Matt,

If you go this route, be sure to get the optional Kenwood cable.    It 
connects between the tuner and the 6 pin molex on the rear of the 480. 
   When connected, the internal tuner is disabled, and when you press 
the tune button on the radio, the  radio drops to low power cw and the 
external tuner tunes.  When a match is found the radio returns to the 
original mode and power levels.


While some low power tuners can draw  it's needed 12 vdc from the molex 
connection to the radio, I think this one has too much current draw and 
you will need an optional  1 amp wall wart, or power the tuner from the 
station's  main power supply.

Good luck, Steve KW3A


On 5/4/2015 5:38 PM, Matthew Chao wrote:
> Hi, Tom.  Going with MFJ based on your info is a deal
> maker.  Probably the 993B, since I'm not running anything over 100
> watts for now or in the near future.--Matt, N1IBB.
>
> At 08:53 PM 5/3/2015 -0400, you wrote:
>> Matt:
>>
>> To add to what Ron has said, I just recently purchased an MFJ 998 high-power
>> auto-tuner, and like it very much.
>>
>> By high power, I mean it will work with up to 1500 watts, which is what I
>> needed since I use an ALS600 amplifier here.  Actually the amp puts out
>> roughly 500 watts, so it is well within the acceptable operating range for
>> the tuner.
>>
>> A few of us on the list use the MFJ 998, and, although it isn't totally
>> accessible since the menus don't talk, there are enough beeps and other
>> indicators to allow the basic functions to be quite manageable.
>>
>> I think the only thing I needed sighted assistance for was when I had to
>> tell the tuner to recognize my TS590 via the Kenwood interface.
>>
>> As for price, I bought mine from Ham Radio Outlet this past March for $569.
>>
>> If you will only be operating 100 watts with your TS480, I know there are
>> cheaper models by MFJ and LDG to meet that requirement.
>>
>> One other thing you might want to think about is that, as far as I
>> understand, LDG tuners can't directly be interfaced with Kenwood rigs like
>> the TS480 and TS590.  The MFJ models do interface well with Kenwood rigs,
>> via the 5114K interface cable, and this was one of the main selling points
>> for the MFJ over the LDG, as far as I was concerned.
>>
>> Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>> On Behalf Of Dr. Ronald E. Milliman
>> Sent: Sunday, May 03, 2015 1:10 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: Question about Auto Antenna Tuners
>>
>> The Palstar is an excellent external automatic antenna tuner, but it is
>> quite pricy for many people. As less expensive alternatives, both MFJ and
>> LDG also sell excellent external automatic antenna tuners that are very
>> accessible. At least two of us have LDG tuners and Tom has one of the MFJ
>> tuners, and as far as I know, we all like our tuners quite well.
>
>
>