Rig Expert AA-54 Review
0 User reviews
Editors rating
When the AA-54 arrived I immediately took it out of the box and out to my truck. I have a multi-band HF antenna that has been giving me trouble, and the first job for the AA-54 was to help me get that antenna as close to resonant as possible.
The AA-54 did not disappoint me at all. At first, the menu structure was a bit cumbersome, but once I got the hang of pressing the menu number instead of trying to navigate with the arrows, it was smooth sailing.
As soon as I hooked up the antenna and turned on the AA-54 I was able to begin checking the SWR. I started by checking the SWR for a single band, but then switched to the multi-band SWR check. This features allows you to display 5 bands and see how adjusting for one band will affect the others. For a mobile installation, this is perfect.
I then connected the AA-54 to my G5RV for my shack. In less than 5 minutes I had checked the SWR on the antenna, made a slight adjustment, and brought my antenna into resonance on the band I use most.
Not only is the AA-54 great for adjusting antennas, but it is great for checking out coax for problems. I connected a 50 foot length of coax that had been giving me trouble and the AA-54 told me approximately where the problem was so I was could fix the problem and make the coax useful again.
I was impressed with the easy-to-read backlit screen, and the well-organized menus. Once I got used to maneuvering through the menus, finding what I needed was a breeze. The AA-54 is lightweight and packs easily in a go-bag.
Here is a list of features that most people will find extremely useful:
- Check an antenna quickly for any issues
- USB interface to connect to a computer and software for viewing data
- User configurable, multi-band SWR checking of an antenna
- Compare antenna stats before and after certain events or changes (rain, coax lengthening or shortening, antenna relocation, etc.)
- Check for the location of a fault in coax
- Lightweight and easy to carry with you.
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