[TowerTalk] Best autotuner for Extended Double Zepp

[Richard (Rick) Karlquist]

On 6/20/2016 8:32 AM, Pete Smith N4ZR wrote:
> Looks like the best antenna I can put up in my current situation is an
> EDZ.  Any thoughts on the best low-power (<200 W) autotuner for this
> application? I would plan to put the tuner in a weatherproof enclosure
> outside and run coax to the shack, feeding power to the tuner preferably
> through the coax.
>

Are you building a true EDZ, meaning it operates on ONE BAND and is
exactly 1.25 wavelengths long?  If so, it is easy to put a coil across 
the input terminals and then tap down on it to get 50 ohms balanced. 
Then you can use a 1:1 balun and run coax to the shack.  WAY CHEAPER 
than an autotuner + weatherproof box, etc.

None of this applies if you are just driving a random length dipole
on multiple bands, and it accidentally happens 1.25 wavelengths on one 
of them.

I recently was researching autotuners for my truck.  It turns out
that 200 W is a tall order for almost all of them.  You really need
a so-called kilowatt tuner to be sure of reliable operation at
200 watts.  (Doesn't mean you can't get lucky; its a crap shoot).

Rick N6RK