MFJ-969 DELUXE Versa Tuner II
Contents
1. Versa Tuner IT Model 969 INSTRUCTION MANUAL CAUTION Read All Instructions Before Operating Equipment MFJ ENTERPRISES INC 300 Industrial Park Road Starkville MS 39759 USA Tel 662 323 5869 Fax 662 323 6551 VERSION 3A COPYRIGHT 2004 MFJ ENTERPRISES INC MF J 969 DELUXE Versa Tuner MFJ 969 Versa Tuner II Instruction Manual General Information The MFJ 969 is a 300 watt RF output power antenna tuner that will match any transmitter or transceiver to virtually any antenna Peak or average forward and reflected power and SWR can be read on the illuminated cross needle meter The MFJ 969 uses a T matching network and covers all bands between 160 and 6 meters This network will tune dipoles inverted vees verticals mobile whips beams random wires and many other antennas The MFJ 969 has rear panel connectors for coaxial single wire or two wire feedlines A built in 4 1 balun allows the use of balanced open wire twinlead or twin axial feedlines An internal eight position antenna selector switch selects a built in 50 ohm dummy load two separate coaxial line outputs or a single wire line balanced line output All of these functions can be selected in tuned with tuner s T network in line or bypassed no tuning circuit configurations Peak Reading SWR Wattmeter The illuminated cross needle meter measures the peak or average FORWARD power REFLECTED power and SWR The wattmeter is acti2. 50 Ohm dummy load that is capable of handling full power that the transmitter can put out and has better than a 1 15 1 swr 3 A power meter of known accuracy The calibration will only be as good as the reference meter 4 50 Ohm cables capable of handling the power RG 58 U is recommended DO NOT USE RG 59 or RG 11 METER CALIBRATION refer to PC layout for trimpot location PC BOARD should identify the trimpots as HIGH FORWARD LOW FORWARD HIGH REFLECT LOW REFLECT 1 Remove the top cover of the MFJ 969 2 Connect the equipment as shown in the diagram below Use 50 Ohm dummy load for the antenna Set the transmitter to 14 MHz band 3 Transmit about 100 Watts as indicated on the reference meter Adjust LOW FORWARD to set 100 Watts on the forward power scale Next set the pushbuttons to the 2000 Watt power scale Transmit 1000 Watts as indicated on the reference meter Adjust HIGH FORWARD to set 1000 Watts on the forward scale 4 To set the reflected power interchange the transmitter and coax cable so that the transmitter is connected to the antenna connector and the dummy load is connected to the transmitter connector Set the range switch to the 200 Watt range Transmit 10 Watts as indicated on the reference meter and adjust LOW REFLECT to indicate 10 Watts on the reflected scale of the MFJ 969 Next set the range switch to the 2000 Watt scale Transmit 100 Watts according to the reference meter and adjust HIGH REFLECT to indicat
3. jumper wire from the WIRE binding post as indicated by the dotted line on the MFJ 969 to one of the BALANCED LINE posts This connection activates the internal 4 1 balun NOTE Do not connect wire and balanced antenna s to the MFJ 969 at the same time unless you want to apply power to both antennas at the same time If a longwire or single wire feeder is used be sure to remove the WIRE to BALANCED LINE jumper connection MF J 969 DELUXE Versa Tuner Using The MFJ 969 CAUTION Never change the ANTENNA selector switch position while transmitting Never apply more than 300 Watts to the MFJ 969 In any conventional T network tuner maximum power handling and the smoothest tuning occurs when the capacitance in the network is as large as possible In this tuner the TRANSMITTER and ANTENNA controls have maximum capacitance at position O fully meshed and minimum capacitance at position 10 fully open Be sure to use the highest possible capacitance for each band This will provide the smoothest tuning highest efficiency and greatest power handling capability The chart in the tuning instructions shows typical capacitor settings that can be used for each amateur band The ROLLER INDUCTOR in the MFJ 969 has maximum inductance in the full counter clockwise position at the highest number around 117 and minimum inductance in the full clockwise rotation at the lowest number 000 The counter is reset by turning the inductor knob to
4. themselves are almost useless for dependable RF grounding RF and lightning travels on the surface of conductors Braided or woven conductors have high surface resistance to lightning and RF Ground leads for RF and lightning should have wide smooth surfaces Avoid the use of woven or braided conductors in RF and lightning grounds unless the lead needs to be flexible Antenna Hints WARNING For operator safety a good outside earth ground or water pipe ground should ALWAYS be installed and connected to the case of the MF J 969 Make certain the safety ground also connects to the transmitter and other station accessories A wing nut post marked GROUND is provided for ground connection s Location For the best performance an end fed longwire wire antenna should be at least one quarter wavelength long at the operating frequency Horizontal antennas should be at least a half wave long and high and clear of surrounding objects While good RF grounds help the signal in almost any transmitting installation it is extremely important to have good RF grounds with long wire or other Marconi antennas Matching Problems Most matching problems occur when the antenna system presents an extremely high impedance to the tuner When the antenna impedance is much lower than the feedline impedance an odd quarter wavelength feedline converts the low antenna impedance to a very high impedance at the tuner A similar problem occurs if the antenna has an
5. this 1s the case the length of the antenna or the feedline can be changed slightly until a low SWR can be obtained See the antenna hints section In Case Of Difficulty If this tuner fails to tune please double check all connections and follow the tuning procedures again Be sure you are using enough inductance a higher ROLLER INDUCTOR number and have the capacitors open far enough a higher front panel number If this tuner arcs at the rated power levels please double check all connections and follow the tuning procedures again Be sure you are using the largest amount of capacitance and lowest amount of inductance lowest ROLLER INDUCTOR TRANSMITTER and ANTENNA numerical setting possible that allows the load to be matched on the operating frequency NOTE If this tuner arcs when operating on the 160 meter band it may be necessary to reduce transmitter output power Power handling is the lowest on 160 and when the load is a low resistance with capacitive reactance If you are still unsuccessful but the tuner does adjust and operate when switched to the TUNED DUMMY LOAD position or another antenna please read the Antenna Hints text CALIBRATION The MFJ 969 has been calibrated at the factory IF it should ever need to be recalibrated then follow this procedure EQUIPMENT NEEDED 1 Transmitter capable of supplying enough power to obtain 1 2 to full scale reading at 14 or 21 MHz MF J 969 DELUXE Versa Tuner 2
6. MDA ji 031231438 9145 eg 4 D Ir e 01 AT 2 2 Se b 88 S lt lt TEE ly LE oot l 1022 lt 85 119 019 gt HOIH J m DAY DAY aans oa _ 6 gens vens v34 100 95 TA ANN NN D 900vNI 001 001 va va 0 FAG 9 VI 15 y 9007NI 4 y oa 2S Hn089 n 21 11 969 DELUXE Versa Tuner II NOTES 12 LIMITED 12 MONTH WARRANTY MFJ Enterprises Inc warrants to the original owner of this product if manufactured by MFJ Enterprises Inc and purchased from an authorized dealer or directly from MFJ Enterprises Inc to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of 12 months from date of purchase provided the following terms of this warranty are satisfied 1 10 11 The purchaser must retain the dated proof of purchase bill of sale canceled check credit card or money order receipt etc describing the product to establish the validity of the warranty claim and submit the original or machine reproduction of such proof of purchase to MFJ Enterprises Inc at the time of warranty service MFJ Enterprises Inc shall have the discretion to deny warranty without dated proof of purchase Any evidence of alteration erasure or forgery shall be cause to void any and all warranty terms immediately Enterprises Inc a
7. R switch in the desired antenna position in the BYPASS area If the SWR is low very little or no reflected power the tuner can be left in this position If the SWR is higher than desired place the ANTENNA SELECTOR switch in the proper TUNED area that selects the desired antenna Adjust the tuner as described below to obtain the best SWR Do NOT change the transmitter s tuning plate or loading antenna controls until after the tuner has been fully adjusted The transmitter can be touched up if necessary after the MFJ 969 is fully tuned MF J 969 DELUXE Versa Tuner Adjustment Procedure When using the MFJ 969 in receive only applications adjust the MFJ 969 for the highest S meter or signal level The Tuning Chart can be used as a starting reference To use the MFJ 969 for transmitting follow the steps below 1 Select the 30W out METER switch scale Place the PEAK AVG button in the AVG out position Turn the transmitter s power control fully down 2 Position the TRANSMITTER and ANTENNA controls and the INDUCTOR SELECTOR switch in the bottom Tuning Chart position for the operating frequency Tuning Chart Freq MHz Transmitter Antenna Inductor 1 8 1 1 1 9 1 1 41 2 0 1 1 47 3 6 1 1 91 3 9 2 2 7 15 4 1 2 4 1 2 107 10 15 6 6 112 14 15 6 1 2 6 1 2 116 18 2 7 T 118 21 1 8 8 119 24 9 8 1 2 8 1 2 119 28 5 9 9 121 50 2 9 1 2 9 1 2 123 3 Apply just enough power on CW or AM FM RTTY to obtain noticeable def
8. al does not reference your problem or your problem is not solved by reading the manual you may call MFJ Technical Service at 662 323 0549 or the MFJ Factory at 662 323 5869 You will be best helped if you have your unit manual and all information on your station handy so you can answer any questions the technicians may ask You can also send questions by mail to MFJ Enterprises Inc 300 Industrial Park Road Starkville MS 39759 by Facsimile FAX to 662 323 6551 or by email to techinfo mfjenterprises com Send a complete description of your problem an explanation of exactly how you are using your unit and a complete description of your station 10 969 DELUXE Versa Tuner Schematic 6G 6E SW FITTIAXSVIS Add 2 AY Aad IVISISNONI 00 ETT ETE AIO N INI S3SI2MdMN31N3 PAN cod ut II AIINNL YSAJA AXN 130 en s 6960 298 2 696 AN Me voisin DN Tan 131412345 ASTMASHLO SSI INN Sdvav40d9IW NI 349 SANWA 32 91129492 SAHO NI 349 S3NIVA 32NVISIS3S NO1 13340 3eIM 304 03033 SI ON A TINO NUTIVe3dD 3 1 NATIVE 304 TIVISNI x INIT 381 NOONYE AKWWNA HEMS 4 SDLINANI 3391103 T1 S3
9. ccess panel located on the bottom of the unit The battery will slide into a holder located on the inside of the panel Connect the battery snap to battery and reinstall the access panel Locate the tuner in a convenient location at the operating position Avoid placing the tuner near microphones speech processors computers TNC s or other RF sensitive devices WARNING If random wire or balanced feeders are connected directly to this tuner position the tuner so the rear panel terminals can not be accidentally contacted by persons or conductors When transmitting with random wire or balanced lines the rear panel feed through insulators can operate with high RF voltages These voltages may cause serious RF burns These high RF voltages may also damage anything contacting or within a half inch of the terminals Install the MFJ 969 between the transmitter and antenna Use a 50 ohm coaxial cable to connect the transmitter or transceiver to the SO 239 UHF female labeled TRANSMITTER on the back of the tuner Coaxial feedlines attach to the SO 239 UHF female connectors labeled COAX 1 and COAX 2 A random wire longwire antenna may be connected to the five way binding post marked WIRE See the ANTENNA HINTS section for detailed suggestions on bringing a single wire feeder into the operating position A balanced feedline twin lead open wire or twin axial line may be connected to the two binding posts marked BALANCED LINE Connect a
10. e 100 Watts on the reflected scale 5 SWR requires no calibration Grounding Hints To minimize RFI single wire feedlines such as used with Windom or longwire antennas should be kept away from other wiring Radiation will be minimized if the single wire feeder runs parallel and reasonably close to the wire that connects the tuner to the outdoor ground The antenna feed wire should be adequately insulated to prevent arcing or accidental contact For safety please use both dc and RF grounds It is particularly important to have a good RF ground while using a single wire feeder When using a single wire feeder the tuner needs something to push against in order to force current into a single wire feedline If a good RF ground is not available RF will usually find it s way back into the power line RFD transmitter audio circuits RF feedback or the operator RF burns Water pipes and ground rods provide good dc and ac safety grounds but they are often inadequate for RF grounding because they are single conductors RF grounds work much better when spread out over a large area with multiple connections directly to the equipment ground point Water pipes heating ducts and fences may work especially if they are all connected together with jumper wires but the best RF grounds are radial 7 969 DELUXE Versa Tuner II systems or multi wire counterpoises that provide large low resistance surfaces for RF energy Ground rods by
11. e band that won t tune and try again 4 Never try to load a GSRV or center fed dipole on a band below the half wave design frequency If you want to operate an 80 meter antenna on 160 meters feed either or both conductors as a longwire against the station ground To avoid problems matching or feeding any dipole antenna with high impedance lines keep the lines around these lengths The worst possible line lengths are shown in brackets 160 meter dipole 35 60 170 195 or 210 235 feet Avoid 130 260 ft 80 meter dipole 34 40 90 102 or 160 172 feet Avoid 66 135 190 ft 40 meter dipole 42 52 73 83 112 123 or 145 155 feet Avoid 32 64 96 128 ft Some trimming or adding of line may be necessary to accommodate higher bands WARNING To avoid problems a dipole antenna should be a full half wave on the lowest band On 160 meters an 80 or 40 meter antenna fed the normal way will be extremely reactive with only a few ohms of feedpoint resistance Trying to load an 80 meter or higher frequency antenna on 160 meters can be a disaster for both your signal and the tuner The best way to operate 160 with an 80 or 40 meter antenna is to load either or both feedline wires in parallel as a longwire The antenna will act like a T antenna worked against the station ground MF J 969 DELUXE Versa Tuner Technical Assistance If you have any problem with this unit first check the appropriate section of this manual If the manu
12. e of the wattmeter above 250 watts The meter s full scale forward and reflected power range is controlled by the left hand METER switch If your transmitter runs more than 30 watts of output power set this switch to 300W in position If your transmitter has less than 30 watts of output set this switch to the 30W switch position out Forward power is displayed on the left hand FORWARD meter scale This scale is calibrated from 0 to 300 watts and is read directly in the 300 watt position Each picket scale mark represents 25 watts between 300 and 100 watts 10 watts between 100 and 10 watts and has a single 5 watt picket below 10 In the 30W position the forward power scale must be divided by 10 Each picket represents 1 2 watt below 1 watt 1 watt from 1 to 10 watts and 2 5 watts from 10 to 30 watts Reflected power is read on the right hand REFLECTED meter scale This scale indicates 60 watts full scale when the 300W forward power sensitivity is selected and 6 watts full scale when the 30W power sensitivity is selected This scale has a picket every 5 watts above 10 watts and at each watt below 10 watts The reflected scale is also divided by 10 when using the 30W switch position When trying to measure power with a less than perfect match the reflected power should be subtracted from the forward power readings The SWR is read directly from eleven red SWR curves that range from 1 1 to infinity SWR is measured by observing the poin
13. extremely high impedance and the transmission line is a multiple of a half wavelength The half wavelength line repeats the very high antenna impedance at the tuner Incorrect feedline and antenna lengths can make an antenna system very difficult or impossible to tune This problem often occurs on 80 meters if an odd quarter wave 60 to 70 foot open wire line is used to feed a half wave 100 to 140 foot dipole The odd quarter wave line transforms the dipole s low impedance to over three thousand ohms at the tuner This is because the mismatched feedline is an odd multiple of 1 4 wavelength long The line inverts or teeter totters the antenna impedance A problem also occurs on 40 meters with this antenna example The feedline is now a multiple of a half wave 60 to 70 foot and connects to a full wave high impedance antenna 100 to 140 foot The half wave line repeats the high antenna impedance at the tuner The antenna system looks like several thousand ohms at the tuner on 40 meters The following suggestions will reduce the difficulty in matching an antenna with a tuner MF J 969 DELUXE Versa Tuner 1 Never center feed a half wave multi band antenna with a high impedance feedline that is close to an odd multiple of a quarter wave long 2 Never center feed a full wave antenna with any feedline close to a multiple of a half wave long 3 If a tuner will not tune a multi band antenna add or subtract 1 8 wave of feedline for th
14. grees to repair or replace at MFJ s option without charge to the original owner any defective product under warrantee provided the product is returned postage prepaid to MFJ Enterprises Inc with a personal check cashiers check or money order for 12 00 covering postage and handling This warranty is NOT void for owners who attempt to repair defective units Technical consultation is available by calling the Service Department at 662 323 0549 or the MFJ Factory at 662 323 5869 This warranty does not apply to kits sold by or manufactured by MFJ Enterprises Inc Wired and tested PC board products are covered by this warranty provided only the wired and tested PC board product is returned Wired and tested PC boards installed in the owner s cabinet or connected to switches jacks or cables etc sent to MFJ Enterprises Inc will be returned at the owner s expense unrepaired Under no circumstances is Enterprises Inc liable for consequential damages to person or property by the use of any MFJ products Out of Warranty Service MFJ Enterprises Inc will repair any out of warranty product provided the unit is shipped prepaid All repaired units will be shipped COD to the owner Repair charges will be added to the COD fee unless other arrangements are made This warranty is given in lieu of any other warranty expressed or implied MFJ Enterprises Inc reserves the right to make changes or improvements in design or manufacture withou
15. lection on the reflected power meter 4 Carefully adjust the ROLLER INDUCTOR and ANTENNA controls for the lowest reflected power NOTE These controls interact Adjust the ROLLER INDUCTOR for minimum SWR then adjust the ANTENNA control for minimum SWR Go back and forth between these adjustments as many times as required until the lowest reflected power best SWR is obtained 5 If a perfect or very low SWR can not be obtained try moving the TRANSMITTER control to a slightly higher setting Repeat from Step 3 NOTE Always use the lowest setting of the TRANSMITTER control that allows a match The widest matching range occurs at higher numerical settings of the 969 DELUXE Versa Tuner TRANSMITTER control but power handling and efficiency are reduced It is normal for the TRANSMITTER setting to advance as operating frequency is increased 6 Increase the transmitter power until the Forward power level is full scale 30 watts and observe the reflected power or SWR If the reflected power and SWR are not satisfactory adjust the ANTENNA and INDUCTOR controls again NOTE If your transmitter can not reach 30 watts set it to the maximum power available 7 After a low SWR is obtained the transmitter power may be increased to any value up to 300 watts carrier or 300 watts PEP Your DELUXE VERSA TUNER II will reduce the SWR of most antenna systems to 1 1 In a few rare cases a perfect 1 1 SWR may not be obtainable If
16. t where the forward and reflected power needles cross The SWR is indicated by the red curve closest to the needle crossing point No cumbersome or time consuming SWR sensitivity adjustments are required with this meter The wattmeter has an internal lamp that backlights the meter scale The meter ON OFF switch turns the meter lamp off and on and disables or enables the meter circuit The lamp circuit requires power from an external 12 Vdc source such as the optional MFJ 1312D power supply The external supply will also supply power for the peak power detector The rear panel jack accepts a 2 1 mm coaxial plug with a positive center pin polarity Antenna Selector The ANTENNA SELECTOR switch has eight positions From counter clockwise to clockwise the positions are DUMMY LOAD BALANCED or SINGLE WIRE LINE COAX 1 and COAX 2 with the tuner matching circuits in line and the reverse sequence from COAX 2 back to DUMMY LOAD with the antenna tuning circuits bypassed 969 DELUXE Versa Tuner Dummy Load The MFJ 969 has a built in 50 ohm dummy load The internal load will dissipate 300 watts for 30 seconds or 100 watts for 90 seconds Power levels above 100 watts require a three minute cooling off period between transmissions The load will operate continuously at power levels of 25 watts or less 1 2 3 4 5 6 Installation MINUTES 1 To install 9 volt battery remove a
17. t incurring any obligation to install such changes upon any of the products previously manufactured All MFJ products to be serviced in warranty or out of warranty should be addressed to Enterprises Inc 300 Industrial Park Road Starkville Mississippi 397359 USA and must be accompanied by a letter describing the problem in detail along with a copy of your dated proof of purchase This warranty gives you specific rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state
18. the full counter clockwise position and pushing a small pointed object into the hole to the right of the turns counter This will reset the counter to zero Less inductance is required as frequency is increased If too little inductance is used the tuner may not match the load properly If too much inductance is used the tuner will be touchy and power handling will be compromised The chart in the tuning instructions shows typical ROLLER INDUCTOR settings for each amateur band NOTE If your transmitter uses an adjustable output circuit it must be properly tuned into a 50 ohm load at the operating frequency Proper tuning can be accomplished by placing the ANTENNA SELECTOR switch in the fully clockwise BYPASS DUMMY LOAD position Adjust the transmitter according to the manufacturer s instructions into the 50 ohm dummy load before adjusting the tuner NOTE The MFJ Air Core Roller Inductor is designed with an exclusive Self Resonance Killer that keeps potentially damaging self resonances away from your operating frequency This feature is switched in and out of the circuit wiht a built in switch in the roller Therefore as you turn the roller up and down you may feel a bump This is normal and you should not be alarmed Most modern solid state transceivers do not require adjustments If the transceiver has a built in antenna tuner be sure it is turned off or disabled After properly preparing the transmitter place the MFJ 969 ANTENNA SELECTO
19. ve in all ANTENNA SELECTOR positions To use the wattmeter without using the MFJ 969 tuning circuits select one of the ANTENNA SELECTOR positions under BYPASS NOTE The meter ON OFF switch must be ON for the meter circuit to function The MFJ 969 wattmeter circuit does not function accurately if the Auto Tuner in your radio is used To disable the meter turn the meter ON OFF switch to the OFF position Set the ANTENNA SELECTOR switch to one of the bypass positions when using the Auto Tuner in your radio Peak envelope power PEP is measured when the PEAK or AVERAGE METER push button right hand side in placed in the PEAK in position Peak power and average power values are equal with steady unmodulated carriers FSK or FM The PEP power is twice the average power with SSB two tone test modulation PEP power may be any amount larger than the average power with SSB voice signals The metering circuit in this unit provides very accurate forward peak power readings during with any form of modulation Either an internal 9 volt battery for portable operation or an external supply can be used to power the peak detector Current demand is very low and the 9 volt battery will last its shelf life 969 DELUXE Versa Tuner The 9 volt battery has one disadvantage it limits meter accuracy at power levels over 250 watts The 9 volt battery is disconnected when an external supply is used An external supply of 11 to 18 volts will permit us
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