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Reviews For: Drake MN-2000

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : Drake MN-2000
Reviews: 30MSRP: 250.00
Description:
HF Antenna Tuner
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.dproducts.be/drake_museum/mn-2000.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00304.8
N5XJT Rating: 2020-12-25
A Great Tuner Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Purchased a used one and am absolutely delighted. Quality build, excellent performance, plus a great appearance. This wonderful tuner handles 800+ watts from my Ameritron AL-80A on all bands 40 thru 10 and tunes easily and quickly. Can't buy a better tuner today. This one really stands the test of time and performs very well.
K4GNO Rating: 2020-12-24
Wonderful tuner Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased my Drake MN2000 in 1974. It has tuned more antennas than I can even remember with many different rigs. Today 46 years later it looks and works like new. Drake used very heavy duty components that will last a lifetime. I'm keeping mine.
AA1ZT Rating: 2020-11-26
The best Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Drake MN-2000 is simply one of the best values on the Ham Radio market today. You can find one second hand for $150-200, which is half what you would pay for those new MFJ junkboxes. And what a difference! Just open the box and see for yourself. Massive construction, double shielding (there is another aluminum box inside of the metal cabinet!), both capacitors are a foot long, the coils and bandswitches are huge, all components are well positioned.

A lot has been said about the ‘limited range’ of this tuner. I use it at 500w with a 132ft flat-top dipole fed with about 120ft of window line. I achieve a match on all bands 80-10m, including all WARC bands, but needed two things to get there: (1) optimize the line length (adding 6 feet), (2) use a two-core, 4:1 current balun right outside of the tuner instead of a 1:1 as recommended by DX Engineering. Maybe these tips can help fellow hams improve their range on multiband antennas with high intrinsic SWR.

This tuner is built to last a lifetime. I bought mine years ago and will probably never change it.
VA3MLV Rating: 2016-08-18
Update Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Have had this drake mn2000 antenna matching network (antenna tuner) for about 6 or more years now & it's been good enough for when needed. Truthfully speaking I haven't used a antenna tuner in a long time , not the internal or external. Antennas are all matched up for the bands without tuner, but like I mentioned when I did use it & if & when needed it performs as supposed to. The construction & quality is great. To get into it you have to remove a few screws on the outer casing , than slide that casing off the main casing unit where you will see more screws & that's where it will open up & you can get a good look @ what's in there. It's basically a few screws & sliding off the first outer case, it works on 12m & 17m also. Stay on 10m position for 12m & stay on 15m position for 17m. I still have this unit & don't plan on parting with it. It's a quality built unit.
KZ4B Rating: 2016-01-22
Superb Looks & Efficiency--But Limited Matching Range Time Owned: more than 12 months.
We bought this great looking tuner to match our equally nice Drake L4-B Amplifier.

It was immediately obvious that the tuner circuit "Q" was exceptionally high because both Resistive and Reactive Capacitor Adjustments were very "touchy" relative to many/most other tuners. This "touchiness" indicates (desirably) high tuner efficiency (less power loss through the tuner). However, this High "Q" Condition comes with "Relatively Low SWR Bandwidth" requiring relatively more frequent tuner re-adjustments associated with frequency changes within a given band. This is an inconvenience, but a small price to pay for such high efficiency.

The above-mentioned Hi "Q" Condition plus relatively small L & C Reactance Values (associated with tuner design practice of the MN-2000's vintage) result in a narrower Low-SWR Tuning Range than you find in most newer vintage tuners. The above-referenced "Vintage Design Practice" to limit component reactance values was to allow wider (higher voltage breakdown rating) capacitor plate spacing and larger inductor coil wire/tube diameter (ampacity) therefore Power-handling Capacity while limiting overall physical size. See the Review Comments of K9MHZ (dated Jan. 13, 2011) for more info regarding this Tuning Bandwidth Issue.

As ham gear generated television inter-ferance (TVI) was a major issue back when the MN-2000 Tuner was designed--it was installed in a double shield/enclosure. More modern tuners are normally installed only in a single enclosure. To open the tuner--- ALL screws on the bottom of the Outer Black Steel Enclosure must be removed. Slide the Bright-aluminum Inner Enclosure out of the back of the Black Steel Outer Enclosure. The (obvious) screws around the outside of the Bright-aluminum Inner Enclosure may now be removed to access the inside of the Inner Enclosure. This will answer W5FZ's question in his Review dated Feb. 18, 2014 regarding how to open the MN-2000 Tuner.

In my own case, since I am using multiple hi-power rigs on a single non-resonant G5RV-type antenna on 160 thru 10 meters--the MN-2000 is not flexible enough for my needs (So I replaced it with a Ten-Tec 238B Tuner for up to 1200 Watts Carrier and an Ameritron AT30 for the legal limit).

In summary: If you don't need a Peak-reading Watt-meter and/or the 160 Meter Band (Which are omitted on the MN-2000) and use only near-resonant antennas--then this is one of the best legal limit (1500 Watt carrier/PEP capable tuners on the planet--usually at a bargain price ($200+).
W5FZ Rating: 2014-02-18
Great Tuner - But Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Really like this tuner, but want to check inside for photos, cleaning, etc. Cannot. How do you remove the cover, or take the tuner out of the case? No instructions or illustrations in the manual. Afraid to force anything and ruin it.
K5ZG Rating: 2013-06-13
great Time Owned: more than 12 months.
have had several over the yrs. sold one and got another realizing what i had lost. have two now.. they will tune just about anything and can use a balun on other side of wall from shack to open wire and it will tune... has handled high power RTTY no probs. these are 'HUD PROOF".
KD2E Rating: 2011-06-13
Fabulous! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This, the newer MN7, and the lower power MN4C, as well as the Swan tuners are my favorite. The old Murch tuners are nice also, but I view the roller inductor as a negative. It allows more range, but not necessary if the antenna is an antenna in the first place. The only other tuner I'd love to try is one of those giant B&W tuners...but I think they are huge!. The MFJ's should not even be called tuners. More like "tuner-like toys"
K9MHZ Rating: 2011-06-13
VERY nice item! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Drake MN-200 is a fabulous antenna tuner. It's built more solid than just about anything today, and works quite well FOR ITS INTENDED PURPOSE....tuning to band edges of antenna systems that are cut for individual bands, NOT for random length wires, G5RV, coat hangers, etc.

Downgrading this tuner because it doesn't have a roller inductor (it's not supposed to!) and comparing it to an MFJ product is laughable.

This is a pro-quality, solid unit that's withstood the test of time. Even in the owner's manual, it explicitly describes its intended installation and use. Some people need to learn to read.

K8OIE Rating: 2010-04-18
needs variable inductor Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this because I wanted a quality tuner, and the components are quality, but the design leaves something to be desired. The fixed inductor on the bandswitch should be either a tapped or variable unit; without this feature I find it impossible to get a true 1:1 swr. Sure, it handles power great, but the object of a tuner is to tune. Many negative remarks have been said about MFJ tuners, but they do what they are supposed to do, and that is to tune down to a true 1:1 swr. If I have a tuner thats built heavy but does not tune correctly I am losing part of my signal, and that is not worth it.