On Thu, 26 Aug 2004 12:26:54 -0700, Roy Lewallen wrote:

I have an MFJ 269 and a GR 1606A. Each has its place.

At my location, about 10-15 miles from a hilltop with powerful TV, FM,
and I believe AM broadcast transmitters, the MFJ is pretty useless for
most antenna measurements. The impinging RF confuses it. It's great for
fiddling with circuits on the bench, quick measurements of coax length,
and checking the resonance of a 2 meter whip. I'm sure the RF problem
would be the same for the other analyzers. Years ago, I rented an HP
vector impedance meter for a consulting job, and it too was unable to
handle the RF environment. A friend lent me an ancient tube-type Z meter
that had a tunable detector, and I ended up making the measurements with
it. (That was before I got the 1606A.)

I use the 1606A when I need to make serious and accurate antenna
measurements. It's tedious to use, having to be calibrated at the
measurement frequency before making measurements. It only goes up to 60
MHz. And it requires an external signal generator and detector. The
external detector is really its strength, though, since by using a
narrowband detector (I use an old ICOM R1 portable receiver) I can make
good measurements in the RF environment I live in. It would be a real
nuisance to haul it up a tower, although you can put it on top of a
stepladder.

Sorry, I haven't used any of the other analyzers so can't help you out
with the comparison between them.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

It's gratifying to learn that the 'ole 1606 is still being used by people in the
group. About ten years ago I wondered what I'd do if anything happened to mine,
especially since General Radio was already out of business, so I found a 1606-B
for $400 as a backup. Son Rick, WB4GNR, is using it, but it's still my backup.

Walt, W2DU