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Reviews For: LDG KT-100 Autotuner

Category: Antenna Tuners/Matching Networks

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Review Summary For : LDG KT-100 Autotuner
Reviews: 20MSRP: 199.99
Description:
The ideal tuner for Kenwood radios. Use the Tune button on the radio to control the KT-100. Matches up to 10 to 1 SWR and up to 125 watts.

Powered by the radio and interfaces to any AT-300 or AT-50 compatible Kenwood radio.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.ldgelectronics.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00204.5
WB1AAL Rating: 2013-01-27
Good Companion for Kenwood TS-50S Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently acquired a used Kenwood TS-50S HF transceiver and wanted to put an antenna tuner behind it. At one time Kenwood offered the AT-50 as a companion autotuner for the TS-50, but that product has been long since been discontinued. And, while you can still find them used and up for sale on several bidding sites, they tend to be pricey. Besides buying a used electromechanical device can be tricky because you never know how the unit was used or abused. Fortunately the folks at LDG offer the KT-100 tuner specially designed to work with the TS-50S and several other Kenwood rigs that support an autotuner.

Having purchased one of these and putting it in line with the TS-50S in my shack, I am impressed. The operation between the two devices is seemless. Push the AT button on the front of the TS-50S and the rig automatically reduces power to 10-watts, switches to CW mode and instructs the KT-100 to match the antenna. Once the tuning process has completed, the rig switches back to the original power and mode. It takes seconds (typically under 30 seconds) to accomplish this task. Even better, this is a learning autotuner meaning that once it finds a good match to a given antenna on a given frequency, it memories the L/C combination. That makes subsequent tuning lightening fast.

The only drawback that I've experienced with the device is having to learn what the various flashing LEDs are trying to tell me. It would be so much nicer to have an LCD display on the front of the KT-100. But then that would have significantly increased the cost of the device, so perhaps living with flashing LEDs isn't such a bad thing.

Pushing a single button on the front panel of the TS-100 to tune the rug is the ultimate in convenience. In addition the Kenwood TS-50S will allow setting on of the function switches on the companion Kenwood mobile mic to initate tuning while on the road. It doesn't get much more convenient than that!
W3END Rating: 2012-09-07
Works very well Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Using with my TS-2000 which is hooked up to my vertical. It does a great job tuning 10 through 80 meters. I was using the rigs internal tuner which was OK but after the KT-100 was installed the match was so much better. I like the simplicity of the tuner.
DJ0RD Rating: 2012-07-14
Great Mobile Tuner Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I use it with a TS-480SAT to tune Monoband Mobile antennas. After the first tune, matching is almost instantaneous. Using the LDG supplied cable, the interface to the TS-480 is totally transparent and no external power supply is needed.
M0ZIF Rating: 2011-07-24
Great Tuner better than internal Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've been using the KT100 for about 2 years now and with the right Balun's it will tune anything. To people that say that it won't tune XYZ then they need to actually read the manual :) Would recommend
W1KBX Rating: 2010-12-23
Great Tuner for Kenwood Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
First of all let me say that I live in a Restricted Condo environment and am very antenna challenged and must live with indoor antennas.

I have two Kenwood rigs, an TS-850SAT with an internal tuner that seem to tune everything. Also have a TS-570 that has a poor internal tuner.

This KT-100 tuner brings my TS-570 up to the level of my TS-850. I love that I can just push the AT button on the TS-570 and it auto-tune the antenna, most of the time from memory settings. It will even tune 80-10M on an endfed wire antenna that I have.

If you have a Kenwood rig with an inferior internal antenna, then I recommend the KT-100 to bring your antenna to life.

Dan W1KBX

W3UB Rating: 2010-11-20
Did not work for me Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Tried the KT-100, with a TS-590S and my 43 vertical. On two of the bands, the KT-100 would tune, think it was a good match (solid green LED), but the match was 2.5:1 or greater. On one other band, it could only find a 3:1 match, while the internal tuner was happy.

Tried forced full tunes with similar results.

My Orion II internal tuner handles the 43 fine, and my MFJ-998 handles it fine as well.
W6CD Rating: 2010-10-16
Just works! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Very pleased with this addition to my Kenwood TS-480AT. The internal tuner of the radio works well, but like most internal tuners it has a limited tuning range. I added an antenna to my RV that needed a wide range tuner so I aquired the KT-100.

Setup could not have been easier - connect up the supplied interface cable to the radio, set one menu item, connect your antenna, then push the tune button on the radio and the KT-100 works just like the internal tuner.

A solid 5 rating for this product due to quality, functionality, and performance.

KF5GOG Rating: 2010-10-14
WORKS WITH TS-590 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have the Yaesu YT-100 version of this tuner for my 857D (works great), and I wanted to have something with a broader tuning range than what is built into the 590.

WORKS AS ADVERTISED... any AT-300 compatible rig. Plug it in and you're good to go. Has the added benefit of tuning on 6M, though you have to do that from the tuner's button rather than from the AT button on the rig.

No problems getting this to work with the new 590.
K7GLE Rating: 2009-08-19
No radio-panel operation on 6M Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just took delivery and everything works as advertised. I bought it because the internal ATU in my TS-2000 wouldn't tune the high end of 40M or either end of 6M on my multiband vertical. (OK, to be fair, I should say "the SWR presented by my antenna on some bands was too far off for the TS2K ATU to tune.")

One tiny quibble: The TS-2000 internal ATU will auto tune on 6M. The old Kenwood AT-300, which the KT-100 replaces, didn't tune 6M, so, while the KT auto tunes on 6M it does so only when triggered from the button on the KT unit itself, not from the "ATT" button on the front of the radio. Hardly a deal-killer, though (and prominently disclosed in the manual, available online).

Very sturdy, and fits exactly on top of my "Navigator" interface for a very tidy setup.

PS - the panel SWR meter on the TS-2000 does indicate SWR while the KT-100 is tuning (different from the TS-850 comment below)

N4JQQ Rating: 2009-02-23
Does What They Say It Should Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Picked up one for my TS-850S. Much cheaper and easier to find than the AT-850 internal tuner. Works like it is supposed to. I also have a second 850 with the internal tuner. When you use the KT-100, it operates like the factory tuner but you do not see the SWR meter operate as it finds a match. Also, in the tips section of the manual for the TS-850S, you are reminded to make sure the switch on the back of the radio's panel is in the EXT position. If you have never used this switch, you will notice that there is a panel over it to hold it in whatever position you have chosen. You remove this little panel with two screws and flip it over after you move the switch. I only mention it because I neglected to do this and had to pull the radio back out of its hole in my operating area. The only other comment I have concerns the length of the control cable and jumper. They are about 12" long. If you can't set the tuner on top of your rig or next to it, this presents a problem. I would like to see them provide a little longer set of cables.