[TenTec] Ten Tec 238A settings?

[Rob Atkinson]

you have the original palstar bal. tuner; they changed the design and put
the inductors on a common shaft so they do not depend on a belt to stay in
sync. but beyond that I don't know if the matching range improved or not.

i use the Bliss Z Matchmaster which uses a 1000 pF vac. variable and common
shaft inductors; unfortunately Bliss doesn't make mine (a less
expensive manual unit) now.  I can tune the loop on any band 10-80 m.  But
not on 160 however it would be a lousy antenna on 160 anyway as small and
low to the ground as it is in terms of 1.8 mhz wavelength.

I used to have an 88 foot center fed zepp with about 45 feet of 600 ohm
feedline and the Bliss tuned that to 50 ohms on 3.5 mhz with no problem.

73
rob / k5uj



<<<That doesn't sound like the Palstar tuner I have. Mine is the "classic"
balanced L network using 2 roller inductors linked by a drive belt and
with a choke balun on the TX side of the network. But...

....  mine has nothing like the matching range of the 238. The Palstar
fails to match my 132ft doublet at the bottom end of 80m, and doesn't
get close on 160m; nor does it have the clever arrangement in the 238
for switching in the small value C to form a Pi network. Of course I
could just be unlucky with the feeder lengths. The Palstar is now
sitting back in its cardboard box and the 238 has pride of place. I'll
accept whatever problems the 238's balun might cause!>>>