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[TowerTalk] 160 Tuners?

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] 160 Tuners?
From: otterstad@inet.uni-c.dk (ro)
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 10:17:10 +0200
Ragnar Otterstad
email :   otterstad@inet.uni-c.dk

 
> My tuner is the venerable Dentron DTR-3KA. I've had it a long time, and
 it is built stronger than almost anything. 
WHAT ????

It can take lots of power,(  that is not quite true , which the info below
suggests) and is accurately resettable. It is simply a great classic tuner.
> Unfortunately, even though it was rated for 160-10, I know from past
> experience that it didn't do 160 too well, since if you ran power
> through it on 160 it would arc at abt 400-500 watts!
YES !
> 
 
> I was setting the tuner up for 80, and had no problem, either with
> exciter or amp. When I got to 160, I set the tuner with the exciter and
> all was fine. Then I started to give the amp some juice, no reflected
> power - and I forgot that this would happen - when I got to 400-500
> watts, POP! Not only did the tuner arc inside, but it blew my 1000MP
> back to 40-meters (it's ok, just scared me) and the amp went into a
> fault mode and won't come out. I am now sure I blew at least a PIN
> diode. I am waiting for "the guy" from Alpha to call me tomorrow, and
> we'll see. So for now, I am in deep doo-doo. I'll live. Contest season
> (for me) is six weeks off, so my timing could have been worse.
> 
> Here's my question: I certainly don't want to tune up the antenna again
> with the Dentron on 160 when my amp is working once again. I am ready to
> get a different tuner, one which can handle 160 MUCH better than my
> Dentron, and would appreciate any advice, from your experience or
> otherwise about the other qualified tuners out there. If you know of a
> better tuner better suited for 160, please let me know. It can be
> something curently in production or an oldie, doesn't matter.

I had similar problems with VECTRON HF-1500, which came after my Dentron
tuner.

I solved my problem by going to the W1BB inverted L antenna of 52 meters
length with a series capacitor.
However there was an article on tuner evaluation in a recent QST. I suggest
you read it.

73  Rag  OZ8RO  also LA5HE

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