The MFJ analyzers have very limited use around an RF active site. Any RF
picked up by the antenna being checked will interfere with the readings on the
analyzer. I even had problems recently trying to check the SWR on a horizontal
loop antenna for HF, when a high power AM broadcasting station about 5 miles
away was on the air. RF picked up by the loop prevented the analyzer from
reading the SWR.
The only reliable way I know is a Bird 43 and a transmitter to check the SWR.
Even then you have to avoid using the low power slugs as the RF picked up by
the antenna from nearby transmitters will cause an error in checking the
performance of the antenna under test.
73 - Jim W5ZIT
--- On Sun, 1/31/10, John Transue <jtran...@cox.net> wrote:
From: John Transue <jtran...@cox.net>
Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Which Antenna Analyzer?
To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com
Date: Sunday, January 31, 2010, 10:26 AM
I would like to have an antenna analyzer. The most common with hams
seems to be the MFJ analyzers, but I am not a fan of MFJ. So, what do
you all use? I'd like the analyzer to cover HF through ham UHF. It
would be nice to have it tell me the sign of the reactance, but I
guess this can be easily inferred by varying the frequency around the
resonance. Thanks in advance for your views and experience.
John
