auto atu with valve amp ??

[jono400]

Intend to use a nice old valve linear with my Icom HF transceiver, I normally just use the inbuilt automatic atu off the set to tune my antenna for the various bands, If I now hook up this amp to the set can I still use the original tuner off the set or will I have to get a seperate antenna tuner that will handle the larger power output off the amp ??

bit confused ??!!

 

[W5LZ]

The auto-tuner in your radio might be useful for tuning the -input- to the amplifier, sometimes the amplifier's input could use a bit of tuning. But if your amplifier needs a tuner to match the antenna, I'm afraid you will need to find another tuner. Naturally, that tuner between amplifier and antenna should be capable of handling whatever the output power of your amplifier happens to be. It's always nice to have more power handling ability than is required, so a 'larger' than required tuner would certainly be nice.
I have a feeling that you may be 'across the pond' from me. If so, then I'm not sure how things are done where you are. Here, tuners are usually rated in power handling ability in Pep watts, not avg/RMS watts. That means that an advertised rating of 1000 watts really means 1000 watts Pep. Which equates to something closer to 500 watts RMS or CW. Just an advertising 'gimick' to make a tuner sound more 'capable' than it really is. If it's done the same way where you are, then a tuner twice as large as you'd think, is about the minimum required. (I love advertising, don't you?)
have fun.
- 'Doc

 

[jono400]

Okay thank you so much for your quick informative reply even if it was the very news I did not really want to here !!!

now to find an atu that will handle high power levels and not cost me the earth !!

thankd again.

 

[Simon004]

I have a feeling that you may be 'across the pond' from me. If so, then I'm not sure how things are done where you are. Here, tuners are usually rated in power handling ability in Pep watts, not avg/RMS watts. That means that an advertised rating of 1000 watts really means 1000 watts Pep. Which equates to something closer to 500 watts RMS or CW.
- 'Doc

Your bang on Doc, in this case the size of that pond makes no difference at all, it's the same story over here.

now to find an atu that will handle high power levels and not cost me the earth !!

good luck with that, most of the tuners I've seen have a 300W power rating, and they aren't what I would call "cheap". If your amp does more than 300W then you have to jump up to the 1KW type of tuners, which to me are eyewateringly expensive. If you need a tuner that will cope with more than 1KW, then hold on to your wallet!!! It's gonna get expensive.

 

[W5LZ]

If you are talking about auto-tuners, I agree about the prices. But... If you are willing to 'twiddle' a few knobs, make notes on the pointer settings for commonly used frequencies, there are a huge number of used tuners available that would work just dandy.
I've had an auto-tuner in every radio I've had in the last dozen or so years. They are very handy thingys to have! I also have a manual tuner here in the house. It handles legal limit, will tune almost anything that's even remotely tunable, and isn't new by any means. It's one of the older ones with a tapped coil and selector switch for those taps. It's one of the few things that won't be going anywhere because I found something 'better'/prettier/newer. I like 'twiddling' knobs! It works. It doesn't match anything else in the house. I don't care, it works. It's old, beat up, can't find parts for it. I don't care it works. oh well, it ain't easy being this cheap...
- 'Doc

 

[packrat]

You wont need a tuner at all if you are loading into an antenna that is even close. The tank circuit in the amp IS your tuner, within reason, of course.