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Reviews For: Palstar AT2K

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : Palstar AT2K
Reviews: 130MSRP: 595.95
Description:
A newly-designed, smaller roller inductor allows the AT2K to tune 6 Meters, while a relay-switched toroid adds the extra inductance needed for 160 Meter coverage. Newly designed capacitors feature lower minimum capacitance for improved high band performance, while maximum capacitance has been increased to 400pF for better low band performance. In addition, the Peak/Peak Hold metering from the PM2000 has been incorporated into the AT2K.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.palstar.com/en/at2k.php
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
231304.6
W1UFL Rating: 2016-08-19
Last tuner you'll ever need! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Have had mine for several weeks now. We had several days of storms recently. I noticed one morning that I had more of a steady s-unit noise level compared to the normal summertime static crashes like I was used to, and my settings needed a little adjustment to my normal presets. Anyway tuned it flat, talked for hours over a period of two days on 75, 40 and 20 meters. Went out on the 3rd day to check something out front and noticed my longwire on the ground. As I am retired, those couple of days the only trips outdoors were to take the dog out back. Basically this tuned my 117 foot longwire and wet grass flat, and did it with 1300 watts without issue. Yes, it will tune a wet noodle, or in my case the wet grass !! Excellent quality just like my AT1KM is. Easily takes legal limit even into a longwire laying on the ground. What a testament to the build quality and tuning abilities, albeit a bit embarrassing for me. Joe
KJ4EOZ Rating: 2016-04-09
Great other the the power meter Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Owned for almost 2 years and been a great tuner . I only have 2 Complaints with it . Cold solder joint for the lights in the meter fast fix . And that with the Power meter on the 3000 watt scale . I just picked up a new LP100A meter and The Palstar meter is off when you get to about 700 watts and more. I understand My LP100A meter is about the same price as the PalStar tuner but My Yaseu YS60 meter is right on with the LP100A . I'm only talking about the power meter , SWR meter in the Palstar is right on . Also the 300 watt scale is right on in the Palstar . Yes I tried to calibrate the 3000 watt scale but the pot would only go so far . So it is what it is . It's a tuner to me not a power meter . I have had a stand alone Palstar meter and did not like that much . Palstar I think Palstar should put a bit more time in to the meter . In the end I'm very happy with the tuner . even more then the Ten-Tec I had . But If you are looking for a great meter look at the LP100A and it's much more then a power / SWR meter even Amp protection built in .

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KJ4EOZ on 2015-05-25

This is the best tuner I have ever owned . tunes fast and easy . I run 1kw through it and doesn't break a sweat and holds the tune all day .
G7NKS Rating: 2016-02-28
good ATU, internal balun a bit noisy Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had my AT2K for several years and mine is an early one with the internal balun for balanced lines. Using the internal balun seems to pick up some noise that is not there if I use the coax feed to an external balun. I notice on the newer models there is no internal balun. Apart from that though, this is still an excellent ATU and handles my doublets with QRO from the SPE1K and TL922 excellently. Well built and worth the money. Jim G7NKS IO92ub
SSBER Rating: 2016-01-26
Cheap? You've got to be kidding. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This thing is a monster. I can tune my 11 meter antenna up perfectly. Although the bulb did burn out on me, I'm fairly certain there is a spare that came with the unit. I like it a lot, but it is overkill for my modest station.
N5MNO Rating: 2016-01-25
n5mno Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I think I could tune a fence with this tuner...love it works great on all my antennas vertical or dipole..well worth the money and a must in the shack
LB6BG Rating: 2016-01-21
Disappointing Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
As someone said before: It feels a bit cheap...
The inductor roller does not feel really smooth, but the tuning range is very good.
I give a "3" because I was expecting more from Palstar. My Ameritron ATR-30 gives me a better feeling.
The AT2K will rest as a backup in my shelf.
W1ZF Rating: 2015-12-13
Truly excellent tuner Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Wow! This is a beautifully designed, rock solid tuner, that easily handles a kilowatt and gives me a flat SWR for my dipole antennas. After I ordered it I was anxious about whether it had shipped, so called Palstar. The woman there actually walked out on the factory floor and confirmed that my particular package had just been picked up and was heading my way. It was very well packaged and arrived without incident. Great customer service. A real old fashioned business with real people who seem to care. I'm not a big reviewer in general but felt inspired by my positive experience to do this review.
KB5PQL Rating: 2015-07-22
works well Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is a nice tuner that takes 600 watts with zero problems. The only thing I don't like about it is the two main knobs. Compared to my Nye Viking tuner..the palstar feels a bit cheap. Other than that the tuner works well so far. I recommend this tuner.
K5ZZR Rating: 2015-06-29
OMG What a tuner.... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought it new when they first came out and it never fails to amaze me. It turns my 75 meter horizontal loop into a monster. Everyone asks if I'm on an amp and I just say, "It's all about the tuner"..... Still looks new too.
K8AC Rating: 2015-02-04
A 160-6M tuner that works! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just took delivery of a brand new AT2K, and these are advertised to work on 160 through 6M, owing to a new roller inductor design. I found it to provide a perfect match to my ladder-line fed dipole on all bands, even 6 meters. The vernier dials on the capacitors and the counter on the inductor that reads out to tenths of a turn allows you to easily set the caps and inductor to the correct values that were previously recorded. The wattmeter calibration was a bit off on both ranges, but that was easily corrected as the Palstar manual shows which pots to adjust. Note that the AT2K doesn't include a balun, but I've used it with both a DX Engineering 1:1 balun and a Palstar 4:1 balun with similar results. At the time of this posting, if you order the tuner from Palstar directly, a free balun is included with the tuner.