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| Reviews Summary for Alpha Delta PathFINDER Digital Autotuner |
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Reviews: 15
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Average rating: 4.1/5
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MSRP: $399.95
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Description: Digital autotuner covering 1.8 thru 30 MHz plus 6
meters with digital readout. Select either coax or
balanced wire antenna with front panel switch and
built-in balun. 200 watt rating (100 watts 6 meters).
Wide 10:1 VSWR tuning range for coax antennas, up to
3200 ohms for wire antennas. Wider than internal
tuners. Audible signals for visually impaired.
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More info: http://www.alphadeltacom.com
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You can
write your own review of the Alpha Delta PathFINDER Digital Autotuner.
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F5RRS
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 28, 2004 07:35
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Ideal companion of the kenwood TS-480HX
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The Alpha Delta PathFinder Digital Automatic Antenna Tuner is the ideal companion of the kenwood TS-480HX. It is fully compatible with TS-480HX's power rate and frequencies.
Good autotuner.
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KC4EOE
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 29, 2003 11:32
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Works For Me !!!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I live in an upstairs apartment. I use a stealth 75 foot 22 guage wire from the tuner out the window and weaved through a large oak tree. The Pathfinder tunes it perfectly in a matter of seconds. I get good signal reports and the oak tree has yet to catch fire. I think the manual could have been better written and a few illustrations added. I have noticed a few lockups, but were quickly cleared with a power reboot of the tuner. I only use an indoor counterpoise (ground) that is a heavy guage wire ran the entire circumference of the ceiling, and have not seen any apparent RF problems. My MFJ tuner sits in the corner now, lonely and unused. See my profile for a photo of the tuner in use.
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N1IG
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 13, 2003 20:07
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Great Tuner
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I bought the tuner to use with the 20m Inverted V I have in the attic above my garage. It tunes 6m, 10m, 12m, 17m, 20m, & 30m very well. It tunes 40m ok, but that's because of my lousy antenna setup, not because of the tuner. It tuned everything in a few seconds. I've used it with a long wire on all bands and it works very well.
The only problem I ran into was with the K-OTT interface unit. It would not work properly with the autotune button on my kenwood. When I pushed the autotune button on the radio, the radio would TX then immediately go into RX and the tuner would display "low power".
I called LDG and the people were very friendly. After a little troubleshooting, they had me send both the tuner and interface back to LDG for repair. They were great! They fixed the problem and got it back to me quickly. The tuning is a little loud, but it works. I'd buy one again!
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AA2T
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 3, 2003 21:53
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ok - few bugs
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Did a pretty good job on matching several antennas. Sometimes the power readings were off (both high and low). I set the rig for 25W out (into 50 ohms) and sometimes the starting SWR was so high that the rig RF output backed off so low it would not start to auto tune. Would manually bump the L or C to kick start it. Occasionally it would match and some RF @ 100W level got into the display and messed it up. At 25W, was ok.
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K7AAF
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 26, 2003 18:48
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Works Great, if you let it !
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Matches wet noodles to Icoms if you bother to ground the darn thing first. I wonder if a lot of "problems" aren't from folks who don't have a good station ground to attach the tuner (and rig) to before they try to match their rigs and antennas? It ain't all plug-and-play, folks... ground the things and give them a chance. Works great, highly recommended. G5RV will match anywhere, any time. You rock, W8AD/LDG!!
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PE2URL
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 24, 2003 15:42
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Second Look
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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After using the tuner for several weeks now,I must say it works very well for me, so I upgrade to a rating of 5. Even on 6-meters I get 1.1 SWR in 4 to 6 seconds (3-el. beam).
The only downside is that it "locks" sometimes and I have to cycle power to reset.
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WV4ED
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Rating: 1/5
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Jul 12, 2003 15:55
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No good
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Does not perform within specs. on the 6 meter band. Just does not tune an SWR that starts above 1.9 on six. Very slow to tune and requires at least 4 tries before it brings in a 1:1 SWR.
The device is also slow on the HF bands and requires the same multiple tries in order to get acceptable results.
I have disconnected the device and no longer seek help from LDG. This one is tailgate material.
Ed, WV4ED
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N7KME
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 12, 2003 11:03
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I love it!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I run a simple station of an Icom 706MK II G with an inverted vee cut to resonance at 3.965 (give or take) mounted at about 30 feet at the top, and a Butternut HF6V vertical out in the back corner of the yard. I have had absolutely no problems with this tuner in the year that I have owned it. Yes, I have had to cycle the power a time or two, but that was usually something that was my own fault. It tunes either antenna in a matter of 3 to 6 seconds with the touch of one button, with very little trouble. It sure beats the MFJ that I had before that normally took several tries, both hands, and almost always close to a minute to tune anything that wasn't already nearly resonant without sizzling and popping. I will absolutely NEVER buy another MFJ ANYTHING! I love my Pathfinder.
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AG4XH
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Rating: 1/5
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Mar 29, 2003 06:45
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Great Idea, Poor Execution
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've had this for a month now and think the feature list is great. Execution leaves something to be desired.
SLOW! Tuning with ladder line is painfully slow - far longer than 3 or 4 seconds as advertised.
BUGGY! When trying to tune said ladder line on 80 meters it will mysteriously declare a power value of 255 and swr of 1.1, then lockup; requiring a power cycle to restore. This is with 40 watts going into the tuner. Firmware version 1.4 is what shipped with the tuner.
Tuning on 6 meters is pure excitement...NOT. Reducing power makes no difference in performance, it loves to lock up and the display goes nuts displaying garbage on the screen. It simply will not tune on 6 meters.
Finally, the manual was poorly written and you have to search to find information...if you can find it.
The idea is a great one and when it decides to function it does it well. I wish I could send it back and get my cash back! This is done by LDG for Alpha Delta and I have an LDG Z11 which works alright. A few more firmware revisions will probably get this product into shape. Until then find something else
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K8ML
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 24, 2003 12:37
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Works flawlessly
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I have been using my PathFINDER autotuner for nearly a year now, and it's absolutely great.
Also, this is a clarification for the person who thought he had wattmeter or tuning problems.
Any wattmeter, even the famous BIRD Model 43, maintains its accuracy only at its design impedance (typically 50 ohms). When you move far off of 50 ohms, the accuracy is lessened. I have compared my PathFINDER wattmeter with my Bird 43 at 50 ohms and it is exactly the same, watt for watt. Feeding and tuning a long wire gets into the most complex set of impedances. However, feeding my "almost" 50 ohm beam and dipole, the BIRD and PathFINDER wattmeter readouts are excellent.
For my long wire, it is not uncommon to hit the tune button a couple of times. I think that's normal.
Unless DC power is removed, there is a slight background glow on the readout. It draws a few mills waiting for the next command.
My PathFINDER tunes slopers, large loops, long wires, etc with no problem. I have a variety of wires around my backyard here in Ohio and they stretch and contract with the weather, but I can always get a good tune.
Mark, K8ML
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