Jerry,

There a number different tuners that will work. Using a tuner with
a rig such as the IC706MkIIG does not have to be interconnected
with control cables. An example is a Yaesu FT-757GX using a
Drake MN-4 or MN2000 manual tuner. The only requirement is
the coax between the rig and the tuner plus the antenna coax to
the output of the tuner.

Which one is best? I believe it's the users choice but power must
be taken into consideration. You wouldn't want to use a Drake MN-4
tuner (300 watts max) being fed with a KW yet you can use the Drake MN-2000
(2KW max).

As for the rigs that have tuner control and an autotuner is available for
that
rig, IC706MkIIG with it's outboard ICOM AT-180 autotuner, then I would think
it's whether
the user wanted to spend the money for such a tuner. I have a Yaesu
FT-757GX with it's outboard autotuner FC-757AT and that combination
works very well as does my FT-767GX/AT.

The type of antenna you intend on feeding, longwire, dipole, Zep or yagi
should also be considered. Long wire tuners usually contain either a fixed,
tapped, inductor or a roller inductor which, in my opinion, gives one a lot
more flexibility. The older Johnson KW tuner is an excellent piece of gear
provided the user has space for it. Coax tuners are designed for coax fed
antennas and do not function well in a "Long wire" configuration. The Drake
MN-4 and MN-2000 are examples of coax fed antenna tuners. The Johnson
KW is an example of a "Long wire" fed antenna tuner.

If one is a builder then the parts needed to build a "Long wire" tuner or
"Coax
Fed" tuner are plentiful and "Fair Radio Sales" in "Lima Ohio" is a good
start
for parts. Ebay has Johnson roller inductors, small and large, at times and
the
prices I've seen aren't that bad considering the cost of "New" from the
manufacture.
I built a tuner out of 2 variable caps and a roller inductor on a piece of
wood
and it tuned anything from a bedspring to a 200 foot long wire but it was
"Breadboard" and unsafe.

There are numerous brand name tuners available at as little at $100 yet the
autotuners are somewhat higher in price. When considering a tuner addition
to your shack, consider what type of antenna you will be feeding. As for
it's looks, well all I can say is "It doesn't matter as long as it does the
job
it's intended for and it's "SAFE" to use. You might not want to
"Breadboard"
a full time tuner unless it's located where you or other can come in contact
with
the tuners components.

Hope this helps. By the way, the Drake MN-4 does an excellent job on yagis
and dipoles if the antennas is slightly out of resonant but the power
limitation
is 300 watts maximum. The Drake MN-2000, although considered the "Big
Brother" to the MN-4, will do the same and the power handling is rated at
2KW and both have a built in SWR meter with switchable antennas, i.e. feeds
2 antennas 80 to 10mtrs with a "Straight through" position which takes the
tuner out of line and feeds the transmitter/transceiver directly to the
antenna.
Good for checking out other bands without disturbing your tuner settings.

Good luck and 73's,

Michael
DA1TNJ / WB8TNJ

"Jerry Oxendine" wrote in message
news
I have an IC735 that I use on Amateur and some other bands (licensed).
Which
"tuner" will cover all HF bands? How about my IC706 MkIIG? Which one
works on all bands for that radio as well?


Tnx es 73,

Jerry
K4KWH