Palstar AT2KD User manual

Palstar Incorporated
9676 N. Looney Rd.,
Piqua, OH 45356 USA
Customer Service and Sales Telephone:
1-800-773-7931
Fax:
1-937-773-8003
Email:
[email protected]
Version 1.0 2010.01.15
© Copyright 2010 Palstar Inc.
Printed in the U.S.A.
AT2KD 2000 Watt Antenna Tuner
Owner’s Manual

1-800-773-7931 WWW.PALSTAR.COM
2 Important Safeguards
WARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR
ELECTRICAL SHOCK DO NOT
EXPOSE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE
1. Read Instructions—All the safety and
operating instructions should be read before
the appliance is operated.
2. Retain Instructions—The safety and
operating instructions should be retained for
future reference.
3. Heed Warnings—All warnings on the
appliance should be adhered to.
4. Follow Instructions—All operating and
use instructions should be followed.
5. Cleaning—Unplug this appliance from the
wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid
cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp
cloth for cleaning.
6. Do Not Use Attachments—not recom-
mended by the manufacturer or they may
cause hazards.
7. Water and Moisture—Do not use this
product near water—for example, near a
bathtub, wash bowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub,
in a wet basement, or near a swimming pool—
and the like.
8. Accessories—Do not place this product on
an unstable cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or
table. The product may fall, causing serious
injury to a child or adult, and serious damage
to the appliance.
9. Ventilation—This product should never be
placed near or over a radiator or heat register.
This product should not be placed in a built-in
installation such as a bookcase or rack unless
proper ventilation is provided or the manufac-
turer’s instructions have been adhered to. Any
slots or openings in the cabinet are provided
for ventilation. To ensure reliable operation of
the video product and to protect it from over-
heating, these openings must not be blocked
or covered. The openings should never be
blocked by placing the product on a bed, sofa,
rug, or other similar surface.
10. Grounding or Polarization—this product
is equipped with a 3-wire line cord receptacle.
It is intended for use with a 3-wire properly
grounded power socket. Do not defeat the
safety purpose of the supplied line cord and
plug.
11. Power Sources—This product should be
operated only from the type of power source
indicated on the marketing label. If you are not
sure of the type of power supplied to your
home, consult your appliance dealer or local
power company.
12. Power-cord Protection—Power-supply
cords should be routed so they are not likely
to be walked on or pinched by items placed
upon or against them. Pay particular attention
to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles,
and the point where they exit.
13. Lightning—For added protection for this
product during a lightning storm, or when it is
left unattended and unused for long periods of
time, unplug it from the wall outlet.
WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT
EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. DO NOT
OPEN THE CABINET WHILE OPERATING. REFER SERVICING TO
QUALIFIED PERSONNEL ONLY.
CAUTION: TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT USE THE THREE WIRE
CORD WITH AN EXTENSION CORD RECEPTIACLE OR OTHER
OUTLET UNLESS THE BLADES CAN BE FULLY INSERTED TO
PREVENT BLADE EXPOSURE.
An appliance and cart combination should
be moved with care. Quick stops, exces-
sive force and uneven surfaces may cause
the appliance and cart combination to
overturn.
The lightning flash with arrow head
symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is
intended to alert the user to the presence
of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within
the product’s enclosure that may be of
sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral
triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence of important operating and
maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the appliance.
User Notes 19

18 AT2KD Internal Photo
Metering Assembly
Peak/Hold PCB
Coupler
Differential
Variable
Capacitor Ceramic
Roller
Fixed
Inductor/
Relay
For
160M
1-800-773-7931 WWW.PALSTAR.COM
Important Safeguards cont’d 3
14. Power Lines—An outside antenna sys-
tem should not be located in the vicinity of
overhead power lines, other electric light or
power circuits, where it can fall into such
power lines or circuits. When installing an
outside antenna system, extreme care should
be taken to keep from touching such power
lines or circuits as contact with them may be
fatal.
15. Overloading—Do not overload wall out-
lets and extension cords as this can result in a
risk of fire or electric shock.
16. Object and Liquid Entry—Never push
objects of any kind into this product through
openings as they may touch dangerous volt-
age points or short-out parts that could result
in a fire or electric shock. Never spill liquid of
any kind on the product.
17. Servicing—Do not attempt to service this
product yourself as opening or removing
covers may expose you to dangerous voltage
or other hazards. Refer all servicing to quali-
fied service personnel.
18. Damage Requiring Service—Unplug this
product from the wall outlet and refer servicing
to qualified service personnel under the fol-
lowing conditions:
a. When the power-supply cord or plug is
damaged.
b. If liquid has been spilled, or objects have
fallen into the product.
c. If the product has been exposed to rain or
water.
d. If the product does not operate normally by
following the operating instructions. Adjust
only those controls that are covered by the
operating instructions. An improper adjust-
ment may result in damage and will often
require extensive work by a qualified
technician to restore the product to its normal
operation.
e. If the product has been dropped or the
cabinet has been damaged.
f. When the product exhibits a distinct change
in performance—this indicates a need for
service.
19. Replacement Parts—when replacement
parts are required, be sure the service techni-
cian has used replacement parts specified by
the manufacturer or have the same character-
istics as the original parts. Unauthorized sub-
stitutes may result in fire, electric shock or
other hazards.
20. Safety Checks—Upon completion of any
service or repairs to this product, ask the
service technician to perform safety checks to
determine that the product is in proper operat-
ing condition.
21. Outdoor Antenna Grounding—Before
attempting to install this product, be sure the
antenna or cable system is grounded so as to
provide some protection against voltage
surges and built-up static charges.
a. Use No.10 AWG copper, No.8AWG alumi-
num, No.17AWB copper-clad steel or bronze
wire or larger, as ground wire.
b. Secure antenna lead-in and ground wires to
house with stand-off insulators spaced from 4
feet to 6 feet apart.
c. Mount antenna discharge unit as close as
possible to where lead-in enters house.
d. A driven rod may be used as the grounding
electrode where other types of electrode
systems do not exist. Refer to the National
Electric Code, ANSI/NFPA 70-1990 for infor-
mation.
e. Use jumper wire not smaller than No.6
AWG copper or equivalent, when a separate
antenna grounding electrode is used.

4 Table of Contents
1-800-773-7931 WWW.PALSTAR.COM
Important safeguards 2
Table of Contents 4
General Description 5
Installation 6
Unpacking 6
Location 6
Installation Procedures 6
Rear Panel Connections 7
Front Panel Description 8
AT2KD Schematic 10
Operating Your AT2KD 12
Before Operating 12
Tuning 12
Notes 14
Service and Warranty 15
Specifications 16
Calibration Controls 17
Internal Photo 18
User Notes 19
Thank you for purchasing a
Palstar AT2KD Antenna Tuner.
This antenna tuner has been
designed and manufactured to
high quality standards, and will
provide reliable operation for
many years.
Please carefully read the
Owner’s Manual in order to take
advantage of the many interest-
ing features that will provide
years of enjoyable amateur
radio operation.
Calibration Controls 17
Note: These adjustments control the calibration and accuracy of the
AT2KD metering. Do not adjust unless you are sure the metering is
inaccurate, and you have accurate test equipment to check against.
Reverse Reverse Forward Forward
Low High Low High
Peak Peak
Low High
Peak Peak Power On/Off
Hold Range
Note: The adjustment pots on your meter board may differ in
appearance from the photograph.

16 Specifications
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Front Panel Indicators and Controls
Metering PEAK and PEAK HOLD Dual movement cross
needle power and frequency compensated coupler
Controls
Input Tuning Dual-stator differential capacitor (430 - 13 - 430) pF,
5 kV) with 6:1 precision vernier drive
Inductance 15 µH roller inductor; 12 ga. Wire wound on steatite
ceramic core, silver plated bar/wheel 6 position:
Coax 1 tuned and tuner bypass, coax 2 tuned and
tuner bypass, bypass and balanced antenna
Antenna Selector Switch 6 position: Coax 1 tuned and tuner bypass
Coax 2 tuned and tuner bypass
Bypass
Switch wafers are (3kV rated)
Power Range Switch 2 position 300 W /3000 W
Rear Panel Connectors
BYPASS SO239 connector
COAX 1 SO239 connector
COAX 2 SO239 connector
COAX-BAL-WIRE SO239 connector
RF INPUT SO239 connector
12 VDC Input Adaptor for meter light 2.1 mm con. (center positive)
Other
Frequency Coverage 1.8 — 54 MHz
Power Maximum 2000 W PEP SSB, 1500 W single tone continuous
Impedance Range 20 to 1500 Ω160 m to 10 m (assuming resistive
load) Reduce power for lower Z range
Balanced Output Optional External Balun
Dimensions 5.75”H x 13.2”W x 12”D (incl. terminals)
Weight 12 lbs.
Materials Chassis and top cover is 11 ga. (.090) aluminum
that has been chem.-film treated in gold color. Front
Panel powder-coated and epoxy screened.
General Description 5
1-800-773-7931 WWW.PALSTAR.COM
The Palstar AT2KD Antenna
Tuner is an American made im-
pedance matching network that
can provide unbalanced and
balanced output (with an op-
tional external balun).
The A2KD optimizes the per-
formance of your antenna and
transmitter or SWL receiver by
providing adjustable impedance
matching using a T-type circuit
configuration with a dual-stator
differential variable capacitor.
The AT2KD also measures the
power and Voltage Standing
Wave Ratio (SWR) which allows
you to tune the SWR to the low-
est ratio possible for the se-
lected transmission frequency.
The AT2KD also features a pre-
cision roller inductor with a stea-
tite ceramic core. The innovative
differential capacitor design sim-
plifies operation by reducing the
number of knobs and eliminates
false peaks while tuning. It also
results in a more compact case
that takes up less room.
Tuning is achieved with the front
panel mounted controls. The
Vernier dial allows for tuning
with precision and accuracy,
while the Inductor crank handle
facilitates coarse adjustments.

6 Installation
1-800-773-7931 WWW.PALSTAR.COM
Unpacking
Carefully remove the AT2KD
from the shipping carton and
inspect it for signs of damage. If
any damage is apparent, notify
the transportation carrier or
dealer immediately. We recom-
mend keeping the packing
carton for moving, storing or
reshipping the tuner to us for
repair if required.
Location
Select a location for the AT2KD
that allows the connectors to be
free from any operator contact
during operation.
Installation Procedures
Connect a coax cable from your
transmitter to the RF INPUT
connector on the rear panel.
Keep the cable as short as pos-
sible. If you use a linear ampli-
fier, connect your transmitter to
the linear amplifier input and the
linear amplifier output to the
AT2KD. Do not use more than
1500 Watts average (single
tone) through the tuner.
Connect coax cable(s) from
your antenna to COAX 1 or
COAX 2 connectors on the rear
panel. These connectors are
either direct from the transmitter
or through the tuned circuit de-
pending on the setting of the
DIRECT/TUNED mode switch
on the front panel.
Connect a dummy load to the
BYPASS connector using a
coax cable. This lets you select
the dummy load from the
DIRECT/TUNED mode switch.
Any antenna that does not re-
quire the use of an antenna
tuner may be connected to the
BYPASS connector, if desired.
Service and Warranty 15
1-800-773-7931 WWW.PALSTAR.COM
Limited Warranty
Palstar Inc. warrants products manufactured by it to be free from de-
fects in material and workmanship under normal use and service for a
period of one (1) year from the date of delivery to the first
buyer (the “Warranty Period”). Palstar Inc’s obligation under this war-
ranty is limited to repair or replacement of the product; at its option at
the Palstar factory in Piqua, OH.
Effective only when the product is returned to the factory with all trans-
portation charges prepaid and examination of the product discloses in
Palstar’s judgment, to have been defective during the Warranty Period.
The Warranty Period shall not extend beyond its original term with
respect to interim in-warranty repairs by Palstar. This Warranty Period
shall not apply to any product which has been repaired or altered by
anyone other than Palstar without prior written authorization. War-
ranty does not extend to any products which have been subject to dam-
age from improper installation, application or maintenance in accor-
dance with the operating specification. Palstar neither assumes nor au-
thorizes any person to assume for it any obligation or liability other than
herein stated.
Repair Policy
When sending in a product for service, please “double” box it carefully
and ship it insured for your protection. Please include a note clearly
describing the problem, how you wish the item returned and how you
wish to pay for the service. Package your unit properly. Palstar, Inc. is
not responsible for merchandise damaged in shipment. Our service rate
is $30 per hour (1/2 hr. minimum).
Return Policy
All returns must receive prior authorization from Palstar. Returned
items must be received in original—AS SHIPPED– condition including
the original box, manuals, accessories, and copy of sales receipt. Returns
must be within 14 days of purchase. Returned items are subject to a
25% restocking fee. Shipping is not refundable.

14 Operating Your AT2KD cont’d
1-800-773-7931 WWW.PALSTAR.COM
This procedure takes patience the first time.
The TUNE control varies the capacitor and
provides fine adjustments. The roller induc-
tor crank control provides coarse adjust-
ment.
10. When you have tuned your antenna to the best SWR,
record the settings of the ANTENNA, TUNE, and IN-
DUCTOR controls on the chart above for future refer-
ence. When you retune, use these settings as your start-
ing point.
Notes
1. An SWR of 1:1 is best, but an SWR as high as 2:1 may be
acceptable. Check your transmitter/amplifier manual for
details.
2. If you cannot get an acceptable SWR, lengthen or shorten
your antenna and/or feedlines and retune.
3. Once every 4-6 months clean the roller coil with 70%
isopropyl alcohol and a clean cotton cloth. Do not trans-
fer any of the conducting grease on the rod that guides
the roller wheel as this will contaminate the windings on
the roller coil body.
4. Any time a new or different antenna is connected, it is
necessary to repeat the tuning procedure for each an-
tenna.
Installation cont’d. 7
1-800-773-7931 WWW.PALSTAR.COM
12 VDC INPUT
(2.1 mm plug) for
12VDC @ 200mA
to power the me-
tering circuit, relay,
and lamp.
RF INPUT coaxial
connector for
input from trans-
mitter or ampli-
fier.
GROUND post/
wing nut chassis
ground connector.
COAX 2 coaxial
connector for output
to Antenna Two.
COAX 1 coaxial
connector for output
to Antenna One.
BYPASS coaxial
connector for out-
put to dummy load
or third coax out-
put.
FIGURE 1 REAR PANEL CONNECTORS
COAX-BAL-WIRE
Use this connector
to connect an
optional 1:1 or 4:1
balun for balanced
or wire feed

8 Front Panel Description
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1. POWER/SWR METER Dual needle meter displays
FORWARD and REFLECTED power in Watts. SWR is
indicated where the two needles intersect on the red
scale.
2. PEAK HOLD Select to read Peak Hold on the SWR me-
ter. Peak (#3) must be on for this to function.
3. PEAK Selects between PEAK and AVERAGE Power
metering display.
4. RANGE Two-position switch selects the range of FOR-
WARD and REFLECTED power displayed on the power
meter. When the RANGE button is OUT, the FOR-
WARD meter scale reads 300 Watts full scale and the
REFLECTED meter scale reads 60 Watts full scale.
When the RANGE button is IN, the FORWARD meter
scale reads 3000 Watts full scale and the REFLECTED
meter scale reads 600 Watts full scale.
5. POWER Depress to turn on the backlight in the meter and
enable metering and 160 Meter functions. The jack on
1 2 3
689
4 5
7
Operating Your AT2KD cont’d 13
1-800-773-7931 WWW.PALSTAR.COM
tual settings will vary from antenna to antenna.
3. Set your transmitter/amp to a low power output. If your
transmitter has a TUNE position, select that position.
4. If you use a linear amplifier, set it to Standby. Do not use
the linear amplifier until the AT2KD is tuned. Do not ex-
ceed 1500 Watts average (single tone).
5. Set RANGE switch to 300 W (button out).
6. Set the DIRECT/TUNED mode switch to BYPASS or the
position matching your antenna connection. To tune your
antenna, the switch selection must be set to: COAX 1
TUNED, COAX 2 TUNED, or COAX-BAL-WIRE. Se-
lecting COAX 1 DIRECT, COAX 2 DIRECT or BYPASS
bypasses the impedance matching network.
7. Rotate the TUNE and INDUCTOR controls for maxi-
mum noise or signal as heard on your receiver. Refer to
preset tuning chart below.
8. Key your transmitter and adjust the power level for a
reading of 100-150 Watts on the FORWARD scale. Ad-
just the TUNE and INDUCTOR controls for a minimum
REFLECTED reading while maintaining a FORWARD
reading of 50-100 Watts using your transmitter power
control.
9. Read the SWR on the red scale at the point where the
two needles intersect. Repeat adjusting the TUNE and
INDUCTOR controls until the lowest SWR reading is
obtained.
CAUTION: When approaching the end stops of the
roller inductor, (readings of zero or 248) SLOW
DOWN. Running the roller too hard into the mechani-
cal end stops on either end of the roller inductor can
damage it.

12 Operating Your AT2KD
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Before Operating
1. To avoid possible damage to the AT2KD set TUNE, IN-
DUCTOR, and POWER RANGE switches as outlined in
the chart before applying transmitter power.
2. Begin tuning with your transmitter/amp into the tuner set
at a low output power setting (50-100 Watts).
Tuning
1. Select the band and frequency of desired operation.
2. Set TUNE and INDUCTOR controls to the suggested
setting before applying transmitter power (see chart). Ac-
WARNING: DO NOT OPERATE THE AT2KD
WITH THE COVER OFF.
TUNE INDUCTOR
SUGGESTED ACTUAL SUGGESTED ACTUAL
160 M 50-52 56(SW IN)
80 M 50-52 136
60 M 50-52 177
40 M 50-52 201
20 M 50-52 232
17 M 50-52 236
15 M 50-52 236
12 M 50-52 236
10 M 50-52 236 MAX 249
BAND
Note: The AT2KD must be supplied with 12VDC to
operate the relay in order to use it on the160 Meter
band.
1-800-773-7931 WWW.PALSTAR.COM
Front Panel Description 9
the back panel must be supplied with 12 VDC for this to
function.
6. INDUCTOR 18 µH continuously variable ceramic roller
inductor driven by a crank handle coupled to a gear-
driven precision mechanical counter.
7. 160 METER SWITCH Pushing this button to the IN po-
sition switches in extra inductance for the 160 Meter
Band. The button should be in the OUT position for use
on all other bands — 80 through 6 Meters.
8. TUNE Continuously adjustable differential capacitor.
9. DIRECT/TUNED MODE SWITCH Six-position rotary
switch selects intended RF output coaxial connector and
direct mode (which bypasses the tuning network) and
tuned position (which routes RF through the tuning net-
work).
a. DIRECT BYPASS selects BYPASS COAX connec-
tor, bypassing the impedance matching circuit but pro-
viding SWR, FORWARD and REFLECTED meter read-
ings.
b. DIRECT COAX 1 selects COAX 1 connector, by-
passing the impedance matching network but providing
SWR, FORWARD and REFLECTED meter readings.
c. DIRECT COAX 2 selects COAX 2 connector, bypass-
ing the impedance matching network but providing
SWR, FORWARD and REFLECTED meter readings.
d. TUNED COAX 1 selects COAX 1 connector through
the impedance matching T network.
e. TUNED COAX 2 selects COAX 2 connector through
the impedance matching T network.
f. COAX-BAL-WIRE selects the COAX-BAL-WIRE
output connector and routes RF through the impedance
matching T network.

10 AT 2KD S c he ma ti c
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MODEL AT2KD DIFF-T TUNER
Directional
Coupler
Peak/Peak
Hold
PCB
Cross Needle
SWR/Power
Meter
8
12
µ
Fix
e
Indu
c
AT2KD Schematic 11
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Optional
Balun
1:1 or 4:1
(B2KD-1:1)
(B2KD-4:1)
160M
8
0M-6M
SW
µ
H
e
d
c
to
r
430-13-430pf
18 µH Coax-Bal-Wire
Rear Panel