ATU4K--Balanced Antenna Tuner, Outdoor (More Details)

 PLEASE CALL GARY AT 509-290-0414 FOR AVAILABILITY BEFORE ORDERING--$2495.00

New!!   Symmetrical Antenna Tuning Unit-Kit (Air Variable now replaced by Vacuum Variable!  See "Indoor Unit" as an example).

* Complete ATU Enclosed In Aluminum Weather Tight Enclosure

* Controlled With Two Stepper Motors and 6 Vacuum Relays

* Capable Of Full Legal Limit (RTTY, AM, Etc)

* Wide SWR Bandwidth (On 75M, 1.5:1 Is 95Khz!)

* Wide Impedance Matching Range.  With 600 ohm Ladder Line Typically 160M Thru 15M

* Minimum FeedLine Radiation In Transansmit and  Reduced Noise Pickup In Receive

* Provides A Truely Symmetrical Feed To Ladder Line

* No Balun Core Saturation and Heating Issues

* Typical Return Loss:  70db!  That Is 1:1 SWR!  

* Enclosure Size:  26" High X 18" Wide X 8" Deep

* Relay Control Voltage: 24 VDC

* RF Wiring Is 1/2" Copper Strap

Note: (1) This ATU Requires A Stepper Motor Controller That Can Control Two Stepper Motors and Three Control Relays (Hi/Low Impedance, Cap 1 In/Out, Cap 2 In/Out) Such as The StepperTune-BT Listed In Our Store

(2) This ATU Is Strictly A Symmetrical Tuner!  It Will Feed Only Balanced Line To The Antenna!  

(3)  This ATU Is Designed To Be Located Outside Preferably Under The Antenna Feedpoint Near The Ground And Be Fed From The Shack With Low Loss Coaxial Cable Such AS LMR400.  We Suggest It Be Remotely Controlled With A StepperTune-BT Which Gives The Operator Memory Control And Ease Of Operation!

(4) Freight Is Additional.  Upon Shipment, Customer Will Be Contacted For An Additional Payment For Freight Cost (Freight Cost Will Be Discounted-IE, Our Cost And Special Rate If We Use UPS)

 (5) This is a kit!  It has been assembled and then dis-assembled for packing and shipping.  RF and Control wiring is the responsibility of the customer.  There are no step-by-step instructions but plenty of pictures and diagrams included.  Gary, K7EMF is readily available by phone for any questions about assembly and implementation of this ATU.

       ATU4K Review By Greg Wetzel N8MW:

Review of TrueLadderLine ATU4K tuner with StepperTune controller

Reviewer: N8MW. Equipment purchased in March, 2022, Installed in PA station used on 160,80,and 40 meters

Description of installation: ATU installed at 30 ft level on tower which supports the center insulator of a 220 ft dipole with center insulator at 80 ft and ends at 70 ft.height. Antenna fed from ATU with 3 in ladder line, impedance of approx. 525 ohms. The Controller, StepperTune-BT, located inside the shack with a 125 ft run of control cable (Cat 5 ethernet cable). Detailed tuner and controller descriptions are available on trueladderline.com.

Setup and calibration: After installation completion, the ATU requires calibration with the StepperTune-BT controller. The ATU and StepperTune-BT controller have individual manuals describing the wiring and calibration. Calibration requires some understanding of the construction of the ATU and controller. Upon calibration and synchronization of the units, the system is ready to tune the antenna.

Tuning the ATU: The ATU has balanced inductors and 3 capacitors which can be switched in or out of the circuit for either high or low antenna impedance. Selecting the configuration of the ATU components via the StepperTune-BT controller switching for the best match is the first important step in tuning. Once completed, the variable adjustment of the inductors and capacitors can be changed for best match. My tuner was able to match every frequency in the 160, 80, and 40 meter bands with a 1.0:1 VSWR. System modeling performed by TrueLadderLine’s Gary (K7EMF) determined at least a 97% radiation efficiency on all bands. StepperTune-BT Controller settings for 8 configurations can be saved and recalled in the memories of the StepperTune-BT controller. The settings of the inductors and capacitors are varied by stepper motors in the ATU. The capacitor has 160 steps and tunes very quickly. The inductors have over 5000 steps and take a bit longer to tune, but there is a built in jog that allows for fine tuning. Tuning is most easily achieved by interactively by observing the SWR on a self calibrating meter, or on a VNA.

Performance: The ATU deserves a 5 star rating for performance because of its outstanding matching capability. No other tuner I have used, including Palstar 5k, BT1500A, 2k, AT-Auto could achieve similar matching. The StepperTune-BT controller is a very precise and convenient way to adjust the ATU. It does require some practice to adjust quickly. Understanding of antennas, transmission line, and tuners technical details is very helpful for using this equipment. I would not recommend this for novices.

Conclusion: This ATU and controller are unique among similar units on the market. No other tuner can achieve the results obtained with this tuner. Because of this, the value of this tuner is difficult to evaluate compared to other units, except to say that it is well worth the cost. Gary, K7EMF is also very helpful in understanding the operation and design. Overall the entire system deserves a 5 star rating.

Greg, N8MW