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Reviews For: Unique Wire Tuner

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : Unique Wire Tuner
Reviews: 10MSRP: $150/$250
Description:
52 0hm input to single wire ant output.
Lo and Hi Z options with extra single value capacitance options. Wide range matching through L network config.
Product is in production
More Info: http://n/a
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00105
KD5INM Rating: 2019-04-12
Added a handle to mine Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The Unique Products company tuner looks to be a good one. Very well made. I bought mine at a hamfest, it was marked $30, but I got it for $20. It was not wired correctly to make it work as it should but after doing some research I fixed the wiring issue. It was an original version. It had been modified and the ground post had been taken out and a SO-239 had been put in it's place to make it like later versions with an "A" and "B" input. I added a ground point where the other SO-239 should have been and labeled the SO-239's "A" and "B" and ground "GND". Since mine didn't have the shorting bar or plugs for it, I made a shorting bar from an old crimp on PL-259 connector and shorted it out as well as put a machine screw ground point out of the back of the connector, this serves as a ground as well, so now I can change it from "A" to "B" if needed to change inputs for antenna wire impedance.
I took a cue from MFJ on their loop tuner which has a brushed aluminum handle on the side of it to make it portable. I found the same brushed aluminum handle is available at Home Depot and I ordered it and installed it on the left side of the UPC wire tuner. It works great and makes the UPC wire tuner much easier to carry and it looks good as well. I am pretty pleased with the tuner so far and I am sourcing parts to do other modifications to add the full complement of bands to it. For now it's capable for what I need. It's too bad they stopped making them.
KG4ZSM Rating: 2016-04-14
Excellent tuner Time Owned: more than 12 months.
KG4ZSM, I picked up the first one off ebay about 10 years ago for about $40 and was very impressed with its ability to tune any random length wire.
I found a second one in Dayton a few years later. I purchased it for a bit more than the first one as it was a different model that would allow you to pre set the tuner by grounding caps on the rear for 160 Meters. It works as well as the first one. These tuners bring the SWR down until it is flat and the settings are repeatable. I have run 200-300 watts through one and no issues. Just be sure you have a good RF ground field or you may get RF in the shack. Mine is very close to the window, where my cables and ladder leave the shack. The run is less than 2 feet from the tuner to the ceramic stand off. I use the center conductor of some extra coax pieces for that run with the shield grounded. If you take off the outer case and look inside you will be impressed with the components and build quality. If you like running single wire antennas, you want this tuner.
K5TTE Rating: 2012-05-25
Real simple, real value Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought mine in 1974 and it has served well.
The condenser/ roller inductor combo inside the box has got to be one of the simplest, most effective random wire tuners ever made. This tuner will allow you to load most anything.
I keep it outdoors inside a styrofoam cooler for weather protection.
This is one ham radio item that never should have ceased production. There is something zen-like occurring when you can tweak the capacitor, then the roller coil, then repeat and repeat----until you arrive at a perfectly flat SWR value on the wire you tossed out the window.
I guess the old Murch Ultimate Transmatch was just as capable for random wires.
But the Unique wire tuner is simple and effective as well.
Wish I had ordered two.
AC2Q Rating: 2012-04-05
AWESOME! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
They were built in the Goo Old USA.
KZ3DX Rating: 2012-04-04
Great Piece of Equipment Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Everything you have heard about these is true. It is a very high quality piece of equipment...built like a tank and gives you a flat 1:1 SWR on anything.

I use this with my Swiss Dipole rather then the internal tuner in my rig.

That's the good news. The bad news is that they are almost impossible to find. I am not sure, but I think they were originally made in the UK.

I paid $100 at a hamfest for mine and thought I got a real bargain.
G0LJS Rating: 2009-03-26
very useful and compact Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought this tuner at a Hamfest 10 years ago for £10.It looked like it had spent some time at sea,but the internals were in good condition. It will almost tune anything ! The only one I have seen in the UK.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by G0LJS on 2009-01-01

Aquired this tuner at out door Hamfest about ten years ago for £10 ,a real bargain ! I thought it had spent some aboard a Yacht, But internals found to be in good shape.
This unit will tune up, when all else fails. It is always in my expedition equipment. G0LJS
K5AF Rating: 2006-01-26
High Quality Tuner Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I just picked up the early version of this tuner for around $70.00 on eBay. This tuner has superb-quality components, and a great narrow, but deep footprint, just right for smaller desks. The disadvantage of this early model is that it is not switchable, in other words, you can't switch to low impedance loads, you can only tune high impedance antennas. This can be easily be dealt with by adding a switch on the front panel, anyone who wants to perform this mod can contact me and I'll describe it in detail. There is also space inside the enclosure to add an internal balun, or the balun can be outboarded if desired.

This tuner is on the par with the Ten-Tec L network tuners or the Heath SA-2060 and with some easy mods can be just as flexible to use. I parted with one of these years ago, and now realize it was the best tuner I've ever used. This will be the "lab standard" for all the homebrew tuners I build. I'm glad to have one coming my way soon!
N1BEC Rating: 2005-03-13
Excellent Tuner! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hi Folks,

I did a double take at the Puyallup, WA Hamfest yesterday. Sitting there at a table was a Unique wire tuned with the cover off to show how well built it is.
Fortunately, it was still there after I did a couple of loops through before it opened to the public (yep, I got in as a dealer's helper. It's the only way to go to a Hamfest. All the good stuff is long gone by the time the doors open).
I plunked down a C note and it was mine. Although I didn't get it as cheap as K8DIT, it was still well worth it!
This must have been the later 160 M model, as it had three HV button caps in the output.
By arranging shorting bars, you could select between no caps in series, or any combination of the three in series with the output.
My present pitiful HF location limits me to a dipole about 110 feet long, run in a square about 10' over a chain link fence so the ends are about 6" apart at the end from making a loop.
I connected the output of the tuner to one side of the dipole, and the other side to ground.
The output caps were jumpered out of the circuit, and a capacitive input was used.
Dang! Everything folks have said here is true: The unit loaded everywhere I went on HF, 160 M-10M. It took all the frequencies right down to a flat 1:1 match.
definitley suggest using a dual needle wattmeter/SWR meter in the lead to the tuner.
The unit is built like a brick outhouse with high quality components.
Resetability is unbelievable! Dead nuts on the money every time.
This unit is a keeper, and highly recommend it.
VE3OU Rating: 2004-06-10
performs as described! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Picked up the Unique Tuner on Ebay, and it was the latest model (double inputs, extra capacitors).

It is a simple pi-tuner for a single wire antenna. Using either of the inputs, I can tune to a flat 1 to 1 on any band I want with 90' of wire.

Built well, nice roller coil, super construction, and no doubt will handle over a KW of RF.
former_W4EWJ Rating: 2004-01-24
rugged, excellent quality Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Recently bought on ebay knowing it had been modified by the addition of coax out connector...
The roller inductor is outstanding quality as is
the var. cap. It tunes easily without complaints..
I even use it in a portable enclosure to tune the
base of the center element of a BOBTAIL Curtain
to make it broadbanded...

NO, theres no meters...so use the one on your
xcvr.

Resetability is damn near exact...Just an
awfully good basic tuner and the price is right.

Rgds
Earl