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Reviews For: Palstar AT1KP

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : Palstar AT1KP
Reviews: 42MSRP: 429.00
Description:
The AT1KP features differential capacitor tuning with 2 stators and 1 rotor.
For ease of use the AT1K series utilize only 2 controls to operate for tuning
with a precision ceramic body roller inductor and high power balun. NEW!
Peak and Peak Hold dual cross-needle metering ($149.95 value found in our
popular PM2000A wattmeter). As on all Palstar tuners the front panel and top
cover are powdercoated.

Specifications:
-Power rating 1200 watts pep
-160m to 20m(1200+/-j1200), 10m to 15m (1000+/-j1000)
-Output to both balanced and unbalanced lines
-Impedance matching range 20 ohms to 1200 ohms
-Easy and quick tuning with only two controls
-6 position mode switch for multiple antennas
-Crossneedle metering with backlighting (wall transformer supplied)
-Meter power range 0-300 watts / 0-3000 watts
-Differential capacitor tuning with 2 stators and 1 rotor (430pf - 19pf -
430pf@3.5kv)
-Palstar designed ceramic body roller inductor
-High power ferrite 4:1 balun
-Crossneedle metering with backlighting (wall transformer supplied)
-Powdercoated front panel and top cover
-Dimensions: 10 1/2" wide x 4 1/2" high x 11"deep
Weight: 8 lbs
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.palstar.com/at1kp.php
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00424.8
DD4RJ Rating: 2008-02-26
First Class Tuner Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I use the Palstar AT1KP with a TL-922 and my antenna is a 84m-Delta-Loop (Feeder is 1/4 Lambda 75Ohms prof. Video-Coax-Cable and then 50m of Coax, RG-232), sometimes the TRX is a TS-950SD or TS-870. The power is about 750W in to the Tuner. No Problem! (...also a little more...hi) The Tuner is easy and quick to handle. Very good SWR is reading on the Meter. No TVI and BCI, also no HF in my Shack. I`m very happy! Befor i buy this Tuner, i was reading the reviews there.
Many Thank`s, it was very helpful!

73, de DD4RJ, Ronald in Güstrow
NA0ED Rating: 2008-01-03
Very Good Tuner Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Like all the other reviews on the AT1KP, I think it is a true "5". Design and quality are top notch. The peak reading wattmeter is a definite plus. I use it for tweaking the SWR on multiple dipoles and it does this job without a flaw. I can return to previous settings after excursions to other bands and the SWR is 1:1 - very repeatable. If you need a tuner, the AT1KP is recommended.
N2QQF Rating: 2007-12-30
You get what you pay for: Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have this unit less than a week so far and I plan to write a follow up after 6 mos. My initially impression was that this is a well made tuner. This wasn't the usual "1500 watts" that actually handled "500" that MFJ claims....(we have all been there, done that.) This is a fabulous tuner and a real beauty to work unlike my crappola MFJ-962D that arc'd after 500 watts was applied to it. This tuner meant business. You can QSY and come back to a band and the tuner is spot on where where you last tuned. The unit is beefy and well built with good solid core components. The knobs are firm unlike the MFJunk that wiggle and grind. I am so glad I spent the money for this tuner and that I didn't decide to save a buck. The only reason I didn't get the AT2K is that it was back ordered but this will handle my needs and is certainly worth the money. I have alot of expensive radio gear that I don't want to destroy becasue I decided to save a few bucks and go with the cheaper MFJ equipment. Remember, Martin isnt going to replace your equipment when his MFJ tuner decides to flake out on you because it didnt handle the power it specified. He knows that it will not handle the power it specifies and yet he sells it marked for that power limit as opposed to stating what it really is. Read the reviews, they can't all be wrong so, why not buy the right stuff the first time and save yourself the headache in the long run. Remember, if you decide that you need/want an MFJ tuner and you need a legal limit tuner than buy a 2500 watt model becasue that will handle the 1500 watts, Maybe! (Nothing good is cheap and anything cheap usually isn't good)
M5AEO Rating: 2007-12-07
Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is the best piece of radio gear I have ever invested in. I say 'invested' because that is what it is: it is an ATU-for-life!
It is big, and built like a tank, but it is extremely easy and quick to use. I am now able to tune-up my 40m longwire on Top Band; something I have never been able to do with any other ATU.
I traded in my MFJ949, and this is like going from a Trabant to a Rolls Royce!
My only criticism is the accuracy of the Peak meter, which overreads a little, but it's certainly no worse than others I have tried.
Overall: buy one straight away rather than wasting time with inferior models.
Jonathan M5AEO, London.
KE6YX Rating: 2007-09-12
The best! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
What more can I say about the Palstar quality and performance that has not been said before?

Over the years, I have used other commercial tuners, and some home brewed as well. Nothing seems to compare to the Palstar AT1KP I just purchased. I am using it with a trap dipole cut for 20, 40 and 80 meters. It also tunes 30 meters with ease.

I also use it with a Cushcraft MA6B vertical antenna which can use a bit of help at the band edges. I never have any problems, and the best part is the repeatability. I have logged the settings for the frequencies I use most often, and with only two knobs to adjust it is very easy to change bands, and get a very good match quickly.

The meter is also very good, and easy to read.

As I get older, I have quit looking for bargains, and try to purchase equipment that I know will operate as it should over the long haul.

Prior to buying it, I had a good conversation with Paul Hrivnak at Palstar. He is a no BS kind of guy, and he is easy to reach. Try to reach the owners and engineers at other companies. You can’t. If you buy a Palstar tuner, you will not be disappointed.
KD0BAI Rating: 2007-08-29
a really class act! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Running a TS-570 with a 811H amp. into G5RV. When AT1KP arrived it was well packed and very attractive unit. Hooked it up and used antenna analyser to check SWR on all bands. had no trouble getting 1:1 on most bands but feedline is too short to get low SWR below 15 meters but easily corrected. Tuner is truly built like a tank and very tight and solid construction. Meter lighting is not overpowering and meters are very responsive .. especially like the peek hold button. great quality tuner, easy to use and does exactly what is advertised. looking forward to years of use, well worth the money invested for a good quality tuner. Highly recommend ..... KD0BAI
KD5MJJ Rating: 2007-08-28
It is a Winner !! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.


I just hooked my new AT1KP yesterday. It is also only working with a 100 watt rig.

The antenna is a Cobra Doublet fed with 450 ohm window line through a 4:1 balun and a short run of RG8X coax.

It works great and is so easy to use. Top notch in every way. I highly recommend it.
NK2X Rating: 2007-08-28
Initial Impresseion: Excellent Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Ordered Thursday morning, had email confirmation Thursday evening, received Monday afternoon!

Initial impression was very good. Packaging was adequate and survived UPS ground torture test with flying colors. Internal packing protection was good with the tuner nicely wrapped in sealed plastic and nestled in foam inserts with "peanuts" filler.

When I removed the tuner, there was the sound of something small within the case. Removed the top cover (6 screws) and found that one screw/nut combination had worked loose during shipping ... never did find the screw but the nut was the culprit causing the rattle. Replaced it with one of my own screws (I have several loose!) and all was well. The other nut holding the front antenna switch bracket was secure and the bracket never moved.

While inside, I examined the wiring and placement and checked other mounting hardware. All wiring connections were secure and the soldering appeared to be professional. No other hardware was loose. The dual-stator capacitor, roller inductor, and toroid were of good size and construction...it appears this KW-range tuner easily can handle it's rating.

Externally, the finish was good and evenly applied. Labeling was clear and easy to read. The instruction manual is adequate. There is a parts bag included which contains the shorting jumpers needed for wire antennas, a power connector for wiring direct to your PS (there's also a wall wart supply included), and even some Q-Tips for cleaning the roller inductor -- which they recommend every six months or so.

All switches and knobs were firmly attached and aligned. I'd like to have seen a better vernier mechanism for the cap adjustment and a smoother (bearings?) roller operation for the inductor. That said, the supplied mechanisms were functional and easy to use. There was no backlash with either adjustment and the roller inductors counter was aligned OK. All buttons and switches operated OK and the cross-needle meter operated smoothly and was large enough for these old eys to easily read.

Initial operation was trouble-free and the set-up instructions were good enough. The one possible exception was that there was no real coverage of rear-panel jumper installation when using either a balanced- or single-wire antenna. There was also no clear warning in the manual about not using the coax2 connector when attacking a wire antenna. However, there are jumper instructions printed on the rear panel which may make this easier ... this may be an issue for a ham not familiar with AT installation.

I've only pushed 100W through it so far but it nicely tuned my very out-of-adjustment vertical. I plan on installing a ladder-line-fed folded dipole in the next few weeks and will report back on how that goes.

Nice Things:

-- The peak and peak-hold settings
-- Having the bypass coax connector run through the metering circuits ... nice for a dummy load
-- Having one cap adjustment
-- Having initial settings in the manual for cap and inductor settings for each band -- what, no 30m? ;<)
-- Finish and quality

Overall, an easy 5 of 5 rating for both service and product.
KC0SHZ Rating: 2007-08-13
Easy for new guys Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I am new to HF. I was shopping for tuners. I read the reviews on eham about MFJ products being defective and so I was looking at other brands. I found Palstar and read the glowing reviews on eham. I was skeptical that they were coming from guys who had big contest stations and such, so that they would not apply to me. I looked at the prices for a comparable wattage tuner to the AT1KP and found that Palstar was in the competitive range for these tuners. I decided to go to a 1200 watt model even though I only run 100 watts as I didn't want to have to buy a new tuner if I moved up in power. This will run 1200 watts peak and 800 watts average power.

What impressed me about the tuner was that I was able to get it set up on 10 meters and 20 meters easily with the instruction manual. The suggested settings were dead on for 10 meters and for 20 meters, I had to only vary the inductor setting a few points to get a good tune.

I had my G5RV down to a 1.3:1 SWR on BOTH 10 and 20 meters. The controls are easy. The instructions are clear. I would say that for a new guy, who has had more problems getting on the air on HF than he thought he would, this tuner came right out of the box and was ready to play.

For a new guy looking for a tuner, I would recommend this one.
KG7RS Rating: 2007-07-29
Quality Entry-Level Product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hi Folks,
I've owned a couple of Palstar products in the past, the HF-1500 tuner and the outstanding R30CC receiver. Based on this experience with these products and the company, I expected to marvel at another high quality product when the new AT1KP arrived. Although not disappointed, there were a few "nits" that didn't go without note. The first was that the tuner rocked a bit on it's feet when placed on the operating desk. One of the rubber feet was a bit shorter than the other, or it may have been the chassis was slightly distorted when the lid was installed. It was flat and solid with the lid removed. The fix was a shim washer under the rear right foot. Also, there is an extraneous black line on the meter scale which almost looks like a proper marker for something, although it was obviously a screen printing flaw. Those nits aside, the fit and finish is quite good. Soldering and workmanship are nicely done. Everything operates as it should. It's a nice looking unit as well, but I miss the graduated tuning knob skirt present on its predecessor, the AT1KM, now absent. If forced to choose, I'd take the excellent peak hold metering of the AT1KP anyday! Overall, this is a lot to ask of an entry-level product. All these features, nice workmanship, moderate price and outstanding customer service make this product a genuine bargain in my opinion.
73, John, KG7RS