One error after another: Reviewing the Manual Days antenna coupler kit
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- Competition giveaway deadline (VK viewers only): Sat 30 September 2017
My look at the Manual Days antenna coupler. This is a cheap coupler kit that could be useful for portable QRP operating. Although the finished item works its construction was a challenge. Find out why in this video. Its low price is the main thing it has going for it. It's so low that you might even wish to buy the kit for the parts and build your own coupler from scratch.
Others' experiences at m1kta-qrp.blogs... & • The $20 eBay Antenna T... (Thanks to Nick VK2DAP for the review unit)
PS: If you liked this video please consider supporting Amateur Radio VK3YE by:
* Subscribing on TH-cam,
* Checking my books page at books.vk3ye.com
* Shopping on Amazon via: amzn.to/3iiDQXv, or
* Shopping on eBay via: ebay.us/i9DuWP
(then if you buy something I'll get a small commission at no cost to you)
Interestingly I recently built one of these kits. It came with knobs for capacitors. Each knob had a long screw nut and 2 washers. I replaced the screw inside knob with long screw and suppled washers and nut as a spacer and it all fitted perfectly. No tweezers required. George
Wish I'd watched your video before I built mine. Worst kit I've ever built. Best bit was the box. The so-called instructions are rubbish. Even after correcting the errors and getting it to work it still had a minimum of 3dB loss after tuning (up to 10dB depending on band), not what you need if you are doing QRP. I've gone back to a homebrew L match.
I took all the bits and made a pi tuner, a lot better.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MOUNTING KNOBS ON THIS TUNER BOX.
You dont need any parts to get fully working knobs, use what did come with the kit.
Here is the parts list you need to save that as i said already is in this kit:
Save the knobs and put them on a parts dish/box.
Put also aside the 4pcs of 2.5mm washers that did come with the kit. They was not ment for mounting the capacitors to the project box, drill small holes, or get more washers.
The spare 2pcs of 3mm nuts was ment as a thick washer for spacing out the knobs from the project box so it does fit.
The 2pcs of 2.5mm long screw was ment for using with the knobs instead of the stock screws that dont fit.
This is a detailed step by step list to get the knobs to work on your tuner:
1. Remove the brass inserts and the stock screws in the knobs that wont fit.
2. Now put a washer on each side of the knob.
3. Use the 3mm nut as a thick washer between the variable capacitor and knob to space out the knob from the project box so they does fit.
4. Put in the long 2.5mm screw trough all that and mount the knob on the variable capacitor.
5. Tighten it some and test if it is good enough to withstand some twist pressure, if not screw it tighter, beware of screwing it way to hard, it can ruin the capacitor (unless you use a specialized perhaps homemade wrench or plier to hold the brass on the capacitors it is only the capacitor plates that give you resistance to screw the screw on, so beware this.
I guess it is possible to tighten it too hard and ruin it so go for minimum of what is acceptable pressure on the knobs for normal use).
6. Put on the lids on the knobs and voila you got fully working knobs people :)
It works good this way. Screw it on harder and harder until it no longer skips and instead sticks for normal use, in other words be a little careful not screwing it _too_ hard becourse the capacitor can be broken. But make it strong enough too, there is a balance here.
These variable capacitors was only ment for use with a plastic pulley wheel in small portable radio production so real knobs that fit these capacitors was likely never made.
I realize this is 5 years old at my writing, but YE's reporting of this is true. It's mostly true that the kit is garbage although he did a masterful job to salvage it. However, at the price they were being offered, I bought two and built two tuners into more spacious containers that worked well. I also was able to construct add-on shafts for the variable caps that worked suitability.
The cases? They made perfect EFHW or unun containers.
The overall cost is well under what the individual cost would have been.
Looks like another Chinese Really Awful Product (CRAP).73 VK2FALF
Finished the kit (with one glaring error I found out way later), then finally put the box together, pushed the rotator knob in, and bam - I broke the rotator. Now it's utterly useless.
I'm not sure if I should shop for a rotator switch, or just start all over again with something else.
It looks cheap and nasty. I love how the instructions talk of welding things. Zap! A pile of burning plastic. I like resistive SWR meters as you never go above 2:1 SWR when tuning. I use the G-QRP Club circuit but with a large 0-1 mA meter, easy to see at a distance. Useable from 160m to 6m. I was given an MFJ16010 atu which supposedly didn't work. I don't like buying things and always accept free stuff! After two years of perfect use it wouldn't tune one day so looking inside and seeing nothing faulty I started poking around and discovered a loose wire. I re-soldered it and it works fine again.
Bill, G4GHB.
The tx only ever sees a maximum of 2:1 but the meter indicates all SWR. Calibrate a meter type SWR bridge with resistors.
Bill, G4GHB.
Congratulations to the winner Chris VK3ABU working in VK6 and thanks to others who entered.
Im So So Sad, I Wanted To Buy This Thing, But Damn, After Watching This Video, No Cahance I WIll Build Such Thing Because Of My LOW Knowledge :(
hello, yes I was dumb enough to purchase this! Was wondering could you help me with the toroid wiring?
I am happy to see this video but as you said it really is a bit of a nightmare to build but as I am 65 and semi retired, -30c outside with lots and lots of snow, freezing temperatures today 18-Jan,20211 the doors on my 4x4 chev truck all froz closed as yesterday it warmed up a bit, cleared snow away, then went inside. With nothing better to do I started building this tuner from an order I made last year to do in the winter time.
I started building kit by getting the resistors in first as it was the easy part, I think as you said the instructions suck! And the fittings are off.
I wired the toroid then after completing realized I may have made a mistake as I checked the T106-2 drawing showing what seemed to 23 turns with 12 tap points. But after completing realized this can't be right? Recalculated after a closer look and a lot of coffee (probably did not help) and realized it should have been 35 turns with the 12 tap points? Is that right? is that what you had?
Freezing cold, stuck at home.
George
Alberta, Canada
Hi George - I don't remember. And I no longer have it so can't take a look. But I think there's some website articles or blogs where people have described their construction experience. These may be helpful.
Great informative Vid mate.. Today I received my QRP Tuner Kit ..same as in your Vid. ,and did an inventory of parts .. no parts list or plans .. They are cheap as Chips and worth -- like you said ..the value just for the Case , Toroids , and Copper alone .. .. Your Vid will help me greatly ..Cheers , 73
VA3VJC..
I built one and it never worked...I thought I had stuffed it up...I am so glad to discover I am not a total numpty but that others have struggled too...hahaha!
I will dig it out and redo it....
There's a lot of good things coming from China, but also products which don't have much QA.
Even a low price point has a limit. JUNK IS JUNK. And to ask a technical question of the seller is pointless; they are too busy selling their other lines of cheap goods, like jewelry and make-up or panty hose.
The circuit design is sound; but the execution is POOR. Videos like this will educate potential buyers to stay away, and hopefully change the mindset of the mfr to create better English instructions, quality parts and PCB's that fit.
YES, we hams/builders are a clever bunch of folks, but we should expect more from manufacturers.
I bout 3 of those. Afraid to start building, hi
Correct. This tuner is JUNK!! I paid $20 US.
Great review. Thanks Peter.
Nick
That "crusty Dave" gave me a good laugh this morning! More like a home brew with instructions, rather than a "kit".
Thank you for review, 73 !
Another great video. Thanks!
This is weird. It's 2023 and I've got one of these on order. Ok so it may not be much but neither is the price. I should be able to make something that works. Belated thanks Peter for the review. Thanks also to anyone else contributing helpful information 73s all
Mine worked pretty good but only because I watched every video I could find. Biggest error you didn't mention is the inductor diagram, the single turn goes to the T , and the 10 turn portion is sent to ground it can be left open but could possibly generate some interference if dangled open. I found some sleeve material longer screws and lock washers and made my own shafts extensions. The screws that were sent had the wrong thread and size anyway. The Dremal was my friend on this project; I had to cut the plastic nubs out to get the variable caps in right, trim holes etc. I found a really nice 12 posted switch on Ali Express have not installed it I wanted to get some more toroids and build another one but havn't. Built it for my QCX radios.
Hi Peter,
How about using a nylon screw and nylon spacer to replace the knob for the variable capacitors. 73 WB3BJU
Yes, that could work.
It took a while to figure this out... Throw out the brass collar and corresponding screw. Use the long screw, with the knob sandwiched between two washers. Finally, the oversized nut acts as a spacer between the knob and capacitor shaft. This should get all the dimensions about right so when you tighten the screw it should stay tight.
What value are the variable caps in this kit? It sort of bugs me to transmit a signal through transistor radio tuning caps.... even at QRP.
This video is a good advert for the highly regulated world that is 1st world countries.
China can make decent goods, but its only there premium stuff you can trust as well made. The vast majority seems to have no standardised societal ideas.
People moan about regulations, but i will always prefer a highly regulated society, to a society where people decide for themselves, what is the right thing, especially in manufacturing.
i've ordered it, its comming soon ! it's good for experimenting. I like the banana plug modification ! lets have some ham radio fun !
I cannot find a schematic anywhere. The company webpage is in Chinese. Thanks for being honest about this unit. I may not attempt to build it after all.
Peter, great video. I purchased one of these kits before seeing your video. Mine went to gether OK. I even got knobs that fitted the capacitors. It actually tunes up an antenna (40m nd 20M) but I got no indiactor light. I watched your video, traced out tracks and compared with the schematic. Yep, even kits supplied in 2019 with the V2.0 PCB still have the 2T/5T labels reversed. Disassembled it now and will make changes and see what happens. Fred VK2EFL
I have buy one and i have never recieved the manual for instructions to do it ! For me : 0/5 for all ! I give away !!!!
hello Peter,i very often look your videos. A very good coupler for balanced and unbalanced antennas is the Z-match from Emtech.Sometimes i use it bcause my KX2 has an built in tuner.Greetz from Germany Dh7tb 73
Thanks for being out there on the bleeding edge! September 2018 looks likes there's been a rev of the board; the one I got has components that fit and turns properly screened on the circuit board. Still zero documentation comes with it so THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your help. - aa2mz
Do be sure to check the length of the screws supplied for the Polyvaricons. If the are too long they will bend the fins and ruin the Polyvaricons. You could use Glue to secure them.
😂😂😂
I would not be able to do this. I have the kit, but one look at it and I knew I'd only use the box :-)
How many words do I need to write to tell you how much I don't want it??? 😁
In a way, I'm glad to see that even you struggled with this shonky kit. Mine's in the 'half built, probably never going to be finished' state. EA5IGC
I just tackled one of these kits. Thanks for the tip on the board markings for the toroid being backwards (I would have missed that). My question is hooking up the tariable capacitors. They have 3 terminals. (Which is which??) Min works great fron 3.5 - 12 mhz. Will not tune 14 mhz. I am hoping I have the variable capacitors wrong.
Hi Sam - Unfortunately I can't help as I've long disposed of the kit.
@@vk3ye No problem! Thanks for the quick response! I found some other build critiques that said that the switch was not RF friendly.....we will see. I also found some clear pictures of the variable caps hook up. Thanks Again.
Ha! This was my first project getting back into amateur radio after a break of 30 years. It certainly is a pain in the neck to build, but there are quite a few resources online to guide you. Seems to help on receive, but I live in a horribly noisy environment so it's hard to tell. When my BitX40 arrives I want to get out portable, and hopefully this ATU will match the rig to an end-fed.
Btw thanks for the antenna book Peter. Loads of food for thought there!
I bought one of these, and while waiting for delivery, reviewed build suggestions.
Using KP4MD's suggestions to "fix" ("ressurect"?) it got it working nicely.
I wanted to experiment more and bought five more when I saw a sale on a large online Chinese vendor.
The goal now is to adjust the windings to tune the shortest wire for use across the bands on a QMX.
Following the instructions out of box, it is a dud as Peter shows, but now years later, it seems to be rehabilitated and tunes up nicely.
If you are curious about this kit, I can recommend giving it a go.
Rob, VK4SSE
hallo peter
but my package arrived yesterday but what was immediately on no info no instructions that I think a great pity
Yep you have to find them on line and even then they aren't very good.
Hunka hunka burning plastic.
Can anyone give me some advice in regards to tinning and soldering the enameled wire? I'm having a hard time getting it to stick
Scrape off the enamel first with a sharp hobby knife.
Also make sure you have a really hot soldering iron. low wattage solder iron won't work for those viewing this later than this post.
I've got a 5lb lump hammer and garbage can for stuff like that.