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Old 21st Jul 2019, 4:03 pm   #1
ORAWA01
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Default Joymatch 3A tuner

I just got this atu, but no instruction or any info about it. I seems cover 160-10m hf bands, but not sure if it is for SWL only or for TX as well.

And what type of antenna it can handle, and what shape of form ..etc.

Anyone ever used / owned this antenna tuner Joymatch 3A?

Thanks.
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Old 21st Jul 2019, 4:27 pm   #2
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

It was sold to be used with the Joystick antenna. Which was widely advertised in the 1960's.
Page 519 of Shortwave Magazine November 1963 has an advertisement for the aerial and the optional Joymatch ATU which could be purchased for an extra 10 shillings.

You can see the advertisement in Short Wave Magazine on the AmericanRadioHistory site. (Page 519)
https://www.americanradiohistory.com...WM-1963-11.pdf

John
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Old 21st Jul 2019, 4:38 pm   #3
g4aaw pete
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

This thread bought a fair amount of info to light

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=36546
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Old 21st Jul 2019, 9:55 pm   #4
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

Back in the day, the 'joystick' system was an item of some contention. Even its supporters would have admitted that the marketing was a little on the 'optimistic' side

People submitted details of remarkable contacts made with them, but so you could if you tuned up your bed springs. It was all in the middle of a wonderful sunspot cycle.

Seen in the cold light of the 21st century, the antenna is a bit of a laugh.

The tuner will tune modest long-wire antennae, but it's rather limited in the max power and the max impedance which it can handle. Best think of it as a receiving or QRP tuner.

An amateur in our village in the sixties had one with antenna for his 10W topband AM local natter transmitter. Connected to his AR88 it was obviously deaf on the HF bands compared to his 80m doublet inverted V. The joystick never went anywhere near his LG300!

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Old 21st Jul 2019, 11:04 pm   #5
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

Thank you for the PDF copy of the SWL mag, and also the thread link.

Yes, I did a few search on the Joymatch ATU, and it seems quite contrasting reviews on it. Some people were raving about how great it is for DX, and 59 report QSO with ZLs on QRP etc.

But some say it is a dummy load with variable cap and coil on it.

I would still like to to give a try, but current HF condition being so poor, even high end modern tuners wouldn't do a lot until the sun spot cycle changes.

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Old 22nd Jul 2019, 12:40 am   #6
Graham G3ZVT
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

An SWL friend of mine had a BC-454 (or 455) Command receiver fed by a Joystick / Joymatch, but I was convinced the so-called feeder alone would have worked better strung out as a long-wire across his garden.
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Old 22nd Jul 2019, 9:41 am   #7
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

I opened the casing, and can see a coil soldered on various point connected to band changer, and 2x variable capacitors. The connectors at the back are not PL259 type, but old TV aerial connector type.
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Old 22nd Jul 2019, 5:55 pm   #8
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

From memory, it's a classic "pi section" tuner, using receiver-type variable capacitors.

Fine for tuning an end-loaded-longwave (which is what a Joystick-plus-single-wire-feeder really was) on receive, but I wouldn't want to transmit 400W PEP through it!
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Old 22nd Jul 2019, 9:51 pm   #9
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

Yes, there are 2x tuning capacitors, and they are thinest capacitors I have seen.

It looks simple, but well made clean and solid. It would be interesting to see how it performs.

Would it work with just any plain long wire configuration? Or does it have to be the joystick design?

No, no I have never ran 400 watts pep. I am more QRP operator happy with 3-5 watts pep
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Old 23rd Jul 2019, 4:53 pm   #10
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

Here's one I owned some time ago, the tuning caps are solid-dielectric types which were used in battery portable RXs.

Cheers

Roger
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Old 23rd Jul 2019, 7:10 pm   #11
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

Yes, that is the same one as mine. How did you find it in performance?

Is it for TX/RX or just RX only?

Thanks

Jay
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Old 23rd Jul 2019, 10:25 pm   #12
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

Jackson Dilecons. Used in a number of homebrew QRP tuners, but that's about it for power handling.

David
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Old 25th Jul 2019, 5:33 am   #13
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

Yes, that is the same one as mine. How did you find it in performance?

Is it for TX/RX or just RX only?

Thanks

Jay

No, it was for TX and RX, the same as the Joystick. I can't recall the rating of the Joystick but at the time I had one I was working only Top Band and 80 metres with a QV04/7 PA valve, maybe 5 watts output on a good day.

73

Roger
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Old 25th Jul 2019, 7:58 am   #14
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

Quote:
Originally Posted by G3VKM_Roger View Post

No, it was for TX and RX, the same as the Joystick. I can't recall the rating of the Joystick but at the time I had one I was working only Top Band and 80 metres with a QV04/7 PA valve, maybe 5 watts output on a good day.

73

Roger
Thank you for your information. Glad to know that it is for both TX and RX.

I connected the tuner to 5 meters of long wire in the loft, and then connected to my portable short wave radio. I tuned about 40 and 20 meters, and heard some good CW signals.

It works well on RX HF. But my only HF rig is now a MFJ 15m CW QRP kit 9015, but there is not much propagation on 15m these days.

73 de Jay
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Old 26th Jul 2019, 6:34 am   #15
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Default Re: Joymatch 3A tuner

I did a search on the JoyMatch and there were at least two versions, one for transmitting and the other for receiving. Interestingly, the TX version was the cheapest, so presumably had fewer components.

Cheers

Roger/G3VKM
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