I have two Antuner ATUs--one Pro and one non-Pro. I've seen the problem you had at 9:07 in the video with my QMX and tr(u)SDX QRP rigs (no PA and I've only used my Antuner ATUs for QRP). I think the problem is caused by imperfect SWR sensing, which occurs not only in this device but is common in many devices. As power is increased, the sensed and reported SWR tends to increase. In full automatic tuning mode, this can cause the ATU to re-tune after power is increased,. Some of the L/C values briefly selected by the Antuner during the "extra" tune at higher power can trip protection in the PA or transmitter (or worse) during the intervals of elevated SWR while the Antuner is searching for a better match. The likelihood of an "extra" tune occurring depends on the Menu item #4, TUNE AUTOSWR, setting. My solution is to use what I call "semi-automatic mode", where the ATU finds a match automatically, but only when the operator commands it to do so. Change menu item #2, "TUNE AUTO" to "NO" to use this mode and I think your problem will be solved. When set to "NO" a tune will occur only when the operator presses the front panel button until a brief beep is first heard, then the Antuner will display "PSE TX" and the transmitter can be keyed (preferably at reduced power) to initiate the tune. Transmit until the tune completes. The Antuner should do a very good job of finding a match and I've never seen a case that produced an inadequate result. (The Antuner is very fast and usually produces lower SWRs than my LDG ATUs.) If you want to be very picky, manual mode can often be used to improve the SWR by a few hundredths after it auto tunes but there's really no reason to spend the extra time "fine tuning" for a few hundredths. Manual mode not as easy a using the multiple buttons on an LDG ATxxxxPro series of ATUs but it can be done fairly quickly with the Antuner after some practice.
Thanks for the additional insight. Another issue with the QMX is that if the radio senses a high SWR, it will rapidly stop transmitting a signal making auto tuning very difficult if not impossible.
I too recently bought a new FT-891 to do portable with then I found a great deal on a used FT-857. I bought an AT-100 already assembled from Amazon. It's the model with no internal battery thus requiring an external power source, which wasn't a problem, tune button and auto and bypass buttons. There were good reviews on this model and it's worked very well for me on 3 outings so far. I went so far as to buy another one for the FT-857 and it's worked fine in testing so far. I was, and still am, concerned about quality control on these units. I removed the cases and looked over the solder points and made sure everything looked ok and nothing was loose. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks for the review. If they both go down I will probably go with an LDG next. Jack K5FIT
Poor solder joints seem to be the biggest issue with these. if they are both good, I would say you should be fine. I may still opt for an LDG but not for now.
Hey Brother! Just happened to run across this video. Great Job! But I'm not surprised. Continuing that great work ethic you always had. Thanks for the info. I look forward to viewing some of your other videos. Things are busy on my end right now but I need to knock the dust off some of my equipment and get back on the air. Don't be surprised if I reach out so I can tap into some of that extensive knowledge you have. Until then.......73's!
Glad it helped you. I wouldn’t recommend this to someone that is new to ham radio. Either get a radio with a tuner in it like the Yeasu FT-710 or consider an LDG auto tuner or maybe even a manual tuner which will give you the most tuning range but takes more time and effort to tune. Best of luck.
Sorry, but this video doesn't tell me if it's any good or not. Build quality isn't always good ? Same could be said for anything Chinese, or even American (MFJ) which I've heard numerous times. Other than that this video hasn't told me anything. Does it perform well with the various popular antenna configurations ?, How easy is it to use, what to do about the missing buttons etc.
I would say it is OK. The design by N7DDC is actually pretty good. The issues lie with quality control of the fully assembled versions. You may get a good one and be all set. You could also get a lemon. This isn't exclusive to the Fully assembled ones. Even the kits tend to use some substandard materials. If you need something really reliable, I would opt for the LDG. If you are looking to save a few bucks, this isn't a bad option.
I bought a ready-build and it was a heap of junk. I built one myself and it worked from switch-on. I only run 50W max and it seems fine. It tunes my main antenna from 80metres to 10 (10 being worst at 2:1).
That seems to be a repeated theme which is why I recommend building it yourself. I would open up the built one and check solder connections. If you are lucky that may be all that is wrong with it although a lot of the pre-builts have a lot of substandard components so it could actually be a bad part.
@@houseofhamradio I did exactly as you suggested, there were bad joints, and a couple of bad components. I built the kit and fitted into the original case. Still working a year later. Mine doesn't have the extra buttons or the battery, but it tunes with as low as a couple of watts. I now mainly use it for my 4W QRP station.
The metal case they deliver them with is not a good choice. Mine works well but tunes better in a plastic case and with care taken to the cables inside and where you route them. I also modded my firmware so it tunes from 1w not 11 or 12 when I got it. I plan to replace the diodes too.
is it possible to use these units as SWR meter/power meter without tuning? I just want to check the output of my radio without tuning the antenna, like a standalone SWR meter/power meter.
It will read power and SWR in bypass. If you are only planning on using for a meter, I would buy a dedicated meter as the readings on this are OK but not up to what a dedicated meter would give you.
The meter will read down that low. They recommend that you use at least 5 watts to tune and I have seen others that state that it tunes better with 10W.
just goto ne already built from amazon no instructions with it what is the a/m button on the back ? nd it doesnt look lke the ones i have seen in videaos
There are a number of variations of this design. Some have batteries some have different buttons and displays. It is hard to tell which one you got. I have not seen one with a button on the back. Sorry I can’t be more help.
Hi, I assembled 2 of these kits 1 for qrp and other 100w, qrp one has 5 windings on the binocular core to run 5w but chip has to be changed with Pickit writer /reader info on youtube. M0PJX
I have two Antuner ATUs--one Pro and one non-Pro. I've seen the problem you had at 9:07 in the video with my QMX and tr(u)SDX QRP rigs (no PA and I've only used my Antuner ATUs for QRP). I think the problem is caused by imperfect SWR sensing, which occurs not only in this device but is common in many devices. As power is increased, the sensed and reported SWR tends to increase. In full automatic tuning mode, this can cause the ATU to re-tune after power is increased,. Some of the L/C values briefly selected by the Antuner during the "extra" tune at higher power can trip protection in the PA or transmitter (or worse) during the intervals of elevated SWR while the Antuner is searching for a better match. The likelihood of an "extra" tune occurring depends on the Menu item #4, TUNE AUTOSWR, setting. My solution is to use what I call "semi-automatic mode", where the ATU finds a match automatically, but only when the operator commands it to do so. Change menu item #2, "TUNE AUTO" to "NO" to use this mode and I think your problem will be solved. When set to "NO" a tune will occur only when the operator presses the front panel button until a brief beep is first heard, then the Antuner will display "PSE TX" and the transmitter can be keyed (preferably at reduced power) to initiate the tune. Transmit until the tune completes. The Antuner should do a very good job of finding a match and I've never seen a case that produced an inadequate result. (The Antuner is very fast and usually produces lower SWRs than my LDG ATUs.) If you want to be very picky, manual mode can often be used to improve the SWR by a few hundredths after it auto tunes but there's really no reason to spend the extra time "fine tuning" for a few hundredths. Manual mode not as easy a using the multiple buttons on an LDG ATxxxxPro series of ATUs but it can be done fairly quickly with the Antuner after some practice.
Thanks for the additional insight. Another issue with the QMX is that if the radio senses a high SWR, it will rapidly stop transmitting a signal making auto tuning very difficult if not impossible.
I use one (pre built) on my CB rig. Seems well matched 🙂.
Nice. Certainly within the frequency coverage of the device.
I too recently bought a new FT-891 to do portable with then I found a great deal on a used FT-857. I bought an AT-100 already assembled from Amazon. It's the model with no internal battery thus requiring an external power source, which wasn't a problem, tune button and auto and bypass buttons. There were good reviews on this model and it's worked very well for me on 3 outings so far. I went so far as to buy another one for the FT-857 and it's worked fine in testing so far. I was, and still am, concerned about quality control on these units. I removed the cases and looked over the solder points and made sure everything looked ok and nothing was loose. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks for the review. If they both go down I will probably go with an LDG next. Jack K5FIT
Poor solder joints seem to be the biggest issue with these. if they are both good, I would say you should be fine. I may still opt for an LDG but not for now.
@@houseofhamradio I agree. Nothing jumped out at me when I looked so I am hoping for the best.
Hey Brother! Just happened to run across this video. Great Job! But I'm not surprised. Continuing that great work ethic you always had. Thanks for the info. I look forward to viewing some of your other videos. Things are busy on my end right now but I need to knock the dust off some of my equipment and get back on the air. Don't be surprised if I reach out so I can tap into some of that extensive knowledge you have. Until then.......73's!
Thanks Paddy! Yes would love to have a QSO with you.
Works for me..built for qrp 10w max..adjusted chip with picket and info from btdigg.
I had heard that you can make it QRP. Thanks for sharing. I think that re-flashing PIC is outside of what most would want to do.
So glad I watched this. Would love one of these but I am a newbie and after seeing the kit I know I could not build it.
Glad it helped you. I wouldn’t recommend this to someone that is new to ham radio. Either get a radio with a tuner in it like the Yeasu FT-710 or consider an LDG auto tuner or maybe even a manual tuner which will give you the most tuning range but takes more time and effort to tune. Best of luck.
Sorry, but this video doesn't tell me if it's any good or not. Build quality isn't always good ? Same could be said for anything Chinese, or even American (MFJ) which I've heard numerous times. Other than that this video hasn't told me anything. Does it perform well with the various popular antenna configurations ?, How easy is it to use, what to do about the missing buttons etc.
I would say it is OK. The design by N7DDC is actually pretty good. The issues lie with quality control of the fully assembled versions. You may get a good one and be all set. You could also get a lemon. This isn't exclusive to the Fully assembled ones. Even the kits tend to use some substandard materials. If you need something really reliable, I would opt for the LDG. If you are looking to save a few bucks, this isn't a bad option.
I did replace not only the diodes...also the caps....
How did that work out? Worth the effort? Noticeable difference? I have yet to do the mod to mine but intend to.
Thanks for the video.
you bet
I use a simler atu it works very well
It is actually a great design. There are some quality control issues with many of the pre-built models and even some of the kits.
I bought a ready-build and it was a heap of junk. I built one myself and it worked from switch-on. I only run 50W max and it seems fine. It tunes my main antenna from 80metres to 10 (10 being worst at 2:1).
That seems to be a repeated theme which is why I recommend building it yourself. I would open up the built one and check solder connections. If you are lucky that may be all that is wrong with it although a lot of the pre-builts have a lot of substandard components so it could actually be a bad part.
@@houseofhamradio I did exactly as you suggested, there were bad joints, and a couple of bad components. I built the kit and fitted into the original case. Still working a year later. Mine doesn't have the extra buttons or the battery, but it tunes with as low as a couple of watts. I now mainly use it for my 4W QRP station.
I got one with a pre assembled board, would not even power up. After some testing found the whole thing was fried. maybe salvage some parts off of it
Thats unfortunate. Normally, it is just poor soldering. If it was a bad processor, I guess that could happen on a kit as well.
The metal case they deliver them with is not a good choice. Mine works well but tunes better in a plastic case and with care taken to the cables inside and where you route them. I also modded my firmware so it tunes from 1w not 11 or 12 when I got it.
I plan to replace the diodes too.
Thanks Matt! Great tips.
So does it work or not?
It does work. It doesn't always get as good of a match as my built in tuner to my FTdx-10 or my KX2 but it does work.
thanks
You're welcome!
is it possible to use these units as SWR meter/power meter without tuning? I just want to check the output of my radio without tuning the antenna, like a standalone SWR meter/power meter.
It will read power and SWR in bypass. If you are only planning on using for a meter, I would buy a dedicated meter as the readings on this are OK but not up to what a dedicated meter would give you.
please test ATU-10, QRP, battery, latch relays, 705 ready.
Thanks for the suggestion. I will add it to the list. Will likely be awhile as I don't currently have one.
AT100M starts at 0.1 watts?
The meter will read down that low. They recommend that you use at least 5 watts to tune and I have seen others that state that it tunes better with 10W.
just goto ne already built from amazon no instructions with it what is the a/m button on the back ? nd it doesnt look lke the ones i have seen in videaos
There are a number of variations of this design. Some have batteries some have different buttons and displays. It is hard to tell which one you got. I have not seen one with a button on the back. Sorry I can’t be more help.
@@houseofhamradio its a little push button on the lower right side wierd
@@keathrhymer5449 Automatic Tuning/Manual Tuning?
Pure JUNK threw mine out after 2 months
They can be very hit or miss. Some are good. Some aren't. I am fairly certain yours wasn't
Hi, I assembled 2 of these kits 1 for qrp and other 100w, qrp one has 5 windings on the binocular core to run 5w but chip has to be changed with Pickit writer /reader info on youtube. M0PJX
thanks for the additional info. I always love the ingenuity of the ham radio community.
What would you suggest? For an AT > ??
Depends on your level of funds available. If you can afford it, go with the LDG, If not, this is a fairly cheap option but it is not as good.
@@houseofhamradio OK! Thanks. 🤠😎