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Reviews For: TrueLadderLine ATU4K with StepperTune controller

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : TrueLadderLine ATU4K with StepperTune controller
Reviews: 1MSRP: 2800
Description:
A real balanced tuner with remote control
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.trueladderline.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0015
N8MW Rating: 2022-05-06
Great quality rugged balanced tuner w remote control Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Description of installation: ATU installed at 30 ft level on tower which supports the center insulator of a 220 ft dipole with center insulator at 80 ft and ends at 70 ft.height. Antenna fed from ATU with 3 in ladder line, impedance of approx. 525 ohms. The Controller, StepperTune-BT, located inside the shack with a 125 ft run of control cable (Cat 5 ethernet cable). Detailed tuner and controller descriptions are available on trueladderline.com.
Setup and calibration: After installation completion, the ATU requires calibration with the controller. The ATU and controller have individual manuals describing the wiring and calibration. Calibration requires some understanding of the construction of the ATU and controller. Upon calibration and synchronization of the units, the system is ready to tune the antenna.
Tuning the ATU: The ATU has balanced inductors and 3 capacitors which can be switched in or out of the circuit for either high or low antenna impedance. Selecting the configuration of the ATU components via the controller switching for the best match is the first important step in tuning. Once completed, the variable adjustment of the inductors and capacitors can be changed for best match. My tuner was able to match every frequency in the 160, 80, and 40 meter bands with a 1.0 to 1 VSWR. Calculations performed by TrueLadderLine’s Gary (K7EMF) determined at least a 97% radiation efficiency on all bands. Controller settings for 8 configurations can be saved and recalled in the memories of the controller. The settings of the inductors and capacitors are varied by stepper motors in the ATU. The capacitor has 160 steps and tunes very quickly. The inductors have over 5000 steps and take a bit longer to tune, but there is a built in jog that allows for fine tuning. Tuning is most easily achieved by interactively by observing the SWR on a self calibrating meter, or on a VNA.
Performance: The ATU deserves a 5 star rating for performance because of its outstanding matching capability. No other tuner I have used, including Palstar 5k, 1.5BT, 2k, AT-Auto could achieve similar matching. The controller is a very precise and convenient way to adjust the ATU. It does require some practice to adjust quickly. Understanding of antennas, transmission line, and tuners technical details is very helpful for using this equipment. I would not recommend this for novices.
Conclusion: This ATU and controller are unique among similar units on the market. No other tuner can achieve the results obtained with this tuner. Because of this, the value of this tuner is difficult to evaluate compared to other units, except to say that it is well worth the cost. Gary, K7EMF is also very helpful in understanding the operation and design. Overall the entire system deserves a 5 star rating.

Performance update: Since installing and using this tuner I have consistently been able to make contacts with lower power. With my resonant dipoles I previously would transmit with 1 KW of power in response to S9 signals. With the tuner and the non-resonant dipole attached, fed with open 3 in ladder line, I've routinely been able to make contacts with 50 Watts and get S9 reports.