4
Table of Contents
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Important safeguards
2
General Description
5
Installation
6
Unpacking
6
Location
6
Installation Procedures
6
Rear Panel Connections
7
Front Panel Description
8-9
Schematic Diagram
10-11
Operating Your BT1500A
12
Before Operating
12
Tuning
12
Notes
13
Understanding Your Tuner
14
Specifications
18
Service and Warranty
19
Thank you for purchasing a
Palstar BT1500A Antenna
Tuner. This antenna tuner has
been designed and manufac-
tured to high quality standards,
and will provide reliable opera-
tion 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.
system of switches. Knife switches work very well for parallel transmission line,
since they will handle the high voltages that may be present on parallel transmis-
sion lines . As with any run of parallel transmission line, you must keep the line
free and clear of metallic objects. As well, do not coil the line itself. Instead,
make a single large loop.
The size of the loop depends on the frequency of operation and how much further
along the line you must go to obtain an impedance value that falls within the
tuner limits.
It is possible to calculate favorable line lengths for each band for any combina-
tion of antenna and feedline. The very large variety of antennas and the many
types of feedlines used by amateur operators place such calculations outside the
scope of these notes. Most operators find it quicker to experiment with various
line lengths until they uncover the right combinations for each band.
The balanced L-network, the transmission line, and the antenna form a total sys-
tem that is very flexible. The initial inability to find a 1:1 SWR match for the
system is not a fault of any of the three major components. Instead, the situation
is a normal function of the dynamics of the antenna feedpoint impedance and its
transformation along the transmission line. You may alter any of the three com-
ponents of the system to arrive at an impedance at the antenna terminals that the
tuner can match. In most cases, but not all, modifying the transmission line
length is the easiest technique. Alternatively, you may alter the antenna length as
well.
There are many resources available for learning more about your antenna and
feedline system. The
ARRL Antenna Book
is a good place to start. In addition,
there are numerous aids to making calculations of what is occurring in the sys-
tem.
The more that you know about your antenna and feedline system, the more effec-
tively you will be able to use your Palstar BT1500A tuner.
Understanding Your Tuner 17
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