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Reviews For: ATU-10

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : ATU-10
Reviews: 1MSRP:
Description:
QRP 15W auto tuner using open-source firmware and hardware design by N7DDC
Product is in production
More Info: https://github.com/Dfinitski/ATU-10-10W-QRP-antenna-tuner
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
1313
LNXAUTHOR Rating: 2023-03-25
OK standalone QRP autotuner Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
update: had to order another one... the first died a horrible death, letting out the magic smoke via an exploding capacitor when attempting a firmware upate... the second arrived with firmware 1.5 (which worked fine), but i decided to attempt to update using a data USB C cable - this succeeded in updating to firmware 1.6 with no problem... honestly though, i cannot detect any improvement in tuning speed or swr - but it works... the convenience outweighs having to carry additional batteries... we will see how long this new one lasts... i use this tuner with a tactical delta loop and enfed antennas for qrp /p ops...

original review:
here we have a potential AH-705 killer:

- small, lightweight, self-contained, wide-ranging, low-power tuner in a robust case with a one-button simple control

- 5-sec press to toggle tuner on and off

- long press to initiate tuning - tuner's OLED will display FWD power and SWR

- short press to reset and bypass

- run 1:1 3.5mm stereo cable to ICOM IC-705 and this tuner appears as an AH-705, including band-switching

- wakes up for auto-tuning, so any rig may be used

- falls asleep after a tune, display turns off after 5 mins, tuner turns off after 30 mins of no activity

- 12 mA used when operating, 170 ?A used when sleeping, 37 ?A when off

the bad news is that my tuner came with no-name lithium ion batteries... no brand, nor indication of capacity...

also, the two LEDs are buried inside the case - a red one for charging indication and another for tuning activity... if you angle the case just right you can see the charging LED...

the aluminum-cased tuner came in a plastic storage case, which is nice, but no USB C charging cable - i had to supply my own

my tuner arrived DOA with no charge, so it was with some trepidation that i attached a cable to start charging... after 30 minutes, i was able to turn on the tuner to see that it had, according to the display, about a half charge... after 90 minutes, there was 3/4 of charge... i was able to fully charge, and it has held for more than a month

the good news is that it *appears* that i may be able to replace the batteries at some point - see the pic and you will note the dual-pronged connectors - these batteries by their chemistry, have a limited number of charges, and will normally have to be replaced after 1,000 charges - i would have preferred clip-in battery holders, but space is at a premium

it is unknown how long a charge will last - obviously these batteries were not charged as they arrived in a low-state - they should have arrived at least at 40% charge!

1/3 the cost of the ICOM tuner! bargain!

i have used this tuner with a tactical delta loop and random wire to good effect...