PALSTAR

Palstar products are designed by

Hams for Hams carrying on the
Palstar tradition for high-quality
products designed and
manufactured in Ohio, USA. AT2K 2000 Watt Antenna Tuner
Technical Manual
AT2K 2000 Watt
Antenna Tuner

l 2000 W PEP SSB, 1500 W single tone

l 160 m to 10m
l Variable capacitor with vernier drive
l Dual movement cross needle meter
l 5” x 14.5” x 13.5”

9676 N. Looney Rd,

Piqua, OH 45356 USA
(937) 773-6255
(800) 773-7931 PALSTAR
(937) 773-8003 (Fax)
www.palstar.com
Designed and Manufactured in the USA
Copyright 2014 Palstar, Inc.
 AT2K SPECIFICATIONS AT2K GENERAL DESCRIPTION
l METERING: Dual movement cross-needle power
and frequency compensated coupler
l INPUT & ANTENNA TUNING: Var iable capacitor 413pF 4.5 Kv

6:1 Ver nier Dr ive

l INDUCTANCE: 25 μH roller inductor; 12 ga. wire wound
on steatite ceramic core, silver plated
bar and wheel
l ANTENNA SELEC TOR SWITCH: 6 position:

Coax 1 - tuned and tuner bypass Building on success, Palstar upgraded the best-selling AT1500CV
Coax 2 - tuned and tuner bypass throughout to create the American-made Palstar AT2K Antenna Tuner.
Switch wafers are 3 kV rated The AT2K optimizes the performance of your antenna and transmitter
by providing adjustable impedance matching using a T-type circuit
l POWER R ANGE SWITCH: 2 position 300 W / 3000 W
configuration.
l R E A R PA N E L C O N N E C T O R S :

l FREQUENC Y COVER AGE: 1.8 - 54 MHZ
l POWER MAXIMUM:
l IMPEDANCE RANGE: 20 to 1500 Ω, 160m to 10m
l BA L A N C E D O U P U T:
l DIMINSIONS:
l W E I G H T:
l CHASSIS & COVER:
SO-239: RF Input, Coax 1 & 2, Bypass The AT2K also measures the power (upgraded to include a PEAK/PEAK
HOLD function) and Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR or SWR),
COAX: Balanced line (optional balun) which allows you to tune the SWR to the lowest possible for the
END FED WIRE: H igh Voltage N ylon66™ selected transmission frequency.
terminal post & ground post
The AT2K also features a precision steatite ceramic core roller inductor
1 2 V D C I N P U T : 1 4 m m c o n n e c t o r, 2 . 1 m m I D , with a plated roller wheel and roller shaft. The smaller size permits
5.5mm OD, center positive, 200 ma operation on 6 meters.
A high voltage ceramic wafer switch allows selection between coax
2000 W PEP SSB, 1500 W single tone
feedlines or wire-fed antennas. DIRECT switch positions bypass the
impedance matching circuit but allow for the SWR, FORWARD, and
(assuming resisitive load) REFLECTED and PEAK power meter FUNCTIONS.
Reduce power for lower Z-range
Tuning is achieved with the front panel mounted controls. The 6:1 ratio
4:1 current type balun (optional external) Vernier dials allow for tuning with precision and accuracy, while the
5” H x 14.5“ W x 13.5” D Inductor crank handle facilitates coarse adjustments. The range of the
meter (300W/3000W) is selcted by a push button switch located on the
13 LBS, 6 Kg
front panel.
1 1 g a . , . 0 9 0 g o l d I r i d i t e Tr e a t e d A l u m i n i u m

Page 2 PALSTAR
 INSTALLATION REAR PANEL
U N PA C K I N G COAX 1 coaxial connector
C a r e f u l l y r e m o v e t h e AT 2 K f r o m t h e s h i p p i n g c a r t o n a n d for output to Antenna 1

inspect it for signs of damage. If any damage is apparent,

n o t i f y t h e t r a n s p o r t a t i o n c a r r i e r o r d e a l e r i m m e d i a te l y. RF INPUT
coaxial connector
K E E P T H E PA C K I N G C A R T O N f o r m o v i n g , s t o r i n g , o r for input from transmitter
reshipping the tuner to us for repair if required. or amplifier

L O C AT I O N COAX 2 coaxial connector

for output to Antenna 2
S e l e c t a l o c a t i o n f o r t h e AT 2 K t h a t a l l o w s t h e c o n n e c t o r s
to be free from any possible contact with people, pets,
or objects during operation and with unrestricted air
fl o w f o r c o o l i n g .

2.1 mm Grey Protection

FEMALE plug TRACE ID Reverse diode Red Heat Shrink
cover

+ To 12-13.8v
- Power Supply
AT 2 K D C P O W E R C O R D GROUND post/wing nut 12 VDC INPUT
ground connector (2.1 mm plug,
center pin +)
12 VDC adapter
I N S TA L L AT I O N P R O C E D U R E COAX-BAL-WIRE 200 mA to power
Use this connector the meter lamp
Connect a coax cable from your transmitter to the RF to connect an optional
INPUT connector on the rear panel. Keep the cable as external 1:1 or 4:1 balun
for balanced or wire feed
s h o r t a s p o s s i b l e . I f y o u u s e a l i n e a r a m p l i fi e r, c o n n e c t antennas
y o u r t r a n s m i t t e r t o t h e l i n e a r a m p l i fi e r i n p u t a n d t h e
l i n e a r a m p l i fi e r o u t p u t t o t h e AT 2 K . BYPASS coaxial
connector for output
to dummy load or third
D O N O T U S E M O R E T H A N 1 5 0 0 WAT T S ( s i n g l e t o n e ) coax output. Bypasses
tuner, but meter circuits
t h r o u g h t h e t u n e r. are on if AC adapter is
connected to rear panel
Page 3 PALSTAR
 FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTION
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9
1. POWER/SWR METER Dual needle meter displays FORWARD and
REFLECTED power in watts. SWR is measured where the two needles
intersect on the red scale. SWR is printed on meter face.
2. PEAK HOLD Select to read Peak Hold on the SWR meter. Peak switch [3]
must be in PEAK position.
3. PEAK Selects between PEAK and AVERAGE power metering display.
4. RANGE Two-position switch selects the range of FORWARD and
REFLECTED power displayed on the power meter. When the RANGE
button is OUT, the FORWARD 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. ON Select to turn on the backlight in the meter and enable metering,
and 160 meter functions. The jack on the back panel must be supplied
with 12 VDC for these functions to work.
6. DIRECT-TUNED MODE SWITCH Six-position rotary switch selects an
output connector as follows:
Page 4
a. DIRECT BYPASS selects BYPASS COAX CONNECTOR bypassing the
impedance matching circuit, but providing SWR, FORWARD, and
REFLECTED power meter readings.
b. DIRECT COAX 1 selects COAX 1 CONNECTOR bypassing the tuner
matching circuit, but providing SWR, FORWARD, and REFLECTED meter
readings.
c. DIRECT COAX 2 selects COAX 2 CONNECTOR bypassing the tuner
matching circuit, but providing SWR, FORWARD, and REFLECTED meter
readings.
d. TUNED COAX 1 selects COAX 1 CONNECTOR through the impedance
matching T circuit.
e. TUNED COAX 2 selects COAX 2 CONNECTOR through the impedance
matching T circuit.
7. INPUT Continuosly adjustable input capacitor.
8. OUTPUT Continuously adjustable output capacitor.
9. INDUCTOR 25μH continuously variable ceramic roller inductor driven
by a crank handle. Coupled to the crank handle is a gear-driven
precision mechanical counter. The end stop readings
on the turns counter are ZERO and 279. Zero is max-
imum inductance and 279 is minimum inductance.
PALSTAR
 PALSTAR
AT2K SCHEMATIC

413 413

25

© COPYRIGHT PALSTAR 2011-2014

Page 5
METER BOARD ADJUSTMENTS INSIDE VIEW

VARIABLE ROLLER
COUPLER CAPACITORS INDUCTOR
Reverse Reverse Forward Forward
Low High Low High

Peak Peak Peak Power Peak On/Off

Hold Low Range High METERING PEAK/HOLD
ASSEMBLY PCB

Page 6 PALSTAR
 OPERATING YOUR AT2K
B E F O R E O P E R AT I N G D O N O T E X C E E D 1 0 0 0 W AT T S A V E R A G E ( S I N G L E T O N E )
1 . To a v o i d p o s s i b l e d a m a g e t o t h e AT 2 K s e t I N P U T, O U T P U T, 5. Set RANGE switch to 300 W (button out).
INDUC TOR, and POWER RANGE switches as outlined in the 6. Set the DIRECT/TUNED mode switch to the TUNED
c h a r t b e l o w b e f o r e a p p l y i n g t r a n s m i t t e r p o w e r. p o s i t i o n m a t c h i n g y o u r a n t e n n a c o n n e c t i o n . To t u n e y o u r
2. Begin tuning with your transmitter/amp feeding the tuner antenna, the switch selec tion must be set to: COAX 1 TUNED,
set at a low output power setting (50-100 Watts max). C O A X 2 T U N E D , o r B A L A N C E D L I N E . S e l e c t i n g C O A X 1 D I R E C T,
C O A X 2 D I R E C T, o r B Y PA S S b y p a s s e s t h e t u n i n g c i r c u i t r y a n d
WA R N I N G : D O N O T O P E R AT E T H E
AT 2 K W I T H T H E C O V E R O F F. tuning is not possible.
TUNING 7 . R o t a t e t h e I N P U T, A N T E N N A , a n d I N D U C T O R c o n t r o l s f o r
1. Select the band and frequency of desired operation. m a x i m u m n o i s e o r s i g n a l a s h e a r d o n y o u r r e c e i v e r. R e f e r t o
2. Set TUNE and INDUC TOR controls to the suggested setting preset tuning chart on page 9.
before applying transmitter power (see chart). Actual settings 8. Key your transmitter and adjust the power level for a
will vary from antenna to antenna. r e a d i n g o f 5 0 - 1 0 0 w a t t s o n t h e F O R WA R D s c a l e . A d j u s t t h e
3 . S e t y o u r t r a n s m i t t e r / a m p l i fi e r t o a l o w p o w e r o u t p u t . I f y o u r I N P U T, O U P U T, a n d I N D U C T O R c o n t r o l s f o r a m i n i m u m
transmitter has a TUNE position, select that position. R E F L E C T E D r e a d i n g w h i l e m a i n t a i n i n g a F O R WA R D r e a d i n g
4 . I f y o u u s e a l i n e a r a m p l i fi e r, s e t i t t o S TA N D B Y. D o n o t u s e of 50-100 watts using your transmitter power control.
t h e l i n e a r a m p l i fi e r u n t i l t h e AT 2 K i s t u n e d . 9. Read the SWR on the red scale at the point where the two
needles intersect. Repeat TUNING the input and antenna
BAND INPUT OUTPUT INDUCTOR
controls until the lowest SWR reading is obtained. The SWR
SUGGESTED ACTUAL SUGGESTED ACTUAL SUGGESTED ACTUAL
s h o u l d b e 2 : 1 o r l o w e r.
160 M 50 65 32
10. When you have tuned your antenna to the best SWR,
80 M 55 45 183 r e c o r d t h e s e t t i n g s o f t h e I N P U T, A N T E N N A , a n d I N D U C TA N C E
40 M 45 56 239 controls on the chart above for future reference. When you
20 M 50 60 264 retune, use these settings as your starting point.

17 M 50 60 267
T h i s p r o c e d u r e t a k e s p a t i e n c e t h e fi r s t t i m e . T h e i n p u t
15 M 24 35 268 and antenna controls vary the capacitors and provide
12 M 24 35 271 fi n e a d j u s t m e n t s , w h i l e t h e r o l l e r i n d u c t o r c r a n k
provides coarse adjustment.
10 M 26 40 274
6M 40 30 265

Page 7 PALSTAR
 RESTORING THE INDUCTOR WHEEL NOTES:
1. A SWR of 1:1 is best, but an SWR as high as 2:1 may be
a c c e p t a b l e . C h e c k y o u r t r a n s m i t t e r / a m p l i fi e r m a n u a l f o r
details.

2. If you cannot get an acceptable SWR, lengthen or

shorten your antenna and/or feedlines and retune.
When approaching the end stops of the roller inductor
( re a d i n g s o f Ze ro o r 2 7 9 ) S LO W D O W N . S l a m m i n g t h e
roller wheel into the mechanical end stops on either 3. If you get low SWR readings at more than one setting,
end of the roller inductor will decrease the pressure of
the wheel against the wire wound on the ceramic form. use the setting that gives:

- h i g h e s t F O R WA R D p o w e r r e a d i n g
- lowest REFLECTED power reading
To RESTORE wheel pressure on
- uses the largest capacitance (highest number) on the
the inductor push down on the
INPUT and ANTENNA controls.
flat springs soldered to the
wheel shaft located on each
end of the shaft. 4 . A n y t i m e a n e w o r d i ff e r e n t a n t e n n a i s c o n n e c t e d , i t i s
necessary to repeat the turning procedure for each
antenna.

5. Once every 4-6 months clean the roller coil with Deoxit
D5 contact cleaner and a clean cotton cloth. Do not
remove the conducting grease on the rod that guides the
roller wheel. Do not transfer any of the conducting grease
from the rod to the roller coil b o d y, as this will
contaminate the windings.

Page 8 PALSTAR