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Reviews For: Dentron MT-2000A

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : Dentron MT-2000A
Reviews: 18MSRP: 199.50 (1979)
Description:
3KW Antenna Tuner
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00184.9
K5WK Rating: 2007-02-26
Too BAD ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Its too bad this unit is still not available new!

I bought mine 35 years ago, and it works as well today as it did then. It tunes everything I have ever put on it, and that includes random wires on 80 and 160.

There are very few pieces of equipment I have ever bought that I did not have some kind of negative hit on sooner or later - but this is the exception.
NL7FK Rating: 2006-04-22
Hooked on the 2000A Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It not pretty and does not have those mamby-pamby meters that arent accurate anyway. There are no lights or gizmos.

What it does do far exceeds the majority of the antenna tuners on the market today. This baby will tune anything and I mean anything from 160 thru 10 meters with ease. It will handle QRP as well as QRO with no problems. Actually can handle 3KW PEP.

The way I test tuners is I string up a random piece of wire and tune it for 160 meters. Then I put 1500 watts through the wire. The 2000A handles this task with ease when other tuners arch, spit, and hiss if they do not blow up first.

The tuner is easy to use. Hook up your antenna and connect to your transmitter. Adjust inductance for loudest noise and then tune for a perfect match while watching your outboard meter.

These tuners are getting harder to find because those who use them keep them. If you can find one expect to pay up to $200.00. This may sound high but compared to other tuners on the market you are getting a deal.

By the way this one will be for sale when I die....
N8LB Rating: 2005-12-21
Great product Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Matches everything I've put to it. No problems. Owened at least 20 years. Sure is bulky compared to the new transceivers I've been using tho.
N9OH Rating: 2002-11-21
Great Tuner Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Handles anything i can dish out. Wires, verticals, and whatever. Used it with my SB200 amp.... about 600w and the thing never arced. I blew up a mfj1275m tuner twice in the first year. Needless to say it was probally my fault, but the dentron took it w/o a glitch. Just wish it had meters.... but thats what the mt3000a is for!
KC8HXO Rating: 2002-10-17
Can't kill her!!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Rugged, big, built like a tank! Simple, matches anything here, from 10-160M. High power, low power... use it with a Swan watt meter for QRP thru legal limit. Someone else will own this one.... after I'm an SK!!!!
Shane Vassar Rating: 2002-09-16
Tunes great! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
When I first got into ham radio, I bought my rig and the tuner together for $450. Now, I'm glad I bought it. I was 16 and thus still home-bound when I started, and space for any kind of antenna setup was limited. I put up a dipole that was cut for 80 meters, but I didn't have enough room to stretch it to a full 180 degrees. Best I could do was about 80 degrees. I figure this probably messed with the impedance, but this tuner tuned it on all bands from 80 all the way down to 10 with no problems whatsoever. I typically got my SWR down to about 1.5:1 or less. I don't run legal limit power (amps are way too expensive for my current wallet size), but I am at least glad to have this for when that time comes. If you can find one used somewhere, you won't be disappointed.
K8ND Rating: 2002-03-15
Workhorse Tuner Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased my first MT-2000A back in the 70s, and am using that tuner still! I now have a total of five of them, the last four purchased in the past year on eBay at reasonable prices!

The only weakness I know about this tuner is the tendancy for one end of the fixed inductor stock to suffer from melted insulation spacers. This happens when used with hign power on 10 meters, and each and every MT-2000A I've opened up has this problem! I don't use tuners on 10 meters now, so it's not a problem for me.

I use the tuners to tweak my wire antennas from CW up into the phone bands for phone contests, and these simple, rugged tuners are perfect for the purpose with the Alpha amps providing legal limit power. The MT-3000A tuner is essentially the same inside, but with ugly outsides and too many meters and switches for anyone to want!
WB4M Rating: 2001-11-11
No problems with mine Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Dentron MT-2000a is a tuner rated a 3KW, but we all know that hams don't run 3kw, :)
This tuner has been out of production for many years but a used one can probably be found at a hamfest for 100-150 dollars. Not a bad price compared to today's tuners- check prices in QST.
The MT-2000a is a basic tuner, nothing fancy. It has a tuner/bypass switch (obvious use) and a lightening protect/tune switch, which simply routes to ground.
To obtain lowest SWR, you first adjust a switch labeled with the letters A thru L, until you hear the loudest noise on the particular frequency you are on. Then alternately adjust the 2 large knobs which adjust the large air capacitors until lowest SWR is obtained. I have been able to obtain low SWR on any band or antenna that I was using.
This is a plain tuner, no lights, no meters, etc..
It is rugged and easily handles the legal limit that I can use. If you need a legal limit tuner (or a bit more, hi) you can get this one at a hamfest for good price.