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Reviews For: Palomar PT-340 TUNER-TUNER

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : Palomar PT-340 TUNER-TUNER
Reviews: 10MSRP: 99.95
Description:
Tuner-Tuner Specifications: Frequency Range: 1.7-30 MHz. Impedance: 50 ohms. Controls: On-Off switch. Indicator: Red LED “On”. Connectors: SO-239. Power Pass: 1-Kw when turned off. Fail Safe: 1/16 amp fuse protects against RF power when turned on. Power: 9-v DC. Battery holder on rear panel. Size: 5-1/2 x 2-1/2 x 2-1/2 in. Color: Brushed aluminum panel. Black cover.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.palomar-engineers.com/Tuner-Tuner/tuner-tuner.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00103.7
N6OSB Rating: 2013-02-01
Just OK if that Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought this along with a 235 Ten-Tec manual tuner. I bought this to produce no QRM while tuning up. But this really only work to fine tune your tuning. Even if you have your tuner tuned up close to resonance the null the PT-340 creates is very minimal. You really have to pay close attention to sound and needle of your rig's S meter. Sometimes you need the preamp on sometimes its counter-productive.

The PT-340 is just ok, not sure if its really worth having. If it worked just a bit better it would really help out. I'm still unsure if I should sell mine or not.

You decide if you really want to give this a shot.
WB7SWB Rating: 2011-01-17
Works as intended Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Folks dissatisfied with the 340 may not understand how to use it. I've been using mine for 10+ years and couldn't get along with out it. It is however no substitute for a good tuner and a reasonable antenna. If your tuner can't match your piece of wire the 340 can only help you find the best match available. If you are having trouble finding a null, turn on your attenuator and the nulls will be exaggerated. I agree the fuse could have been made more accessible, but now that they are getting so expensive, I rarely make that mistake.
KE2EP Rating: 2010-04-18
Also works for SWL - without a transmitter Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Tuner Tuner is also for SWL! My application is using my ancient Murch "Ultimate Transmatch" with Heath "Most Accurate" Clock. The antenna, due to being in a NYC apartment is "not the best" and a careful match is essential. However, the WWV signal fades in and out making tuner adjustments nearly impossible. The Tuner Tuner solves the problem by letting me tune the makeshift antenna to optimally feed the Clock to receive the 10Mhz signal. No worry for me about accidently transmitting into the Palomar, as the clock surely is not a transmitter. It did allow me to acheive the best possible match - but there is no SWR (or is there?) to measure. So also consider the Tuner Tuner for SWL, as it can help match a minimal antenna to most any receiver. I have had my Tuner Tuner for well over 5 years, and no issues; it just works.
N4ZAW Rating: 2009-11-20
A must-have! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is my second one. I had one "back in the day" when they first began selling them. When I went inactive for 13years, my tuner-tuner somehow escaped. I bought a replacement (used) and would not try any serious multiband operations without it. I agree with everything that was previouslly said about this little gizmo, yet I considered them nescessary evils... But those ideas mentioned here by others should all be adopted by Palomar to make an even better gizmo!!
It has probably saved my rig's finals several times over -- i like a perfect match, and I tend to tune the snot out of the tuner. With this thing, no harm done (Until i forget and xmit into it)!! :)
W3TTT Rating: 2009-09-04
How does it work? Time Owned: N.A.
I just got the Palomar pt-340 Tuner Tuner a few minutes ago, as part of a grab bag.
My question is "how does it work?" I am assuming that it uses the input tuning coil and cap of the receiver. If so, will it work with a digitally tuned receiver?
W8ERD Rating: 2008-09-21
Works, but unusable Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
It works as advertised, but I find it unusable in my station. The noise null is quite sharp, so if your tuner is far from the correct settings, you cannot tell if you are going in the right direction while tuning it. The only way I could use it is to have the antenna tuner marked with the correct settings for all bands and then use the PT-340 for fine tuning only. If the tuner is not pre-marked, it takes a long time to find the right settings. Transmitting a low power signal and using that to adjust the tuner is much faster.
K4ZN Rating: 2007-12-29
With A TUNER_TUNER you don't need to be a 'tuner-upper' ! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
O.K. So I just bought a used one, and shouldn’t be writing a review of a gadget that I have only used a few days. But WOW! What a neat gadget. This let’s you tune your antenna system without transmitting a signal to do so.

Yes, you can do the same trick with a noise bridge; but, I don’t know of a noise bridge you can easily leave in line with your transceiver like you can with the TUNER-TUNER. By the time you buy a nosie bridge and coax switches to switch it in and out, you can buy the TUNER-TUNER and come out ahead.

Instructions are really really simple.
1. Set Transceiver to desired frequency.
2. Turn on TUNER TUNER (the red LED on the front blinks at you)
3. Tune for a dip in the noise
4. Turn off TUNER TUNER
5. You’re all set to transmit.

First: I tried tuning a MFJ-974HB balanced line tuner (the little one) on a frequency I regularly use and for which I know the tuner settings. Turned the TUNER-TUNER on, closed my eyes, and tuned for the dip in the noise. Bingo. Right on.

Second: Changed bands and tuned to a frequency for which I do not have a logged setting. Switched on the TUNER-TUNER, found the null, Turned the TUNER-TUNER off, hit the PTT, low and behold, low SWR and successful QSO.

Third: Plugged the coax into the input of an heretofore untested (by me) Harvey Wells Bandmaster. This thing is at least 50 years old. The TUNER-TUNER quickly found a match.

My first impression: This little gizmo is fast and easy to use. Yes, without a TUNER-TUNER you can tune listening to the background noise (sometimes), but then when you transmit you may or may not have acceptable SWR. I have, once in a while been a ‘tuner upper’ on the bands. You can hardly avoid this if you don’t have an autotuner. Even an autotuner needs that tune signal for a few seconds. I hate doing that in someone’s QSO, so I don’t. I’ve often missed contacts. Now I can be ready to go without tuning on top of people. If you like to be dialed in all the time, this just might be for you.
WP3HW Rating: 2007-09-15
Amazing Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Works as advertised but agree that fuse should be in a more accessible location. Say it's amazing because you can "tune" your tuner without transmitting a signal.
WP3HW
AB0XE Rating: 2004-11-11
silent tuning Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Nothing more irritating then having somebody
tune up on top of your already weak signal Qso
Well I wish everybody had one of these.
I know my approximate tuner settings, so I
switch to them then turn on this unit and tweak it
in "off the air" I listen for the null
and I have 1 to 1 . Unlike previous review
My unit sets in place held in place by the stiff lmr 400 coax going to it. I do agree that the fuse needs to be alittle more accessible. I did need to turn down my RF gain on radio for this unit to work good.
KK4DW Rating: 2004-03-06
Needs Help Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I won't fault the functioning of the little box because Palomar should not be held responsible for the endless matching of antennas and antenna tuners and operators. When it functioned, it seemed to work as advertised. I cannot say 100% of the time I got a great deep null -- but as I mentioned above, that might not be Palomar's problem but mine.

My "gripe" was that the box itself is small and light weight and it has to be "glued" down on a surface so that it stays put. I ended up using Velcro fasteners to the top of my tuner so it didn't go floating off. Secondly, the Off Tune switch has to be rotated back to Off before keying your transmitter or it zaps the 1/16 Amp fuse before you can say "Oh S--- !!" and it entails taking two screws out removing the cover and replacing it and and cover and screws. I of course had no box of convenient replacement fuses close to 1/16 Amp (and neither did Radio Shack) so put what I had in there so that the very next time I said "Oh S--- !!" it zapped a 50 Ohm resistor soldered onto a rather flimsy PC board inside which entailed a considerable operation with more "Oh S--- !!'s" before I was done.

All, in all my recommendations are as follows:

1. Build this unit on a rubber footed heavy base to stay put when cables are torqueing it to fly away.

2. Make the Off Tune switch spring return. Users can learn to tune with one paw at a time with a little effort. No big deal. I cannot ever remember simultaneously turning two adjustments at the self same time? You can move from one knob to the other without hypnosis.

3. Put the so called "fail safe" fuse on an externally accessible holder. It can still be insulated, etc. just don't make people have to disassemble the box to get to it. I cannot fathom why it would blow if the switch would revert to "safe" when release, but just in case, give the buyer a box of fuses for that eventuality.

4. Make the 50 Ohm resistor a higher wattage value.

I don't want to piss Palomar off because they are exptremely nice people. Just felt I had to tell the honest truth. The PT-340 just isn't quite perfect yet. A great idea but lots of room for improvement.