Palstar AT2KD
$$$$·
| Frequency | 1.8-54 MHz (160-6 m) |
| Bands | 160m, 80m, 60m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 10m, 6m |
| TX power | 2000 W (A manual antenna tuner, not a transmitter. Rated 2000 W PEP and 1500 W key-down single tone, 1.8-54 MHz.) |
| Modes | manual differential-T antenna tuner with cross-needle SWR/power meter and 6-position antenna switch |
| rf input | SO-239 (from the transceiver), 50 ohm |
| antenna | SO-239 outputs selected by a built-in 6-position antenna switch; for balanced (ladder-line) feeders an optional external 4:1 or 1:1 current balun is used |
| meter | Built-in illuminated cross-needle SWR/power meter (Active Peak and Peak Hold) |
| power req | None for tuning - it is a passive manual tuner; only the cross-needle meter's lamp uses a small DC supply. |
A premium, beautifully built manual tuner that matches almost anything to 2000 watts, with the convenience of just two tuning controls instead of three thanks to its differential capacitor. It includes a real cross-needle SWR/power meter with peak-hold, a six-position antenna switch, and precise vernier and turns-counter tuning for easy, repeatable settings, in heavy American-made metalwork. A passive tuner, it needs no power to match and tolerates demanding loads.
It is a manual tuner, so every band change means setting two controls (easier than three, but still hands-on), and balanced-line operation needs the optional external balun rather than a built-in one. It is premium-priced for a manual tuner, and a 100-watt operator who wants hands-off tuning would prefer an automatic tuner.
The Palstar AT2KD is a top-quality 2 kW manual antenna tuner that simplifies tuning to two controls via its differential capacitor while keeping the wide matching range, peak-reading cross-needle meter and six-antenna switch of the AT2K. It suits an operator (especially with an amplifier) who wants a rugged, precise manual tuner and does not mind tuning by hand; those who want automatic, hands-off tuning choose an autotuner instead.
The Palstar AT2KD is a premium manual antenna tuner, and a clever variation on Palstar's well-regarded AT2K. It covers 160 through 6 meters (1.8-54 MHz) and handles up to 2000 watts PEP, but where the AT2K uses the usual three controls of a T-network (two capacitors and an inductor), the AT2KD replaces the two capacitors with a single 5 kV dual-stator differential capacitor. The result is a tuner that matches the same wide range of antennas with just two controls to set, which makes tuning quicker and easier while keeping the same matching ability (roughly 20 to 1500 ohms).
It is a serious, well-built instrument. A 25 uH silver-plated roller inductor with a turns-counter crank and a 6:1 vernier reduction drive on the differential capacitor give precise, repeatable settings, and a built-in six-position antenna switch lets you select among several feedlines. Metering is excellent for a manual tuner: it uses the illuminated cross-needle movement from Palstar's PM2000A wattmeter, with Active Peak and Peak Hold, forward power in 300-watt and 3000-watt ranges, and SWR read directly where the needles cross. The case is heavy 11-gauge aluminum with a powder-coated panel, it uses SO-239 connectors, and it is made in the USA.
It matches dipoles, doublets, verticals, end-fed wires, delta loops, beams, Windoms and inverted-Vs out of the box; for balanced (ladder-line) feeders an optional external 4:1 or 1:1 current balun is added. Being passive, it needs no power to tune.
It sits alongside the standard three-control Palstar AT2K and the smaller AT1KP in Palstar's manual-tuner line. An operator who wants fully automatic, hands-off tuning instead would choose an autotuner such as the Elecraft KAT500.