MFJ-989D
$$$ยทยท
| Frequency | 1.8-30 MHz (incl. MARS/WARC) |
| TX power | 1500 W (Full 1500 W SSB/CW output - a true legal-limit manual tuner (this is RF OUTPUT, not the old amplifier-input convention)) |
| Modes | SSB, CW, AM, FM, digital |
| rf in | SO-239 (transmitter) |
| rf out coax1 | SO-239 (coax 1) |
| rf out coax2 | SO-239 (coax 2) |
| balanced | ceramic feedthroughs (via current balun) |
| wire | random-wire post |
| ground | wing-nut |
| dummy load | built-in 300 W |
| power req | None (passive); meter lamp 12 V DC / 9 V battery |
The genuine legal-limit MFJ manual tuner: unlike the mid-power 962D, the 989D really handles 1500 watts of output, with big 500 pF transmitting capacitors, an AirCore roller inductor, a true-peak cross-needle meter, a high-voltage current balun, and - uncommon at this level - a built-in 300-watt dummy load. It matches nearly anything from coax to balanced line to random wire, and it is US-made.
It is a large, heavy manual tuner that you tune by hand (capacitors plus roller) for each band and frequency. The roller's wiping contact wears over time, and there is no 6-meter coverage. As an MFJ product it is now discontinued (the company stopped manufacturing in 2024), so new units are new-old-stock.
The legal-limit choice in MFJ's manual tuner line - the one that genuinely handles 1500 watts output, with a built-in balun and dummy load. For a full-power station feeding wire, balanced line, or multiband antennas by hand, it is a capable, US-made tuner. The differential-T MFJ-986 is the easier-tuning sibling; the Palstar AT2K is the premium alternative.
The MFJ-989D is MFJ's genuine legal-limit manual tuner - the one that, unlike the mid-power 962D, really does handle the full 1500 watts of RF output. It is a wide-range T-network covering 1.8 to 30 MHz including the MARS and WARC bands, built around two large 500 pF air-variable transmitting capacitors and an AirCore roller inductor with a fast-tune crank and a 3-digit turns counter for repeatable band changes.
It is unusually complete for a manual tuner. A true-peak lighted cross-needle meter reads SWR and forward/reflected power on 3000- and 300-watt scales; a high-voltage current balun wound on two large toroids and brought out to glazed ceramic feedthroughs handles balanced line; a heavy dual-ceramic-wafer switch selects two coax antennas (direct or through the tuner), balanced line or random wire, or the built-in 300-watt dummy load - a genuinely useful inclusion for tuning and testing without putting a signal on the air. It is made in the USA and finished with a near-indestructible Lexan panel.
The trade-offs are those of any big manual tuner: you tune it by hand for each band, the roller's wiping contact wears over the years, and there is no 6-meter coverage. As an MFJ product it is now discontinued - the company stopped manufacturing in 2024 - so new examples are new-old-stock at around the last list price of $540. For a full-power station feeding wire, balanced line, or multiband antennas, it is the right MFJ manual tuner; the easier-tuning 986 uses a differential capacitor for two-knob operation, and the Palstar AT2K is the premium alternative.