Palstar AT2K
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| Frequency | 1.8-54 MHz |
| TX power | 2000 W (2000 W PEP (SSB peak); 1500 W maximum single-tone / continuous (CW). The 2000 W rating is peak, not key-down - do not run more than 1500 W steady carrier through it.) |
| Modes | all |
| Weight | 5.9 kg (13 lb) - ~13 lb (5.9 kg) net; ~14 lb shipping. About 14.5 in wide x 5 in high x 13.5 in deep (an independent lab measured 14.7 x 5.6 x 13.2 in including knobs). |
| rf in | SO-239 (RF INPUT, from transmitter/amplifier) |
| coax out | 2 x SO-239 (COAX 1, COAX 2), selected by the 6-position switch |
| wire balanced | SO-239 (COAX-BAL-WIRE) for a random wire or balanced line via an optional external 1:1 or 4:1 current balun - no balun is built in |
| bypass | SO-239 (BYPASS) routes the rig straight through (e.g. to a dummy load or a coax-fed antenna) |
| ground | ground post (wing nut) |
| dc in | 2.1 mm jack, 12 VDC ~200 mA - powers the meter circuit and lamp only (supply not included) |
| power req | none (passive). Meter light requires 12VDC. |
Estimated (unverified): Introduction year is not documented; a pre-2009 manual revision points to a launch around 2007-2008. The current single roller inductor's exact value (about 26-28 uH) is given by only one source. Palstar states a 15-ohm low-impedance limit; an independent lab verified matching down to about 20 ohms.
A legal-limit manual tuner built to last. It handles 2000 W PEP at full amplifier power. A roller inductor with a silver-plated contact gives smooth, continuous tuning from 160 m through 6 m. The 4.5 kV capacitors and 5 kV inductor give generous voltage margin. Active Peak metering (from the PM2000A design) reads true PEP. The 11-gauge aluminum construction is heavy-duty. Palstar builds these in Ohio.
Manual tuning only - no automatic operation, and a real learning curve if you are used to a push-button tuner. It is large, heavy (~13 lb) and not cheap for a manual tuner. There is no balun inside, so balanced or wire antennas need Palstar's optional external balun. Like any high-power T-network it can flash over if you ask it to match a very high-impedance or complex load on 160 m at full output - the rating assumes a reasonable resistive load - and the roller inductor needs occasional cleaning to keep its contact clean.
A manual antenna tuner rated for kilowatt-class power and built to outlast the station around it. When you run an amplifier and want components with real voltage margin, the AT2K delivers 2000 W PEP manual tuning, a repeatable roller inductor, and the same accurate meter Palstar sells on its own. It is American-made and heavy-duty; just be ready to tune three controls by hand and to add a balun for balanced feeders.
The Palstar AT2K is a manual antenna tuner built for an amplifier. It is a roller-inductor T-network - two large variable capacitors with a continuously variable coil between them - rated for 2000 watts on SSB peaks and 1500 watts of steady carrier, which covers any legal-limit station from 160 through 6 meters. Palstar builds it in Piqua, Ohio, and the build is the thing people remember: the capacitors and the roller inductor are made in-house, the chassis is 11-gauge aluminum, and the whole unit weighs about thirteen pounds.
You tune it by hand. Three controls - input capacitor, output capacitor, and the roller inductor with its turn-counting dial - are adjusted until the built-in cross-needle meter shows a match. That meter is worth a mention: it is the same active peak-reading movement Palstar sells on its own as the PM2000A, with 300 and 3000 watt ranges and a peak hold, run from a small 12-volt supply for the lamp. Because the inductor reads out on a turns counter, you can write down and return to the settings for each band and antenna.
A couple of things are worth knowing before you buy. There is no balun inside; to feed balanced line or a random wire you add Palstar's optional external 1:1 or 4:1 current balun, which connects to a dedicated coax jack on the back alongside the two antenna outputs and a bypass position. And like any T-network at high power, it can arc if you ask it to match a very high-impedance load on 160 meters at full output - the rating assumes a reasonable resistive load, and awkward loads are where reviewers have occasionally seen flashover. Keeping the inductor clean and favoring capacitance over inductance where you can both help.
If three knobs sound like too much, Palstar's AT2KD uses a single differential capacitor for two-control tuning at the same power and price. And if you would rather the radio did the work, an automatic legal-limit tuner like the MFJ-998 trades the AT2K's hand-built feel for push-button convenience. But for an operator who wants a tuner that will outlast the station around it, the AT2K is about as solid as a manual tuner gets.