I have owned this tuner (not the PLUS version) since I bought my FT-897D 13 yrs. ago & it has never let me down, and I use it every day. It won't tune a "wet noddle" but any reasonable (or even somewhat unreasonable) antenna will do just fine. Of course it connects to the radio so tuning is like tuning from the radio. It does not remember/follow band/frequency changes as you
surf through the bands but it delivers on what it is designed to do: press the TUNE button and it tunes the antenna. No complicated menus - just press the button! IMHO it is the first & most essential accessory for FT-897.
ZL1CVD
Rating:
2018-07-05
Could have been an excellent tuner.
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Tunes
well. Operation though is a pain. you have to push tune every time you change bands - why? its connected to the Cat port so they could have detected band change upon PTT surely. Cat pass through does not work properly - it doesn't listen to whats happening on Cat port. So if your using a computer program or CatDisplay, it freezes! So not a true 'pass though' port. Tunes in AM but microphone is still enabled - why?. Again its Cat connected so they could have set mic gain to 0, tune, then restored
gain back to original setting. As for construction, PCB was good but wires from PCB to socket were poor - too long & multiple earth points IMHO. But it works, has latching relays and tunes 80% what I throw at it. Also doesn't cost the earth. With a bit more thought, it could have been an excellent tuner.
ON4KVK
Rating:
2017-06-14
Excellent
Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I use this tuner on my FT897. Tunes an end-fed longwire. Nevver missed a match (80 to 10m). Would i buy it again ? YES !
AA8TK
Rating:
2016-12-07
It was OK until it wasn't
Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I used it for 5.5 years and it worked like a champ, tuning a variety of antennas.
And then ... and then one day it sent a surge of current to my rig and blew a fuse in the CAT port and most likely destroyed a resistor. At least that is what the technician at Yaesu told me because he said that is a common problem with these tuners. He added that they see a lot of these tuner-induced problems.
So, I could send the rig back to the factory and the tuner back to LDG to get them both repaired. Or, I could use that repair money and buy a manual tuner. I opted for the latter. I
will simply spend some time time determining the optimal settings, jot them down and refer to them when I switch frequencies. I may even save a few seconds otherwise spent waiting for the LDG to tune the rig.
Like a former girlfriend, it was good while it lasted, but now it's time for us to both move on.
W5GNB
Rating:
2015-11-07
It's OK....I guess....
Time Owned: 6
to 12 months.
Nothing to brag about as far as tuning something like a Long Wire but for wide-banding a simple dipole on 80-Meters or similar it works very well. I noticed it is actually made by LDG Electronics so the tuner addition for the FT-897 rig must have been an after thought. No complaints here as far as it "Working" but it is NOT an All Band, All Impedance, Random wire tuner. For that service you need to get an old boat anchor Johnson Matchbox or
such.
KA4KOE
Rating:
2013-09-09
Looks promising
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've only used the tuner once since I purchased it second hand along with the FT897D. I hooked up a double banana to PL259 adapter and simply ran two 20' wires inside my house. I did NOT use the recommended balun. The tuner tuned everything from 80-6 meters....no kidding. I've yet to take it to the field as I am awaiting delivery of a LiIon battery.
KJ4DKT
Rating:
2013-08-17
GREAT COMBO
Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I use the 897 tuner on both my 857d and 897d. No problems if you hook it up correctly. 5 yrs no problems. Another LDG satisfied customer.
CR7000
Rating:
2012-06-25
Get The FC-30
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Please get the FC-30
I had the AT-897 and it was so random
I could tune it on a frequency, and the swr would be minimum
Tune around and return to the same
frequency, press tune and i get a different reading
No consistency at all, even after many hours trying
Its nothing else in the setup
Got the FC-30, so solid and reliable
Get the one that was made to work with the radio, not a cheap copy that will not function the way it should
Very cheaply made, and so random its unusable, even on different aerials
Use FC-30 on same setup = no problems
WA0ZZG
Rating:
2012-06-14
Good Basic Tuning Unit
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The actual tuning portion is a standard LDG switched 'L' network, with latching relays. The components are rated for 100W within a specified tuning range. It can still tune outside this range, but power should be reduced. It will tune an 8' wire and a screwdriver stuck in the ground on 20M as long as I stay around QRP. The controller is radio specific. Only works on any version of
the '897. Any other radio shuts it down. It is NOT fully automatic. Only tunes when asked to. Will gladly just sit there with a bad SWR. The case is very basic painted aluminum. Not expected to be waterproof but should take a lot of banging around. Should be cheap to get painted case parts. Ends up being the bottom of the radio when carried around. Never had any problem with RF messing up the controller, but the radio would lock up. I ended up using a 6' long coax jumper coiled into a
tight loop between them to keep it clean. These type of tuners clatter away while tuning. Not a problem.
KK8ZZ
Rating:
2011-10-17
Just works and works well
Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Sure wish LDG could have matched the FT-897D case for size, just to make it look a little better, but this tuner works amazingly well under a great diversity of antennas. Even took it to the office, which has a discone antenna 28mhz-1200mhz and the AT-897 tuned it up on 10 meters and has been giving me lots of fun DX on 28.4 at lunch time these past three weeks. I have three
different LDG tuners and they've never given me a bit of trouble. Highly recommended ! Bob KK8ZZ
---------------------- Earlier 5-star review posted by KK8ZZ on 2009-08-31
Earlier, I suggested that this tuner worked fine but was too ugly to look at. I bought another one, and either LDG has changed the size, styling and color a little or I'm just getting old and blind.. regardless, the version I bought works wonderfully, touching up settings on the somewhat mismatched
80/40 W2AU dipole and the MA5B beam.. I've not tried it with a long wire and the RBA-4:1 balun, but I have no doubt that with LDG's long history of quality design, it will work 100% when I'll be using it in FL in December. I've ventured off into MFJ auto tuners, and the stuff is just crap. Go with LDG.. it just works day in and day out.
