| W4KVW |
Rating:    |
2022-06-26 | |
| WORKS OK Not Great |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This is an Update to my earlier review.The AT-1000 stopped working on 10 meters so I returned it for repairs.The repair was very slow in being done & when I called to check on the status someone who appeared to be an elderly man answered the phone & was VERY RUDE & used quiet a bit of profanity & he stated that they don't have time to answer the phone for a status update.The tuner works OK but it's far from great.The personal service from LDG was VERY POOR from my experience & I would never consider any more of their products due to the Rude Man who answered the telephone.Customer service is Important to me & LDG lacks that.
I have had my AT-1000 for about 8 months with ZERO issues.I use it with an Ameritron AL-811H & only need it for my 75/80 meter double bazooka but also use it on my Mosley TA-53-M 5 band beam just for the completly flat SWR's though they are less than 1.5 on 10-20 meters.It works VERY fast as advertised & I would buy another should the need arise & would recommend it for anyone needing a MID POWER HF tuner.Looks good as well as being simple to operate. Thanks LDG for a GREAT product! |
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| N5GLR |
Rating:      |
2022-06-24 | |
| Great Tuner |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
A few years ago, after my antennas were wrecked in a storm, I was disgusted with my bad luck and decided I was done with ham radio. So, like a dummy, I sold my AT-1000 Pro and ignored my station for a few years. However, as it happens in life, I decided to rebuild my antennas and get back on the air.
Having had such great service from my previous LDG tuner, I bought the latest model, AT-1000ProII, and am very, very happy with it's performance.
Moral of the story ...never say never. :) 73
I've owned this tuner for apporx. 4 months and can honestly say it has tuned everything I've fed it. My amp is capable of 1KW output (although I generally run about 500 to 600 watts)and it has handled the power FB. I use several wire antennas and frequently hop from one end of the bands to the other depending on mode. It has never failed to match any of them. It is reliable and fairly fast ... although noisy while tuning. The mfg. claims it will complete the tuning operation in 10 seconds or less and I've found that to be true.
Bottom line ... It has met all of the advertised claims and I'm happy with it. I would buy again.
Garry
N5GLR |
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| K1VI |
Rating:      |
2021-12-05 | |
| Top notch -- just plain works! And 14 years later... |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
UPDATE: After 14 years of perfect performance, I tried to tune my G5RV (now Junior) on 80 meters, and then use 500 watts. That abuse "let out the smoke." And so now I have an order in for the newer model, the AT1000ProII. I definitely got my money's worth.
Over 20,000 contacts, and 8-band DXCC on this guy.
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Purchased several months ago for use with my G5RV, in response to my growing habit of using rig-control software and spotting nets to change frequencies and bands at the drop of a hat... er... spot! What an advantage over my manual tuner! I run it with my 100-watt IC735, and it makes a great combo.
I upgraded a month ago, to an Icom 756Pro3 and Tokyo Hy-Power HL-1.5KFX (KW out) amp, and the AT-1000 seems a perfect match for that as well. A local ham and I discovered we both had the Pro3, AT1000, and THP amp, and he said it well: It's simply like having a KW transceiver.
As LDG describes, the first time the tuner "sees" a new frequency, it can take a few seconds for the SWR-minimizing logic to find the L/C combo. Once it has seen that freq, autotuning upon returning anywhere near that spot takes just a half-second.
It tunes all bands the G5RV works on (10-80)at or below 1.1:1, and in my experience with that combo, it stays under the 1.8 SWR that the linear requires, with touch-up only upon changing more than 150Khz. Tuning at mid-20 meters, takes care of the whole band; 80 requires touch-up beyond a 100KHz move.
Mike, K1VI |
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| WB6UQA |
Rating:      |
2018-11-13 | |
| WORKS EVERY TIME |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Tunes AL80b and 811H amps. Will tune an 8 to 1 SWR. Better tune swr at 25 watts then raise power to 1000 watts. Will tune 6 to 80 meters. |
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| G0LUH |
Rating:      |
2018-11-13 | |
| Excellent |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Brought mine used in great condition about 4 years ago 2014 untested or tried, left on a shelf in the shack, just connected up to my ICOM 746 and Kenwood 590S and UK Amp linear using a 26-meter end fed long wire with 10 meters counterpoise its a dream, excellent performer really pleased and satisfied |
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| KS4AA |
Rating:      |
2017-01-01 | |
| It's a KEEPER!! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Got it second-hand a few years ago. Have been using it with my Ameritron AL-1200 on 40-10m at 1200w PEP SSB, 1200w CW and 800w RTTY with NO PROBLEMS AT ALL!! Haven't used it on 80m. Antenna SWR's have ranged from 1.5:1 to 4:1. I hope all the other ones are as good! |
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| WY7CHY |
Rating:      |
2015-10-21 | |
| Very impressed |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've only owned this Tuner a couple of days. Obviously, it's older and used. This is first gen and was produced 2003-2008. After that, there was the PRO and the PROII model. Other than the newer models "AUTO" tuning when transmitting and seeing a high VSWR, the original model you have to press the tune button; and the original model only have 200 memories vs thousands, they are very similar.
When I first fired it up, I was glad to see it had the 2.5 firmware version in it. The older version didn't have the 200 memories. Just the one it was currently tuned to.
I normally use a FAN Dipole for my antenna rig. Elements cut for 80, 40, and 20 meters. But many times, especially in the summer months, there's a lot more activity on the 17, 15, 12, and 10 meters. My existing/previous tuners were an MFJ with roller tuning and a B&W with notch tuning. Both tuners are excellent, but bouncing around frequencies became a pain to retune all the time. Even with writing down all the presets. So, I wanted to try and auto-tuner. But at the same time, I didn't want to spend $550+. And being I have a 500 watt amplifier, tuners could get expensive.
I took my chance on an AT-1000 first generation on ebay. From a reliable seller; including a 14 day return policy. Got this tuner, including shipping, for $150. So, as long as it worked reasonably, I would be happy spending the money.
I memorized the instructions prior to connecting it. So far, I've been able to tune it on the LOW, MIDDLE, and HIGH frequency range of each band. 80, 40, 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10 meters. With just the 3 band fan dipole antenna, the highest VSWR I've had, still doesn't pass the 1.5:1 range.
Obviously, a resonant antenna is better than a non-resonant and a tuner. But for my property and space, it's not very practical to have that many antennas or that much space. Plus, most of the negatives of antenna tuners and information about SWR, is exaggerated and inaccurate.
So far, this is a very good tuner. Once frequencies and bands have been tuned and stored in memory, "Retuning" only takes about 1-2 seconds. Initial tuning only takes about 5-6 seconds. I'm very pleased with the AT-1000. Radio is happy to see a good impedance match. Other sites say I've got a good signal. And unlike the manual tuner, I'm able to bounce around bands and frequencies much faster and enjoy the hobby better. Definitely worth the $150 for a 1st Gen AT-1000 vs $500+ for the 3rd gen. |
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| N3WES |
Rating:      |
2015-05-01 | |
| Solid and dependable |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've owned this tuner for several years and have found it to be an exceptionally strong performer. It finds an almost perfect match in seconds and doesn't exhibit any of the re-tune issues I have read elsewhere. Takes hundreds and hundreds of watts without breaking a sweat. Tuning is rather noisy, but it isn't a big deal. Watching the SWR drop flat to a 1:1 match will make the sound of the relays music to your ears. :) 73 and God Bless.
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Earlier 5-star review posted by N3WES on 2006-04-12
Since I was first licensed, I had always used manual tuners in my shack. I had previously built two of the LDG antenna tuner kits, but I sold one and used the other in my mobile setup. LDG had impressed me with their line of products since they were founded, so when I saw the AT-1000 I decided to give it a shot.
Once I received it, I installed the tuner in-line with a Dentron MT-3000, set the manual tuner to "direct" and tried it out. The tuner worked well and was able to tune both my vertical and dipole antennas, but it was a little bit noisy and the tuning time would vary in length. Undaunted, I looked on the LDG website and purchased the latest firmware. Once installed the improvement was immediately noticeable. Tuning time on the most difficult matches was cut nearly in half, and the 200 memories added to the new firmware make tuning back to a previously tuned frequency a breeze. I can now easily go from band to band to each of my favorite frequencies, and with the push of a button it's *instantly* tuned to a flat match.
The most power I ever use with the tuner is about 240 watts, and it handles it as easily as 20 watts. The meters were checked out against a Bird and they were dead on. The inside revealed very good craftsmanship, and it's built like a tank. In my opinion, it also looks very nice and compliments the rest of my station very nicely. I will never get rid of my Dentron, but since I bought the AT-1000 I have been using it almost exclusively.
This is one piece of equipment I have no intention of ever parting with. My advice to anyone who plans on purchasing it is to make sure of two things: First, make sure the tuner has had the Grounding Enhancement Mod done on the main board as this eliminates potential RF problems from interfering with the performance of the tuner. The second is to make sure that it has the newest firmware, as the additional memories and improved tuning algorithms make the $23 cost of the upgrade a bargain.
73 and God Bless America! |
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| W4PR |
Rating:      |
2014-03-06 | |
| Excellent Experience |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I bought the at-1000 used two years ago to go with my IC-7600 and FL-7000 linear. It has worked flawlessly for me. I have not experienced any of the auto-retune that others have complained about. On 20 meter SSB I tune it for around 14.235 and it is good from 14.150 to 14.310 without having to re-tune. It is noisy but unless you are using a new antenna it takes less than 5 seconds to get you where you want to go. I am using it on several antennas and it handles the Z on my G5RV without a sweat. The linear loves it!
LDG makes great equipment. The only reason I would get rid of this is to upgrade to the AT-1000 pro ii. |
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| K9BW |
Rating:      |
2013-05-11 | |
| Very satisfied |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I am leaving this opinion since I realized that hams should also leave some good reports. I have only operated mine at a maximum of about 350 watts output. I have owned it for so long I have lost track of time. I just hope they stay in business a long time serving the ham community. It has even enabled me to tune to poor antennas when the good one blew away. I would hope they design an at the antenna remote antenna tuner. Sorry no negatives. It has given years of flawless service. Even when the real SWR was out of this world. |
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