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Reviews For: AEA Model QT-1

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : AEA Model QT-1
Reviews: 3MSRP:
Description:
300-watt antenna tuner, with built-in antenna switch, watt/SWR meter and dummy load.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0034.7
G3SQU Rating: 2020-05-05
Works well for me Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Purchased (used) 5 years ago, on Ebay for under £100. I believe it is a re-badged Vectronics VC-300DLP (the dummy load actually has Vectronics stamped on it and the manuals seem pretty well identical). The QT-1 tunes up my doublet (Norcal design with 22ft legs) on all bands 80-10m really nicely. Neither my ZM-2 Z-match nor my Kenwood AT-200 (with external balun) would tune this antenna on 80m. The inductor switch doesn't appear very heavy duty so I'm not surprised by reviewers comments about it burning up when run above 100W, but I'm having no issues with it running 30W through it to my balanced antenna. The twin meter unit for individual Forward and Reverse RF current is a plus at this price.

Dislikes: The layout with tuning capacitor knobs placed so close together that I find them uncomfortable to use with the tuner sitting on my desk surface, so I've had to replace them. There really should have be more room to accommodate larger knobs or gear reduction to facilitate tuning of a sharply resonant antenna but obviously that would require the whole unit to be scaled up a bit in size.

Other than the above I'm pretty pleased with this purchase, but especially as I never put more than 30W into it don't feel I should give it more than 4.

My comment about switch burn-out is with reference to user reviews of (what appears to be) the identical VC-300DLP Vectronics ATU.
GW0IRT Rating: 2005-01-31
good buy Time Owned: more than 12 months.
excellent atu only used it with 130 foot end fed but have used a kw600 amp giving 300watts out and no problems meter is accurate works very well cant ask for anything more......
XE1UFO Rating: 2003-09-29
GREAT! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
-The unit has worked flawlessly with many rigs and antennas. It has travelled to other countries and matched many a random wire to my rigs.
-It also has a built-in balun for ladder line.
-The antenna switch lets you select among three differnt coax-fed antennas, besides the ballanced line antenna. The ballanced line can also be jumpered externally for feeding a random wire/longwire antenna.
-It has a 12-V.D.C. plug on the back for a meter lamp for the cross-needle SWR/Wattmeter. The meter can also be switched (front panel) between peak/average watts and 30/300 watts. Great for QRP!