread lock helps to keep the cap knobs secured as they can be unscrewed easily if not secured. It's a good kit, even if just for the parts alone for a builder, but it can easily be made much better. The cost alone is worth it. I haven't needed the LED circuit section yet as I rarely transmit and may move it to a different tuner and replace it with a bypass switch. The notes someone added in a lower post are excellent by the way. My connectors are now SO-239 to match my normal uses , but I will be buying more of these kits, and likely place the sockets on the rear of the next one for more of a neater desk mount above my radios or more likely re-case it in a metal box to better fit my space. This is one of those inexpensive items that opens up a whole series of possible modifications to consider. Thanks for a great video.
thanks John. Great video. Watching you make yours as I work on mine. I have a question about the torroid winding.. Did you connect to the switch so that the 10 winding tap is first or last? Chris
+itsumonihon Thanks for watching and for your comment. There is no way this tuner could handle the kind of power you have. However, you can use the concept to build one that will.C
I guess changing all the components out for beefier versions would do the trick right? i.e. 500pf variable capacitors etc. ? I guess it's off to ebay to search for parts that don't cost a fortune.
It helps if you speak four or five languages, otherwise the instructions would be a catastrophe. It does work, but I screwed up the toroid and had to start over. Well worth the money, but watch this video first!
Thanks for doing this as I was interested, but couldn't find much, until I found this. BTW, the plastic lid thing you made is often called a "hand shuttle", "wire shuttle" or just a shuttle in the inductor winding business.
A few questions: I also downloaded the "instructions". On the schematic in the instructions, the transformer secondary is the five turn and goes to the diodes. But on the circuit board, it is marked the other way, the two turn is the secondary. I also have a wuestion on which leads from the little variable caps to use? there are three, marked o g a . Also, fyi I just put 4 turns between each tap on the main coil. I don't understand why the kit creator wanted the funny turn counts.
+Joseph B Cotton Joseph, there are errors in the instructions. Here's what a viewer sent that explains it: Reverse the wires on the IN and OUT connections using the final assembled photograph as the guide. And the 104 ceramic capacitor is connected to the 5-turn side of the smaller toroid, which is incorrect. Cut the trace linking the capacitor to the 5-turn winding, then reroute that 5-turn wire to the anode side of the 1N60 diode --- just as the schematic shows. You can see that the board is built with errors, but the schematic is correct. I noticed right away that with the way the board was traced, the 104 capacitor was passing all RF energy directly to ground; neither the 1N60 rectifier or the red illumination LED were seeing a speck of it. Once you do this, your red light even works!, although it's an odd function. Apparently the additional SWR circuitry allows you to tickle the tuner with reduced power until you get the thing tune, thereby reducing the risk of damaging your RF final amp. Throw the switch to the left which activates the dummy loaded SWR indicator circuit, and just use a watt or two. Adjust the tuner until the red light goes OUT, then you have minimum standing waves --- your transmitter and antenna are matched. Then, just throw the switch to the right (operating mode) and apply full power which I expect is no more than 15-watts continuous, or maybe 20-watts at 50% duty cycle. I used the tuner in CW mode with a homemade linear amplifier running 22-watts and detected no damage or even appreciable heating. Just remember that the SWR tuneup circuit is only designed to take a couple of watts. And the little tuner performs exactly as advertised ---- it WILL tune a random antenna in the 1-30 mhz range. I used a lab generator and running max inductance the thing will tune well into the AM commercial broadcast range.
I am not surprised that the "instructions" (as they are) have serious errors, but I did not expect a flaw on the little circuit board. I didn't even check it. I have already completed the unit, so I will need to tear it apart and make the modification.
Craig, Thanks for the comment and for following along. You are correct, the kit is definitely doable by a beginner if one takes their time and refer to the photos and schematic. Take care, John
Nice work and vid. Thank you. I'd agree that it doesn't look like something for the beginner, though nothing like getting your feet good and wet. Looks like they are selling for $10 shipped from the US now.
+W5CYF / TinkerJohn Got them yesterday, 2 of them, and they even sent them priority. Took 3 days from order to door. ~$10 per shipped off ebay. There are actually two offerings of them for that price from the US. I ordered the one that doesn't have the $1 for shipping (free shipping but same price total). Haven't checked to see if the boards are the corrected ones, but for that kind of $ not sure I care. :) Probably wont ship priority for one, but it is always good to order more than one of this kind of stuff if it is cheap enough to make it worth while, esp if saving on shipping when doing so. ' Just checked, the board does appear to be the corrected one to the schematic. Hmm, looking closer, what does look wrong from the schematic on this board is the 2:5 transformer looks to be reversed on the board to the schematic (far as silk screen goes). It has the 5 turn connected to the input, and the 2 turn going to the output and led. That would step down the voltage, which would seem to be wrong, as that led would need more voltage, not less?
+W5CYF / TinkerJohn Thank you very much John , I bought one of these kits Antenna Tuner but do not know how to use it . It is already assembled . My email is hk6pan@gmail.com . I appreciate any information you can send me
![เปิดบ้าน พี่ตูน Bodyslam หลังใหม่คนแรก ที่ภูเก็ต l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/flFwcmyDQSk/mqdefault.jpg)
A great video. Mine arrived today. It had a stop on the 12 pole switch, which had to be removed. With good instructions this would be easy. I have not built a kit in 30+ years. But, I have been an electronics technician for 46 years. I will feel good when I complete mine.
That thimble is a great idea. I have been looking at getting one of these and I figured that it would be as you say........very dim on instructions, I appreciate the video as it gives me an idea of what I am in for should i venture $20.00 for a project.
Welding? That's where I've been going wrong, I've been trying to solder things all these years.
I've watched several of your videos, John . All very interesting, and not just the amateur radio stuff.
73, Bill, G4GHB.
The kit is down to $11.35 now --- free shipping. I got several of them just for the parts and the excellent case (for projects).
Really helpful (this one and the next) on assemblying the kit! Thanks very much! I just got one in the mail! I really appreciate the way you do your videos!
Thanks for your video. Watching yours and reading all the issues made me curious to get one. Found mine for $12.53 on Ebay. Got it in a couple weeks and went to work. First thing I did was to use the provided peel and stick labels for the holes and marking of the knobs. Everything worked great when finished. Takes 1 to 2 watts to put to the dummy load swr circuit and get a good visual on the red led. Then it dims as the antenna is tuned to a 1:1 swr just as described. 73 de N4UVR
Thanks a lot! This is really helpful, since the instruction manual is really horrible.
73!
DC4AC
Hello John, thank you for your service to amateur radio by showing what you have learned. I am waiting on my antenna tuner kit from China and just wanted to learn what's ahead. I plan to change the design to 3 stacked toroids and air variables for more quality & higher power capability. 73 best QRP/DX
Thanks for your comments and kind words. I like your suggestions on modifying the tuner. that should make a big difference 73/John
What you don't speak chinglish man I feel your pain on that one though that kind of stuff is what happens when somebody don't speak English feeds their native language in the Google translate and then simply print out what comes out
Selâm dostum .bu şemayı gönderebilirmisin.Airband dinlemek için kullanacağım
It is junk. I have one. Look elsewhere. Good video!!!!
Thanks for watching
Thanks for the video tutorial, its a great help to me. 73 de ON3URT
HI TInker John I managed to stuff the capacitors due to the extra long screws. Just a question, are these capacitors replaceable from shops ? If so do you know what approximate range of capacitance I would need to replace them. Thanks mate
+michael foster
Michael, Thanks for watching the videos. I don't recall the value but "think" was 250 pf. Somewhere on line there is a schematic with the values. You may want to take a look at the Emtec build I did a video series on. It is a much better tuner. ~John
Quick question. Is there a good video or explanation to tune using the included led indicator? It is my understanding that you want the LED to either be maximally illuminated or is it minimally illuminated? Would you recommend using a volt meter to measure across the led leads to measure for the SWR sweet spot. If you have advise on using this without have the fancy MFJ antenna analyzer I would be very grateful. Otherwise this and the second video are great. Thank you very much!
John, thanks for watching. The light is tuned for brightness. The brighter the less SWR reflected. I am not sure if using a volt meter would give you the correct info you need in order to get accurate results. ~73/John
Thanks a lot! Very Good 73! de UA1CCE
Good video and Great information.
I built mine just for tuning my various attic listening antennas (HOA antenna restrictions ) and found the coil gives signal improvement down to 7 MHz well. The caps adjustments do get the signal improvement a bit lower.
I'll take some readings on that inductor just to add to my tuner data collection, and will likely be adding a switched in molded inductor in series just to extend the range lower for my own system needs here.
A bit of thread lock helps to keep the cap knobs secured as they can be unscrewed easily if not secured.
It's a good kit, even if just for the parts alone for a builder, but it can easily be made much better. The cost alone is worth it.
I haven't needed the LED circuit section yet as I rarely transmit and may move it to a different tuner and replace it with a bypass switch.
The notes someone added in a lower post are excellent by the way.
My connectors are now SO-239 to match my normal uses , but I will be buying more of these kits, and likely place the sockets on the rear of the next one for more of a neater desk mount above my radios or more likely re-case it in a metal box to better fit my space.
This is one of those inexpensive items that opens up a whole series of possible modifications to consider.
Thanks for a great video.
Thanks for taking time to send along some very useful suggestions and mods. ~John
Thanks Jonh for help me with a manual copy pdf...73
Mine just arrived - 10 months after ordering it!!
Thanks for watching. That did come on a "slow boat". ~John
thanks John. Great video. Watching you make yours as I work on mine. I have a question about the torroid winding.. Did you connect to the switch so that the 10 winding tap is first or last? Chris
Chris, I built mine so the switch was on the first winding. However it should work either way since the switch only changes inductance. ~John
Not bad at the price ! Thanks for the vid. I'd change the design to L or Z match though...T match being really bad for losses, 73 de ZS2OE
is there any way to change this from a qrp kit to a higher powered kit i.e. 100-200watts tx power? I would like to use this with my FT-101E
+itsumonihon
Thanks for watching and for your comment. There is no way this tuner could handle the kind of power you have. However, you can use the concept to build one that will.C
I guess changing all the components out for beefier versions would do the trick right? i.e. 500pf variable capacitors etc. ?
I guess it's off to ebay to search for parts that don't cost a fortune.
It helps if you speak four or five languages, otherwise the instructions would be a catastrophe. It does work, but I screwed up the toroid and had to start over. Well worth the money, but watch this video first!
please add schematic download. Thanks
So im a newbie, have a question, could you use this on a 11 meter antenna but use it for uhf ?
Hi John, Could I get a copy of these instructions, thanks
it sells for 14 dollars australian now. which is about 10 dollars US
Thanks for your comment. You are correct, the price is all over the place. ~John
W5CYF / TinkerJohn it seems to be that way in china
- Ben - VK3FBIC
Thanks for doing this as I was interested, but couldn't find much, until I found this.
BTW, the plastic lid thing you made is often called a "hand shuttle", "wire shuttle" or just a shuttle in the inductor winding business.
Radio Rob Rob, Thanks for leaving a comment and for watching. ~John
The version I bought included NO instructions or diagrams
Great video i got one but no instructions but your video was interesting, Thank you.
jeff taylor Jeff, Thanks for your comment. I have a copy of the instructions if you can PM me I'll get a copy out to you. ~John
W5CYF / TinkerJohn
A few questions: I also downloaded the "instructions". On the schematic in the instructions, the transformer secondary is the five turn and goes to the diodes. But on the circuit board, it is marked the other way, the two turn is the secondary. I also have a wuestion on which leads from the little variable caps to use? there are three, marked o g a . Also, fyi I just put 4 turns between each tap on the main coil. I don't understand why the kit creator wanted the funny turn counts.
+Joseph B Cotton Joseph, there are errors in the instructions. Here's what a viewer sent that explains it:
Reverse the wires on the IN and OUT connections using the
final assembled photograph as the guide. And the 104 ceramic capacitor is
connected to the 5-turn side of the smaller toroid, which is incorrect.
Cut the trace linking the capacitor to the 5-turn winding, then reroute
that 5-turn wire to the anode side of the 1N60 diode --- just as the schematic
shows. You can see that the board is built with errors, but the schematic
is correct. I noticed right away that with the way the board was traced,
the 104 capacitor was passing all RF energy directly to ground; neither the
1N60 rectifier or the red illumination LED were seeing a speck of it.
Once you do this, your red light even works!, although it's an odd
function.
Apparently the additional SWR circuitry allows you to tickle
the tuner with reduced power until you get the thing tune, thereby reducing the
risk of damaging your RF final amp. Throw the switch to the left which
activates the dummy loaded SWR indicator circuit, and just use a watt or two.
Adjust the tuner until the red light goes OUT, then you have minimum
standing waves --- your transmitter and antenna are matched. Then, just
throw the switch to the right (operating mode) and apply full power which I expect
is no more than 15-watts continuous, or maybe 20-watts at 50% duty cycle.
I used the tuner in CW mode with a homemade linear amplifier running
22-watts and detected no damage or even appreciable heating. Just
remember that the SWR tuneup circuit is only designed to take a couple of
watts. And the little tuner performs exactly as advertised ---- it WILL
tune a random antenna in the 1-30 mhz range. I used a lab generator and
running max inductance the thing will tune well into the AM commercial broadcast
range.
I am not surprised that the "instructions" (as they are) have serious errors, but I did not expect a flaw on the little circuit board. I didn't even check it. I have already completed the unit, so I will need to tear it apart and make the modification.
High quality video as always. I think this video will make this kit doable by a first time kit builder. Thanks for putting the time into this.
Craig,
Thanks for the comment and for following along. You are correct, the kit is definitely doable by a beginner if one takes their time and refer to the photos and schematic.
Take care,
John
Nice work and vid. Thank you. I'd agree that it doesn't look like something for the beginner, though nothing like getting your feet good and wet. Looks like they are selling for $10 shipped from the US now.
+Goat Moag
Goat, thanks for watching and for your comments. ~John
+W5CYF / TinkerJohn Got them yesterday, 2 of them, and they even sent them priority. Took 3 days from order to door. ~$10 per shipped off ebay. There are actually two offerings of them for that price from the US. I ordered the one that doesn't have the $1 for shipping (free shipping but same price total). Haven't checked to see if the boards are the corrected ones, but for that kind of $ not sure I care. :) Probably wont ship priority for one, but it is always good to order more than one of this kind of stuff if it is cheap enough to make it worth while, esp if saving on shipping when doing so.
'
Just checked, the board does appear to be the corrected one to the schematic. Hmm, looking closer, what does look wrong from the schematic on this board is the 2:5 transformer looks to be reversed on the board to the schematic (far as silk screen goes). It has the 5 turn connected to the input, and the 2 turn going to the output and led. That would step down the voltage, which would seem to be wrong, as that led would need more voltage, not less?
Дуже цікаво знати
Thanks John, I followed your videos on how to wind the coils. Work like a charm.
Kenneth, thanks for watching and for taking a moment to comment. ~John
Great video,thank you for the mail.
R7KBC
73!
Thanks for watching. ~John
Keep up the good work John. And first to comment lol.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a (first) comment!
All the best,
John
I can't find the manual online, anyone have a link?
+cap12206
Thanks for watching, if you send me a message with your email, I can send you a copy of what I used. ~John
Hello , you have a manual to use the product , how it works ?
+Pablo Andrés Naranjo Echeverry
Pablo, the manual can be found online. If you need a copy you can PM me your email and I'll send what I have. 73/John
+W5CYF / TinkerJohn
Thank you very much John , I bought one of these kits Antenna Tuner but do not know how to use it . It is already assembled . My email is hk6pan@gmail.com . I appreciate any information you can send me
Great video,thank you for the mail.
R7KBC
73!
thx for the Vid!!!
73
HB9FVF
HAM Rabbit Thanks for following along and for your comment. ~John
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