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:
info@palstar.com
AT1500CV 1500 Watt Antenna Tuner
Owner’s Manual
© Copyright 2005 Palstar Inc.
Printed in the U.S.A.
2 Important Safeguards
Service and Warranty 15
WARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR
ELECTRICAL SHOCK DO NOT
EXPOSE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE
An appliance and cart combinati on should
be moved with care. Quick stops, exces sive force and uneven surfaces ma y cause
the appliance and cart combinati on to
overturn.
The lightning flash with arrow head
symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is
intended to alert the user to the presenc e
of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within
the product’s enclosure that ma y be of
sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equil ateral
triangle is intended to alert the user t o the
presence of important operating and
maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the appliance.
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.
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 recommended 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 manufacturer’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 overheating, 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.
Limited Warranty
Palstar Inc. warrants products
manufactured by it to be free from
defects 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 warranty 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 transportation 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. Warranty does not extend to any products which have been
subject to damage from improper installation, application or maintenance in
accordance with the operating specification. Palstar neither assumes nor
authorizes 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.
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14 Operating Your AT1500CV cont’d
Important Safeguards cont’d 3
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. If you get low SWR readings at
more than one setting, use the setting
that gives:
- highest FORWARD power reading
- lowest REFLECTED power reading
- uses the largest capacitance (highest
number) on the INPUT and ANTENNA controls.
4. Once every 4-6 months clean the
roller coil with 70% isopropyl alcohol
and a clean cotton cloth. Do not transfer any of the conducting grease on the
rod that guides the roller wheel as this
will contaminate the windings on the
roller coil body.
5. Any time a new or different antenna
is connected, it is necessary to repeat
the tuning procedure for each antenna.
14. Power Lines—An outside antenna system 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 outlets 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 voltage 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 qualified service personnel.
18. Damage Requiring Service—Unplug this
product from the wall outlet and refer servicing
to qualified service personnel under the following 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 adjustment 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 technician has used replacement parts specified by
the manufacturer or have the same characteristics as the original parts. Unauthorized substitutes 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 operating 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 aluminum, 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 information.
e. Use jumper wire not smaller than No.6
AWG copper or equivalent, when a separate
antenna grounding electrode is used.
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4 Table of Contents
Operating Your AT1500CV cont’d 13
Thank you for purchasing a
Palstar AT1500CV Antenna
Tuner. This antenna tuner has
been designed and manufactured to high quality standards,
and will provide reliable opera-
Please carefully read the
Owner’s Manual in order to take
advantage of the many interesting features that will provide
years of enjoyable amateur
radio operation.
tion for many years.
Important safeguards 2
Table of Contents 4
General Description 5
Specifications 6
Installation 7
Unpacking 7
Location 7
Installation Procedures 7
AT1500CV Schematic 8
Rear Panel Connections 10
Front Panel Description 11
Operating Your AT1500CV 12
Before Operating 12
Tuning 12
Notes 14
Service and Warranty 15
7. Rotate the INPUT, ANTENNA and
INDUCTOR controls for maximum
noise or signal as heard on your receiver. Refer to preset tuning chart on
page 12.
8. Key your transmitter and adjust the
power level for a reading of 50-100
watts on the FORWARD scale. Adjust
the INPUT, OUTPUT 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 TUNING the input and
antenna controls until the lowest SWR
reading is obtained. The SWR should
be 2:1 or lower.
This procedure takes patience the
first time. The input and antenna
controls vary the capacitors and
provide fine adjustments. The roller
inductor crank control provides
coarse adjustment.
10. When you have tuned your antenna to the best SWR, record the
settings of the INPUT, ANTENNA and
INDUCTANCE controls on the chart
above for future reference. When you
retune, use these settings as your
starting point.
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12 Operating Your AT1500CV
General Description 5
Before Operating
1. To avoid possible damage to the
AT1500CV set INPUT, OUTPUT,
INDUCTOR, and POWER RANGE
switches as outlined in the chart below
before applying transmitter power.
2. Begin tuning with your transmitter/
lamp into the tuner set at a low output
power setting (50-100 Watts).
4. If you use a linear amplifier, set it to
Standby. Do not use the linear amplifier until the AT1500CV is tuned. Do
not exceed 1200 watts average
(single tone).
5. Set RANGE switch to 300 W
(button out).
WARNING: DO NOT OPERATE THE AT1500CV
WITH THE COVER OFF.
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).
Actual settings will vary from antenna
to antenna.
BAND
160 M 75 90 54
80 M
40 M
20 M
17 M
15 M
12 M
10 M
3. Set your transmitter/amplifier to a
low power output. If your transmitter
has a TUNE position, select that position.
INPUT ANTENNA INDUCTOR
SUGGESTED ACTUAL SUGGESTED ACTUAL SUGGESTED ACTUAL
45 50 207
35 40 290
20 20 330
12 12 334
10 10 339
0.7 0.7 350
0.5 0.5 355
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 WIRE
(BALANCED ANTENNA).
Selecting COAX 1 DIRECT, COAX 2
DIRECT or BYPASS bypasses the tuning selection.
The Palstar AT1500CV Antenna
Tuner is an American made impedance matching network.
The AT1500CV optimizes the
performance of your antenna
and transmitter by providing
adjustable impedance matching
using a T-type circuit configuration.
The AT1500CV also measures
the power and Voltage Standing
Wave Ratio (VSWR or SWR)
which allows you to tune the
SWR to the lowest ratio possible
for the selected transmission
frequency.
The AT1500CV also features a
precision steatite ceramic core
roller inductor with a silver
plated roller and roller shaft.
Front panel controls allow for
selection between coax feed
lines or end fed wire antenna or
direct bypass which bypasses
the impedance matching circuit
but allows for the SWR, FORWARD, and REFLECTED
power meter readings.
Tuning is achieved with the front
panel mounted controls. The
Vernier dials allow for tuning
with precision and accuracy,
while the Inductor crank handle
facilitates coarse adjustments.
The range of the meter
(300W/3000W) is selected by a
push button switch located on
the front panel.
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6 Specifications
Front Panel Description 11
Front Panel Indicators and Controls
Metering Dual movement cross needle power and frequency
compensated coupler
Controls
Input Tuning Variable capacitor 315 pF 4.5 kV 6:1 Vernier Drive
Antenna Tuning Variable capacitor 315 pF 4.5 kV 6:1 Vernier Drive
Inductance 26 µH roller inductor 12 ga. wire wound on steatite
ceramic core, silver plated shaft/wheel
Antenna Selector Switch 6 position: Coax 1 tuned and tuner bypass
Coax 2 tuned and tuner bypass
Bypass and balanced antenna
Switch wafers are ceramic (3kV rated)
Power Range Switch 2 position 300 W /3000 W
Rear Panel Connectors
Coax 1 SO239 connector
Coax 2 SO239 connector
Bypass SO239 connector
RF INPUT SO239 connector
Balanced Line Dual High Voltage Nylon66
End –Fed Wire Dual High Voltage Nylon66
12 VDC Input Adaptor for meter light 2.1 mm con. (center positive)
Other
Frequency Coverage 1.8 — 30 MHz
Power Maximum 1500 W PEP SSB, 1200 W single tone continuous
Impedance Range 20 to 1500 Ω 160 m to 10 m (assuming resistive
load) Reduce power for lower Z range
Balanced Output 4:1 Ruthroff voltage type balun
Dimensions 4.5”H x 12.6”W x 12”D (incl. terminals)
Weight 10 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.
TM
terminal post
TM
terminal post
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.
2. LAMP A two position button selects
whether the meter is illuminated.
3. 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.
4. INDUCTOR 26 µH continuously vari-
able ceramic roller inductor driven by a
crank handle. Coupled to the crank handle
is a gear-driven precision mechanical
counter.
5. OUTPUT Continuously adjustable
output capacitor.
6. INPUT Continuously adjustable input
capacitor.
1
2 3
7
5 6
7. DIRECT-TUNED MODE SWITCH
Six-position rotary switch selects an output
coaxial connector.
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.
f. TUNED WIRE/BAL selects the END FED WIRE
connector through the impedance matching circuit. For balanced antennas, the end fed wire
antenna post must be connected to the balanced
line post using a copper jumper strap.
4
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10 Installation cont’d.
Installation 7
END FED WIRE post connector
for output to a single-wire antenna
(do not connect to BALANCED
OUTPUT). Ground post must be
connected to a good RF ground.
BALANCED OUTPUT two
nylon High Voltage post
connectors for output to RF
balanced wire fed antennas.
Place copper strap jumper
between lower post and
END FED WIRE post to use
balanced output.
GROUND post/wing nut
type ground connector.
BYPASS coaxial connector for
output to dummy load or third
coax output. Bypasses tuner, but
meter circuits are on if AC adaptor is connected to jack located
on rear panel.
FIGURE 1 REAR PANEL CONNECTORS
COAX 2 coaxial connector for
output to Antenna Two.
COAX 1 coaxial connector for
output to Antenna One.
RF INPUT coaxial connector for input from
transmitter or amplifier.
12 VDC INPUT (2.1 mm plug) for
supplied 12VDC ac adapter at
500mA to power the meter lamp
and fan. Note: there is a ferrite
TOROIDAL core on the end of the
adapter connector to minimize the
ingress of RF into the active circuits
in the tuner.
PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE
Unpacking
Carefully remove the AT1500CV
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
AT1500CV that allows the connectors to be free from any possible contact during operation
WARNING: Balanced antennas will produce high
RF voltages at the output post connectors. RF
burns may result if touched during transmission.
and with unrestricted air flow for
cooling.
Installation Procedures
Connect a coax cable from your
transmitter to the RF INPUT
connector on the rear panel.
Keep the cable as short as possible. If you use a linear amplifier, connect your transmitter to
the linear amplifier input and the
linear amplifier output to the
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 depending on the setting of the
DIRECT/TUNED mode switch
on the front panel.
For a balanced feed antenna
connect a balanced feed line to
the upper white Nylon66
TM
BALANCED OUTPUT post (back
panel) and connect a jumper to
the lower white Nylon66
ANCED OUTPUT post.
TM
BAL-
If using a single wire antenna,
connect it to the lower post with
out installing a jumper.
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 require the use of an antenna
tuner may be connected to the
BYPASS connector, if desired.
AT1500CV. Do not use more
than 1200 watts average
(single tone) through the
tuner.
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8 AT1500CV Schematic
AT1500CV Schematic 9
315pf
26uH
315pf
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