The MFJ-939 + The Yaesu FT-891

[@n5pa]

Steve: I have been using my MFJ-939 with my FT-891 for several years and it works and works well. Very quick to match and has the ability to tune antennas that are beyond the capabilities of some of the other external tuners. It is a Keeper!

[@temporarilyoffline]

Glad to hear it!

[@n5pa]

@@laserhobbyist9751 - But when it is used for portable operations on unexpected bands it is a useful tool! A perfectly tuned antenna is always better.

[@n5pa]

@@temporarilyoffline Steve: As a Mississippi resident, I have been to MFJ multiple times. The have an in-house Surface Mount Machine and do their own Surface Mounting.

[@temporarilyoffline]

@@n5pa very nice!

[@hamradiotube]

Been using that tuner for years. There haven't been many things I've thrown at it that it won't tune. MFJ tuners are fantastic.

[@temporarilyoffline]

Agreed!

[@joewallace3920]

Got this tuner a few weeks ago to use with my 891. Your video has had the best instructions on how to use it. Thanks!!

[@temporarilyoffline]

Glad it helped! Rock on!

[@thecarys563]

Thanks for hyping this excellent combo. Works like a champ on my long wires in the HOA trees. Compared to the LDG allows 2x the power on digital and CW. Only disadvantage is it doesn't tune 6m. No issues for me with the 891.

[@temporarilyoffline]

Sounds likecan excellent setup you've got there!

[@NgakpaW]

I also had the same good and finicky experience with that combo. I also appreciate the good words for MFJ

[@temporarilyoffline]

MFJ gets a bad wrap from sad hams, but who else makes that many products for ham radio?

[@Sparkfly88]

I have an LDG tuner, was just debating getting an auto tuner, and boom, your video gets posted.

[@temporarilyoffline]

I have a few LDGs too, not sure I have a favorite other than the rounded case on the z817

[@KS0JD]

I have the 929 which has the display. Bought it off Facebook market place for $120.00 which I think was a steal. I have used it on my Kenwood TS930S and my Icom 7300. It has great range and works well. I would not even think twice about not buying another MFJ tuner. 73

[@temporarilyoffline]

Right! This is good stuff.

[@davidp73]

I use this tuner on my ftdx10 and it acts just like yours on 891. I just hit it again and it always works… good piece of equipment

[@temporarilyoffline]

I like to think of it as "tune" and "fine tune"

[@willian.direction6740]

Thanks Steve i have a 941 E . First thing i did was make sure all fittings were tight and set up right and its a great tuner/antenna selector. I don't believe in trying to use weird antenna combinations for tuning just nip up mono band dipoles so my 891 or 7200 are happy and I can monitor output pwr on the rig.

[@temporarilyoffline]

Right on

[@ShaneKI5GBU]

Love this tuner!!!

[@temporarilyoffline]

Me too!

[@The3DPrintingWarrant]

Have this been discontinued, or are they just out of stock everywhere?

[@temporarilyoffline]

MFJ has gone out of business. Will be hard to find stock. I'd suggest an LDG model: amzn.to/3Mvn47y as a suitable replacement.

[@thuff3207]

Thank you for the video. I think the timing you are seeing is why the LDG tuner only works when you hit its tune button. PS thats from my 991A and works the same as 891 that I have to. I am glad MFJ tried to make tuning work from the 891 and I wonder if the new ones resolved the timing issue.

[@temporarilyoffline]

You're welcome!

[@la7yka]

Hi and thanks for the video! It's easy to check if it is latching relays or not. Just measure the current draw to the tuner, and compare before and after a tuning cycle.

[@temporarilyoffline]

You got it!

[@don_n5skt]

Thanks Steve. Even the ATAS has the occasional issue. I believe the tuner I use is an LDG with my 891 when it is not on the ATAS. And it also had the issue with tuning. My biggest autotuner issue is tuning while I am transmitting which I have had multiple issues with on LDG.

[@temporarilyoffline]

I have the Z100 that I need to try with the 891... See if I get the same results with that. I hate it when the tuner (that already has a match) constantly re-tunes with every over.

[@DonzLockz]

Tuner memories are awesome! I like that. I'm sure you said 65:1 😲

[@temporarilyoffline]

I probably did!

[@davidg5308]

Have the same set up and yes, a few quirks but overall works well! Cheers!

[@temporarilyoffline]

I've used this with so many radios, "It does the thing"

[@t.j.speakman7723]

Thanks Steve, Looks like it is easy to use and could be a good first tuner for me.

[@temporarilyoffline]

It was my first auto tuner!

[@W8MJL]

This is the exact set up i still run today, I have them strapped together foe easier transport for POTA

[@temporarilyoffline]

Bingo!

[@KO4AFL]

its not a problem its a feature. Great tuner i may need to pick one up.😉

[@temporarilyoffline]

I know where you can get one

[@alvarogaitan2529]

muchas gracias fantastic video ud es numero uno 73

[@temporarilyoffline]

Muchos Gracias Alvaro!

[@alvarogaitan2529]

thanks 73

[@thequarantinecatholic]

Thank you for this video! Ive been looking for a tuner for my 891!

[@temporarilyoffline]

This is a good match!

[@ryankc9oza118]

I always had better luck with the mat tuner with my 891. The 939 works ok with my 7300. But would like the mat tuner for it also

[@temporarilyoffline]

I love the way these things sound! mAT makes some nice tuners.

[@1originaloutlaw675]

Great video

[@temporarilyoffline]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@thormusique]

Great video, thanks! I may have misunderstood what you're saying here, but you seem to have referred several times to having used this tuner in the past tense, so I'm wondering... what tuner do you use now? Cheers!

[@temporarilyoffline]

Yes, This tuner got sold in the great purge before I went fulltime RV ( www.youtube.com/@livingforalivingrv ) - I have an LDG z100 and an Elecraft T1 for when I want to use a tuner. Nothing wrong with this particular tuner, but 3 is too many when you only operate one radio at a time!

[@agoraphobicadam1171]

Well, I may not have a Hf Rig or tuner currently But it's nice to learn these things before I do. Thanks for being awesome. KO4HPC 73 :)

[@temporarilyoffline]

Rock on!

[@g4lmn-ron]

I have several MFJ products and they all work OK. I just think they look a bit like something I built myself. Maybe the look is an acquired taste, like Marmite in the UK?

[@temporarilyoffline]

Totally agree! No ham-sexy at MFJ

[@ae4xo]

So many 891 radios out there

[@temporarilyoffline]

I think its the current king of its market space - the only competition is the IC-7100 which is a FANTASTIC radio, but people can't get past the looks.

[@JT-py9lv]

Hey... I have one of those too !

[@temporarilyoffline]

John Jacob Jinklehymer Schmidt?

[@JT-py9lv]

@@temporarilyoffline Si senior

[@wushock92]

I bought the Icom variant to use with my IC-735 in RF sensing mode. No control cables could be found the 735. I have since switched to the FT-891, still in RF sensing mode, and it works as it should. Some day I may pick up the Yaesu cable and switch the jumpers, but if it ain't broke, why fix it?

[@temporarilyoffline]

I agree! The only reason I'd get the yaesu cables is because I think you can lose a power cable that way... might make the station smaller!

[@wushock92]

@@temporarilyoffline That would free up a spot on my Power Pole distribution block.

[@T-Hogie]

Steve, with such a high SWR wouldn't it be better to put a remote tuner out at your DX Commander antenna?

[@temporarilyoffline]

It would be - or to get a proper antenna setup for the band in question. I was specifically using a poorly matched antenna to show off the tuner.

[@warrenpercell297]

Steve, the owner's manual says to install the "Y" jumper and the JP4 jumper. I noticed yours doesn't have the JP4 installed. I ask because mine only came with one jumper and it's installed on "Y". And it works like this?

[@temporarilyoffline]

Mine is a factory "MFJ-939Y" and was configured for yaesu... you can get an I, Y, K or " " model internally they are the same, but MFJ sets the jumper. They work fine in auto-sense mode with other radios as well. Very versatile.

[@FC-zt5np]

Steve, great video. Quick question from a super newby. Do you connect radio to tuner to swr meter to antenna or radio to swr meter to tuner to antenna?Thanks.

[@temporarilyoffline]

Usually the meter goes at the last point in the chain - closest to the antenna. However, have fun putting in in other locations and seeing what happens before and after the tuner. It's all about experimentation!

[@FC-zt5np]

Great. Thanks and will do.

[@vk4foo]

Hi mate, I notice that the power out goes back up once it's matched. Would you say that a 3:1 when matched would the antenna perform the same as an already resonant tuned antenna? Stephen FOO WAS HERE :)

[@temporarilyoffline]

FOO! I honestly don't remember where the tuner was, but your radio is now matched to your antenna and the radio itself is putting out full power. From there its up to the magic pixies - it should not be as good as having a resonant antenna, but its better than the antenna you don't have at all for that band.

[@N3PKJ]

I love my 939, just wish it would do 6m though.

[@temporarilyoffline]

Mine tries...🤣

[@N3PKJ]

@@temporarilyoffline as you said not designed for 6m. I find it interesting the little quarks you mention, like using a carrier for the RF sensing tuning mine does the same.

[@TI2GBB]

I just want to know, can I use this with a icom if I have the FT891 system ? or I need to get another tuner for my icom? I just want to know if I can save some $$$ buying the adapter cable for the icom. 73s!

[@temporarilyoffline]

Yes, you can use this tuner on any radio, with or without the cable.

[@naetuir]

Did it. I have to say, I don't like the auto tuner. I tried it and it did nothing for me. Manual with the 891 is the only way, after playing with different combos.

[@temporarilyoffline]

I didn't like manual tuners at first, but they have grown on me.

[@TadTrueman]

I'm a newly licensed ham and I know nothing about tuners. How far off can it be and the tuner still get it in tune? Could I use an antenna tuned for 6 meters and this tune it for 10?

[@temporarilyoffline]

This might be a bit much for a youtube comment reply, so if it doesn't make sense here, feel free to reach out via discord or email. Your radio wants 50 ohms - we had to pick a standard and we all settled on 50 years ago. Great! Now that we have that, your antenna might present something different than 50... we agree that most radios that come with tuners can match "3:1" so 50*3=150ohms - your internal tuner can match an antenna that is 150 down or 150 up. Your radio can even operate at 2:1 pretty happily for a short time, so you could match up to 300 if I did my math right (probably not, but you get where I'm going). External tuners usually can do 10:1, so if your antenna presents a 500ohm impedence to the tuner, then the tuner can transform that to 50. 500/10=50. We have tools that will allow us to determine the impedence of the feedpoint of the antenna and make adjustments and there are reasons to use antennas that aren't "50 ohms resonant"... so we have tuners and transformers. Hope that helps!

[@bradl2636]

Newbie question… will the MFJ-939Y work with an FT-818ND..?

[@temporarilyoffline]

Yes, it will - You might need to do some cable updates - or just set it to Auto mode like I did on my other non-yaesu radios. I was a real workhorse for me when I used it. I only moved it on because I downsized and sold my house.

[@bradl2636]

@@temporarilyoffline What did you replace it with? Do you have an FT-817/818 with autotuner?

[@temporarilyoffline]

@@bradl2636 LDG makes s z817 tuner that is a perfect match for the 817/818. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIDOgXljl9WFpcU check it out.

[@forgetyourlife]

How do you get tired and frustrated with a manuel tuner?

[@temporarilyoffline]

A Manual tuner is a hard co cpet to grasp for a new ham without a good elmer.

[@forgetyourlife]

@@temporarilyoffline ahhh, disagree. No Elmer here and it just made more sense than holding the mic, switching modes, pushing the button and watching lights flash. Once you get the cheat sheet of numbers down it’s actually faster.

[@temporarilyoffline]

@@forgetyourlife right on

[@lyledal]

Can that tuner be used with an Xiegu x6100?

[@temporarilyoffline]

😊Probably! It will "RF-Sense" and automatically start tuning without having to press any buttons.

[@matteng2332]

Hi Steve 73

[@temporarilyoffline]

Hey Matt 73

[@T-Hogie]

That's not good. So the 891 is a stinker too. It doesn't reduce power to tune. This sux. The manufacturers must know it's not necessary to tune at whatever the current power setting happens to be. We all need to hammer the manufacturers to correct this.

[@temporarilyoffline]

Good point!

[@vk4foo]

None latching, hmmmm FOO