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Reviews For: LDG AT-200 PRO II Antenna Tuner

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : LDG AT-200 PRO II Antenna Tuner
Reviews: 28MSRP: 259.00
Description:

5 to 250 watts SSB and CW. (100 watts on 6M)
Easy to read LED bargraph display for RF power, SWR and status
LEDs for Antenna Position and Bypass

4,000 memories (2000 for each antenna) for instantaneous band changing
Two position antenna switch with memories for four antennas on each position
Tuning time: 0.5 to 6 seconds full tune, < 0.1 second memory tune
Built in frequency counter for memory operation
Frequency coverage: 1.8 to 54.0 MHz.
Tunes 6 to 800 ohm loads (16 to 150 ohms on 6M), 6 to 3600 ohms with optional 4:1 Balun (LDG RBA 4-1)
For Dipoles, Verticals, Vees, Beams or and Coax Fed Antenna
Optional external Balun allows tuning of random length, long wire or ladder line fed antennas
Includes 6' DC power cable

Power requirements: 11 to 16 volts DC at 750 mA max during tuning
www.Jameco.com WM1024-760 and 1953663 are compatible power supplies

Enclosure: 9.5D x 7.1W x 2.0H inches
Weight: 2 pounds
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ldgelectronics.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
14283.7
AD6KA Rating: 2013-09-29
2/5 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
i don't typically right a review of a piece of kit until I give it a thorough workout, but I *had* to make an exception here.

I bought this LDG AT-200 PRO II ATU NEW at a fair price at a hamfest, because it was *SUPPOSEDLY* rated at a *higher* power handling ability than the one I was using. I threw the new one it in the desk drawer for a few weeks
and then dug it out, read the manual and hooked it up.

I operate Barefoot RTTY. Usually, 125+ watts from my venerable TS-940S into an LDG AT-11MP (Built from kit)then a balun, and a ladderline fed 130 foot doublet. And I don't often run much
over 100 watts FSK or so. The old ATU did "OK".... but I tired of that damned cross needle meter.:)

So I read up on the AT-200PROII, which has 4,000 memories and "is RATED AT "5 to 250 watt power range". OK, I thought, that will leave me plenty of headroom for odd matches nd stuff. Low and behold I get the PRINTED MANUAL with the rig and it advises:
****"NOT TO EXCEED 75 WATTS ON PSK"!****
WTF? Are you kidding me? Yes, my old AT-11MP was
slow and noisy, but those large inductors and
big fat Silver Mica Caps held up real fine running 100+ WATTS rtty all WEEKEND long in 48 HOUR CONTESTS!!!!.IF you look inside the AT-200PROII, it's all SMD matching caps, skinny skinny board traces, and
very wimpy inductors.

I still have to put the AT-200proII through some
paces, but so far it has been SLOOOWWW.

In fact, I was able to match misloads with the
***25 year old KENWOOD'S internal motor driven tuner**** that the LDG AT-200PROII couldn't match!!

more will be revealed
ZL3SV Rating: 2013-04-18
HAMCITY sell faulty LDG AT-200 PRO ATU Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I paid Hamcity for a new LDG AT-200 PRO II Antenna Tuner. It arrive about 2 weeks later and the parcel was well packed with no physical damage.

The unit would not switch on at 90% of the attempts. Power supply was clean with correct voltage. When I can get it to work it goes fine. Shame they don't stand behind what is otherwise a good product.

I told Hamcity who said they would replace it at no cost. Then they changed their mind and referred me to LDG who want money.

In New Zealand we have a consumer law that means the supplier must sort out the problem at no cost to the purchaser.

I would not deal with Hamcity or LDG again.
W0AY Rating: 2013-04-13
Noisy and Not repeatable. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Removed unit from shipping box and connected to my antenna and xmtr. When I transmitted, the unit practically jumped off the desk. It's relay noise was intolerable. Next I let the unit tune up on 80 M. Clackety clack... Then I moved up 30 Khz and let it tune up again. Clackety clack! Then thinking the memory would be good back down 30 KHz, I moved freq down there. Gracious! Same sustained Clackety Clacking again. So much for a memory tuner. I boxed the unit up and sent it back suffering transit cost and restocking fee. Not a happy experience. My Elecraft K3 auto memory tuner handled this same antenna quietly and without complaint.
TA3EP Rating: 2013-03-03
Sure a keeper Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
First of all, the AT-200 Pro II is a really working tuner and it does what it promises. Although manual says it tunes 6 to 1000 ohm loads and it has only coaxial output, I managed to use it with my longwire antenna by adding a counterpoise (without optional 1:4 unun). It works well with my Yaesu FT-857D as well as Kenwood TS-440S. Also my homebrewed Y-ACC Yaesu autotuner cable works great, too.
Pros:
-It does what it promised smoothly, and does much more, too.
-Makes great combination with FT-857D rig and G5RV dipole.
-Box and buttons gives you a quality and strong material feeling.
-Shows peak power and average power (choosen from the menu)
Cons:
-Menus: Menus are hidden, hard to find and hard to learn. All the buttons have more then one function. You have to know well most of these functions for an effective usage. For example: Tune from scratch, memory tune, making output empedance high and low, manuel memory storing, full and semi-automatic mode etc. A lot of functions and only a few buttons.
-The user screen: Only two rows of leds and many functions to show... You have to push many buttons to see the current sets. You can't see all the sets at a glance. Not user friendly.
-It takes a long time tuning from scratch. (But once setting is memorised, tuning from memory is speedy like lightning.)
-Tuning from zero is quite noisy, if you are working in the silence of the evening, always there is a risk of waking up the family and even the neighbors.
-Doesn't have a balanced output, longwire output and an internal unun.

Conclusion: One point goes to hard-to-find menus, and one point goes to poor user screen, AT-200 Pro II gets a three point. But it works great, does its job smoothly, and surely a keeper.
KC9IL Rating: 2012-12-18
Works great! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this for use with my Icom 756 Pro III after purchasing a Z-11 ProII for use in the car with the Icom 706 and the Icom 7000 at home. I read the reviews about not running too much power through the unit, especially since I run PSK31 and JT-65. With that in mind, I opted for the AT-200 ProII. It works like a champ on the G5RV, even on 160 meters. It's a bit noisy when first learning the antenna, but gets quicker and quieter as I use it more. One trick was to just got through each band and 100 KHz intervals on the lower bands and 250 KHz intervals on the higher bands. This provides a good baseline for it to learn the antenna.
KJ7YY Rating: 2012-12-09
love it! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just received this tuner and it performs great. Yea, it is a bit noisy when it first tunes a freq. but once memorized it is almost instant tune and no noise. I have many antennas and it will tune all over the band. My 160 dipole will tune all bands up to 10 meters, most likely more if I had more. No more SWR worries here! Another one is already planned for mobile operation.
W2RS Rating: 2012-07-20
Does the job, well Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This tuner is similar to the AT-100 Pro II, except for the power handling capacity which is 250 watts SSB/CW. Most of the review comments about the smaller unit also apply to this one.

As was said about the AT-100 Pro II, the tuning process is quite noisy. However, once the tuner learns the correct settings, it hardly ever has to tune, unless you want it to. The memory tuning function is very effective, as well as quiet.

All in all, I'm very pleased with it.
WA4NUN Rating: 2012-05-14
In route to me Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Placehoder review as tuner not previously listed