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Reviews For: Dentron Super Tuner

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : Dentron Super Tuner
Reviews: 42MSRP: $125-$175 used
Description:
160-10AT 1KW Tuner. Heavy duty tuner will couple a 160-10m transmitter to
almost any type of antenna system. Includes a highly efficient balun for
antennas feed with open wire line. Will work with coax as well as open feed line.
No SWR/PWR meter.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00425
KC2OYZ Rating: 2008-08-24
Rock Solid Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Industrial strength build quality.

Precise and repeatable settings.

Broad Range - I tune to the middle of a band, can work the whole band with little or no change.

If you find one, grab it - you won't be sorry.
VE3XQQ Rating: 2008-06-14
Built like a tank!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This tuner has been in use non stop since April of 1980 and I am the third owner of this ‘beast of a tuner’.

You can load up a wet noodle with this puppy and it has served me well on all HF bands with my full wave 80m loop and AL-80A. Just one point to note; one can get a low SWR on more than on inductor setting, you should have a power meter on the output so you can see the actual power going to the antenna. This means you need to fiddle about at first as I did for the WARC bands and take good notes.

If you can find one... snag it right away!!
W4INF Rating: 2008-02-13
Great tuner! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Only had for a little while, but I can tell you this... It is one GREAT tuner! Built like a tank, tunes easy and with a wide range. Handles up to 1kw the same as 100w... Big varicaps, big coil with taps.

Some bands, I only need to go to my preset with mostly no fine tuning, and I can work the entire band, from bottom to the top without having to retune!

Right now I am working a 70 foot longwire, grounded and fed at the bottom and a Balun Designes (Bob) 3kw 4:1 BALUN, first 40 ft is 45 deg angle up, the last 30 feet is horizontal from one tree to the next 35 ft AG. I get mostly 1.1-1.2:1 SWR, seldom ever do I even get 1.5:1 SWR. With this setup, I am getting excellent signal reports so efficiency appears to be there!

This is a simple, but great tuner! If you can get your hands on one, do it! Beats every MFJ tuner Ive ever owned, hands down!

Andrew de W4INF
K5MRM Rating: 2007-12-01
Great tuner Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've had this tuner for 6 months and run 200-800 watts regulary on 80m - 15m and it works great and tunes my dipole to all of them.
KD8BBK Rating: 2007-10-18
SIMPLY THE BEST Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought my Dentron Super Tuner over 1 year ago at a hamfest for 60.00, The tuner is like new inside and out. This tuner is simply the best. It is not flashy but has it where it counts and that is under the hood. I will never let mine go and just recently sold my Palstar tuner because the Dentron does just as good. I use my meter in the rig to measure the swr and can tune anything with it. You won't find a better tuner, especially for the money. If you see one pick it up and try it out you won't be disappointed.
K9OSC Rating: 2007-09-07
Excellent Value Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Dentron Super-Tuner is a REAL piece of amateur radio equipment. This no compromise tuner was designed to be used and performs in accordance with specifications. I bought mine for $65 at a swapfest a year ago and it has performed flawlessly.

Inside it is made from heavy and quality components. Rated at about 1200 watts PEP, it is a no frills tuner. Straight through with no provision made to bypass the tuner. I use a Heathkit SWR/Wattmeter between it and my HF rig. The cabinet is steel and heavy. It won’t move around on your operating table.

It tunes my Double Zepp easily on all bands from 80 through 10 meters. I can reset it to specific frequencies each time and it tunes smoothly. The inductor switch is of the type used in the old surplus BC-375 tuning units. Much more than actually needed and it is ceramic in construction! The internal 4:1 balun is made from two huge cores that handle power very well. The standoffs for random wire or tuned feeders are made from ceramic standoffs! No cheap banana plugs here (see MFJ tuners). Inside, it the layout is simple and wiring both heavy and short to components.

This is the type of tuner that you won’t have to replace after a few years (or hours). Today’s tuners should be built this way. No reason they can’t be and the actual cost of components is not that expensive. This unit has five main components (inductor, switch, two variable capacitors and 4:1 balun). Nothing special here that isn’t currently available at over inflated costs on the retail market. I highly recommend this tuner if you can find one at a swapmeet. You won’t be sorry.
KL2U Rating: 2007-09-06
Best in class!! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The one I have is the best thing in my ham shack.
I won it in an auction on e-bay. the seller stated in the auction it would tune a wet noodle...

That was an under statement!!

real good for rx too!!

If you dx this is the tuner for you!!

73's
Paul in Iowa
W4VD Rating: 2006-12-12
A really nice tuner Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had one of these and sold it to "upgrade" to a MFJ, I wish I had kept the Dentron, I think it's rated for 1200w input amps but I ran over 1200 watts output thru mine for a period of years, It would get a little warm on the case during long RTTY or SSTV transmissions, but I can honestly say it never once arced on me nor gave any trouble of any kind, it would tune a wet noodle!

I paid 70 dollars for mine, one of the better deals I have gotten on gear! If you can get one in decent shape that hasn't had 5KW put thru it, GRAB IT!
N9FME Rating: 2006-10-04
Simply AWESOME TUNER Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I just picked one of these up recently and it works great. A friend of mine let me try it out for awhile to see how it performed. I picked this one up for a mere $50 and it tunes anything and everything. Best accessory that I have ever had....Now I can tune my 80/40 inverted vee over both bands from top to bottom..I run the AL-572 amp and the tuner handles it flawlessly. The only thing that would make it better would be an SWR/Power meter..If you get a chance to pick one up, get it!!!
N8EB Rating: 2006-04-30
Battle Tank! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
About 4 months ago I was offered a deal on a Heathkit SB-200 amp that I just couldn't pass up. The amp was wired for 220 volts and I only had 110 running to the shack, so I asked a radio club member that was an electrician to run a line to the shack.

Once wired I wanted to use that amp - RIGHT NOW! But all I had was an MFJ-949E tuner good for only 300 watts. The electrician said he had an old Dentron Super Tuner at home he wasn't using that I could buy for $80. I thought to myself that this tuner would get me on the air, and I could start to save up some $$$ for a "real tuner".

Well here it is 4 months later and I am still using the Dentron. It has tuned everything I have asked it to tune, and has never given me a moments problem. I have a Hustler 5 band vertical, a 40-meter caged dipole, a 177 foot loop, and an inverted V with 68 feet on each leg - I get a flat match on all of them!

This thing is built like a tank - heavy yes, but I think that indicates quality components.

Drawbacks... It only has one coax connector and one wire connector. I have to use an external switch to change between antennas. Also no meter of any kind, but I have a Vectronics meter so no big deal.

I have seen decent looking Super Tuners go on eBay for $50-$75. If you need a basic good performing tuner for 10-160 meters able to hadle a little QRO, you could do a lot worse!