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| Reviews Summary for Drake MN-2700 with accy B-1000 Balun |
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Reviews: 21
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Average rating: 4.8/5
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MSRP: $270.00
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Description: Drake MN-2700 with optional accessory B-1000 Balun.
Quality as usual from RL Drake. No complaints. I prefer it over the roller inductor tuners (fast QSY). Accurate wattmeter/SWR bridge and ability to match a wide variety of antennas. Once common at Hamfests and in the Yellow Sheets, they are now "locked" in the custody of their current owners who will probably never part with them. I saw this coming, so I acquired a mint one with B-1000 Balun for my long term collection. Unsung hero. Havent seen one on Ebay in over 6 months. Optional B-1000 Balun known to easily command $100.
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Product is not in production.
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write your own review of the Drake MN-2700 with accy B-1000 Balun.
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N7WR
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 26, 2011 07:34
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Good Tuner
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Only need it to tune my OCFD on portions of 160 and 80 but it works fine for that purpose. It is easy to tune and looks good in my station console. Bought mine used but in good condition. Added LED lights to the meter to aid my tired old eyes.
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HL2KV
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 8, 2009 22:00
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It is very good
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I used one in conjunction with an ICOM IC-7400 transceiver and a Drake amp. It gave me zero SWR on 80-10.
I bought mn-2700 without b-1000 balun.
It is very good.
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WA4JKW
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 29, 2009 18:43
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Outstanding Tuner
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've owned my MN-2700 with the B-1000 balun since new in 1978. It has traveled the world with me and still not an issue. It was even hit by lightning several times in a well grounded installation and sustained no damage. I have tuned long wires, open wire dipoles, homebrew verticals, and even a window screen and aluminum frame in a hotel for 20m operations at low power. I've pumped 1800 watts into a dummy load though it and legal limit for thousands of hours. I feel it is the best radio equipment investment I ever made. Get one if you can.
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WD5CCW
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Rating: 5/5
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May 24, 2008 15:56
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Big Tuner
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I was given a complete Drake setup, with the MN-2700 included. I decided to put everything together and try it all out to write this review. The MN-2700 tunes well and with the big meter, makes it easy to see. I have yet to try it with the L7 amplifier, but just barefoot so far, it is very smooth.
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W4VD
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Rating: 3/5
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Dec 31, 2006 17:09
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Bad Experience
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bouht one of these off of ebay and trust me, I really wanted this tuner to work, however after only a short time (maybe a couple of weeks), one of the caps blew with only 1KW going thru it to a Windom (only 2.5 to 1.0 or LESS untuned so it wasn't asking too much IMHO). I tried locating a cap to replace it and after a while I sold it as-is for parts.
Not a pleasant experience, but it was nice the short time it worked,
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TI2TL
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 21, 2006 18:52
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Superb Difficult to get a better tuner
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Well if you are looking for a top noch tuner this is the one for you. I would see no reason to sell it or change it in any way. I have it and it can tune about anything you feed it. The looks are very good and the meter is very precise.
If I could give it a higher score I would. I can recomend this tuner over the top of the line tuners that are in production nowdays with no hesitation. If you can get one buy it. They are very expensive considering their age but this comes for a reason. Quality is expensive and in this one quality is at the top.
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K0RS
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 9, 2005 11:20
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MN-2700: a bit overrated
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I am not quite as enthusiastic about the 2700 as many of the respondants reviewing it. At its best it embodies the qualities that made the Drake name famous, high performance and high quality. However, a couple of issues keep it from rating a solid 5 for me.
The first problem is with performance. This unit suffers from a problem common to all switched inductance tuners: namely it isn't particularly happy making frequency excursions too far from the those dictated by its factory fixed coil taps. Mine tunes acceptably well on 12m, but it just doesn't like 17 or 30m much. Your mileage may vary depending on what type of antenna you are trying to match, but there is no way that this tuner can be as versatile as one equipped with a roller inductor. I wouldn't buy this tuner *assuming* it will work well on the WARC bands. Additionally, the fixed padding capacitors that are switched in parallel with the variables are a bit awkward. This peculiar arrangment makes hunting for that SWR dip a bit more difficult, but once your settings have been discovered they can be logged for quick QSYs. It just takes some getting used to. Another ergonomic irritant is lack of dual metering. Not a fatal flaw, just makes tune up a bit more tedious.
My second issue is cost. No fault of the tuner or manufacturer, but it seems that buyers on the popular auction sites have decided that this tuner is now a "collectors item", and prices have risen to match the mindset. Given that the balun was originally an accessory item and not standard equipment, a fully equipped MN-2700 can be a pretty expensive affair. If you need open wire capability, better to find a 2700 with the balun already installed. The baluns are extemely rare by themselves. As one other reviewer noted, the balun alone can command (well) over $100...if you can find one. Of course, there is nothing to stop you from using an accessory balun, other than that can be kind of a clunky add-on.
If the capabilites of this tuner are within your requirements, and you are OK with its funky 70's retro styling, it rates a 5 (or very nearly so). And, of course, if you are completing a Drake 7 line, then you need this unit. But if you are looking for a good all around tuner for general use, you can buy more flexibility for the money.
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KK9H
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Rating: 5/5
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May 7, 2005 10:57
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Solid and easy to use
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned my MN2700 for a number of years and have been very happy with it. I have used it when needed on every band from 160 to 10 meters, including the WARC bands. I have always been able to easily find the correct tune for the band and antenna I am using. I have never had a problem when using it with my linear running on any band. The meter is very accurate and agrees with my Bird watt meter on both power ranges. Normally I use it to operate in the SSB portions of 80 and 40 meters since my antenna for those bands is tuned for the CW section of each band. I have only used the B-1000 balun a couple times over the years at Field Day and it has worked just fine with ladder line antennas. The MN2700 is a solid, reliable antenna tuner and I openly recommend it if you can find one.
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K9WIT
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 14, 2004 21:59
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I OWN 2 !
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Need I say more ? If you can find one buy it. It also has a very big meter so you don't need your glasses to read it.
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GW0EIK
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 14, 2004 14:55
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The best !!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Ive had my MN2700 for a couple of years now,and had a few other tuners as well,this is truly the Mother of all tuners,nothing will phase it!!there is nothing new on the market that will have the build of this tuner!i don't have the B-1000 balun with mine,but use a radio works "remote 4.1"balun,and it will tune your big toe if you need it too!!it stays in the shack!Period!!the best around,if you find a good one,i'm sure you won't part with it,73.
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