[Amps] Active Antenna Tuners

Pete Smith n4zr at contesting.com
Fri Apr 30 21:59:02 EDT 2004


One of the great benefits of my SB-220 is the relatively wide range of 
feedpoint impedances that it seems to be able to match.  For example, my 
80-meter parasitic array is cut for 3525, and at 3.8 MHz the SWR is 
something over 3:1, yet the SB-220 finds a match within the range of its 
loading capacitor.  Similarly, on 40M, a shortened yagi cut for 7050 can 
still be loaded at 7250.

I am tempted to buy a modern linear, in order to have more power on 160 and 
to be able to work my exciter less hard.  I wonder, though, whether any of 
them have the range of output impedance matching capabilities that the 
SB-220 does, other than perhaps the Acom 2000A, which is a bit out of my 
price range.  Has anyone had any direct experience in this respect, 
specifically in switching from an SB-220 to a modern amp and still being 
able to load antennas in situations like this?

73, Pete N4ZR
The World HF Contest Station Database
was updated on April 26, 2004
2706 contest stations at
www.pvrc.org/WCSD/WCSDsearch.htm  



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