The Alpha 4040 4 kilowatt 1.8-30 MHz antenna tuner is nearly complete. We expect it to ship during the first quarter 2012. This brochure will give some of the highlights of the product and some insight into the design choices that went into this exciting new tuner, but the design is subject to change. We are accepting orders on the web site. To make sure you have an opportunity to look at the actual product specifications before purchasing, orders placed will not require a deposit, and you’ll have the right to cancel the order any time before shipment. Alpha Amplifier/RF Concepts is accepting orders on our website and by calling the company so we can determine the approximate number of parts sets we should buy mid next quarter to fulfill the demand for the product. As with many products, delivery estimates may be incorrect.

Looking for a variable inductor capable of the inductance range and power handling ability needed for this project ended up being a project by itself. There wasn’t one on the market that we felt would work reliably. The normal method is to use a small wheel to contact the inductor at the ‘tap’ point. Using this method is a common failure mode of existing inductors when run at high power.

We designed an edge wound beryllium copper coil and, most importantly, two ‘squeeze’ contacts that make contact with the coil at four distinct points, each with enough pressure that there is no chance of an arc. Here’s a close up of the inductor.

Specifications:

Frequency coverage: All amateur frequencies from 1.8- 30.0 MHz

Continuous Power Input : 40 00 Watts

Impedance match range (4kW): 30 – 2000 Ohms

Impedance match range (3kW): 20 – 2000 Ohms

Impedance match range ( 2 kW): 10 – 2000 Ohms

Impedance match range ( 1 kW): 4 – 2000 Ohms

Impedance match range (600 W): 2 – 2000 Ohms

Color LCD Display: Menu and Setup of the various modes, Smith Chart display of actual complex impedence, plus other applications not listed at this time. The display is driven by an ARM based microcomputer running Linux.

ARM single board computer : USB, Serial, and Ethernet ports are connected to the ARM single board computer. An interface board is connected to the computer to control the various stepper motors and switches in the tuner.

Bar graph Display: Bar graphs display Forward and Reverse Power, and SWR.

Cooling: Forced air from two blowers

Antenna outputs: comes standard with 4 x SO-239 high quality Teflon connectors, plus #8 screw posts are used to connect a balanced load (open wire, ladder-line or twin-lead) to the tuner.

Antenna selection: Internal 5 port , computer controlled antenna switch .

Calibrated Wattmeter: The Bruene type wattmeter accurately simultaneously measures both forward and reverse power and displays this information on the easy to read bar graph meters on the front panel. It also uses the information to simultaneously monitor the gain of the amplifier.

Power: 85 to 260 VAC, 50/60 Hz, selection Automatic.

Interface: USB and Ethernet. Full remote control capability.

Bypass capability: 4000 Watts.

Shipping Weight: 45 Lbs

Product Size: 17. 2 “w x 6.9 “h x 22.7 “d

Purchasing an Alpha 4040: $2,995 USD

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