This is my Arduino controlled antenna tuner for ladderline fed antennas. It uses an arduino nano, which saves stepper motor positions, and relay settings to eeprom, for quick QSY´s.
Nice work. The auto capacitor tune has the makings of a good auto magloop tuner. You just need to be able to read the frequency setting from a modern radio that then sets the memorised capacitor setting.
This made me think back when i built Tank circuit, you hands/fingers really hurt, after a session of making an inductor and winding it through the plastic former... it is hard on your mussels :) Kudos!
Do you achieve perfect match on all bands? When I was testing similar design I've found, that it would be good to have taps on coil going to trx or/and have variable capacitor in series with trx coil. Did you measured it with VNA? What is inductance of antenna coil? Thanks!
Nicel done, simple but elegant! I'm currently building an Arduino controlled true balanced tuner (2 18 uH roller inductors and 2 variable air caps ) scrounged from 2 old Murch UT 2000A Ultimate tuners, and some 277VAC 3PDT relays rated at 30A I got online. I bought the 2 tuners at a flea market for $100.00 for both. Can you provide your Arduino code, I'd love to see it. Specifically how you saved the settings in Eprom. If you power the Arduino controller down are all your settings saved? Great design!
Thanks John, yes, I save the settings to eeprom. Send me an email and I'll post you the most recent mess of code for this one. My adress is on QRZ.com. My coding is like clearing the driveway from snow with a dozer, but it gets the job done ;D
@@SA2CLC I can appreciate that! I like to get it to work first then go back up and make it more efficient. That's where I get into trouble!! 73's W3BUW
Impeccable work. I am working on remote similar system but manual tuning. I would like to ask you a question with those values, what range of frequencies and impedances can you handle? thanks greetings
Thanks. I do not know the limits of this setup. My current antenna (2x19m, fed with 600ohm ladder line) has around 2k impedance at 80m. This tuner can match this antenna from 160-15m. 15m being the absolute limit due to coil size. Tried with a smaller coil, about 1.5inches in diameter, and if I remember correct, 10 turns, and a 3 turn link, I could tune the high bands as well. Good luck with your build.
@@SA2CLC Hello, thanks for the answer. What you tell me is good information. I hope to do something similar and upload something about development to the channel. Interesting what reaches up to 15 meters good data. I don't know what I can achieve but I will experience HI. 73
Hi Tommy, great job A question that probably many have asked you - is it possible to have or share the software and a draft of the scheme. Sorry for the inconvenience 73 de T77BL Luca
Hi. Some weeks ago you wrote this: " I can share the crude software I wrote, and draw up a schematic". How??? ### A very, very good job. The coupler is not a problem (for me). But it doesn't help to watch the great video if you don't show any links for the control and for the Arduino software. What do I have to do so that I can recreate the controller? Many thanks for your response. DL2HY
They are plentiful on ebay. Lots of russian and ukraine sellers carries them. Search for "powerful rf antenna relay" or something like that and I'm sure you will find them
Hi Tommy, can you write me an email? I need your help in implementing a similar project. I have a doublet symmetrical antenna. Slawomir SP6DLO ssb@hot.pl
I closewound it on a piece of drain pipe, then spread the turns using a wooden mandrel to match the pitch of the holes in the plexiglass, then it's just a matter of threading it onto the plexiglass. Takes some time.
Without schematics and code you may as well throw the cover on it. The finished product becomes meaningless without the ability to understand what you did and how you did it. On the bright side it sounds cool when you run it.
