Tuner Genius Cost and Release Date

David Marotti

So I am seriously considering a Power Genius XL, supposedly to be released in "Early 2018" according to the website.  But there seems to be some mystery about the Tuner Genius.  I know there was a promotion at the end of 2017 to get one free (included with pre-orders).  For those of us that missed that promotion, what will the cost be?  And will it be released at the same time along with the PGXL?  For those of us that need a tuner for some bands, it makes no sense to get the PGXL first and then have to wait for the tuner.  And next question... Since the PGXL can be configured to be used remotely, will the Tuner Genius be able to seamlessly tune remotely as well?  I would have to think the answer is yes, but I can't find confirmation of that anywhere in the zillions of threads about the tuner.  I love my 6500 and Maestro, and really want to run power with it at times.  Looking forward to both of these products!  73

Ria

Hi David -

Tuner release date is TBD but unlikely to be with the amp. I believe the email from Gerald said it would be released after.

It will be fully integrated with the amp and SmartSDR. 

HCampbell WB4IVF

4O3A posted this on their forum several weeks ago:

2nd production run of Power Genius XL is expected to appear in FlexRadio in May 2018.

We expect to ship Tuner Genius with them at the same time. If something comes up they may be delayed but it will surely be a similar time frame.

 73

Dragisa 4O9ITT

 https://community.flexradio.com/flexradio/topics/pg-xl-and-antenna-genius-news-from-4o3a-forum

I haven’t heard anything about the cost of the tuner, but since those that ordered the Power Genius in 2017 have the choice of a free Tuner Genius or 4O3A 8x2 switch, and the cost of the 8x2 switch is 649 Euro ($799), my guess is that the cost of the tuner will be in that general range.

In previous posts I believe it was stated that an optional remote kit would be available sometime after the tuner ships.

Howard

David Marotti

I wonder if there will be another promotion to "amp up" interest before release!    I'd be "charged up" over that! 

David 

Varistor

Highly unlikely. I’d bet the tuner will be over $2,000. As a reference, take a look at the Palstar auto tuner and the Hungarian DU3500 carried by Array Solutions.

Ria

I don't think so. I have no inside info but if they are giving it away free with the amp it is not going to be expensive... and it will not do extensively high SWR like those tuners. This will be comparable to the internal tuner in SPE or KPA1500 amps.

Justin W4JTD

Agree with Ria, unlikely that a “free gift with purchase” would be in the $2k range. I think Howard is probably pretty close to the mark.

Ria

Right. The Palstar HF auto uses stepper motors and roller inductors. So it is expensive and heavy. This tuner uses toroids and relays. Much cheaper but you will be limited due to saturation of the cores. 

Varistor

Ohm’s law applies to this tuner as well. You can’t compare 1300 to 2500 watts and assume the same approach applies to both. Steppers are dirt cheap compared to high quality relays that can take the extra current. Do you honestly believe the high power tuners decided to use expensive parts for no rationale reason? That’s naive. You can also look at Alpha’s experience bringing their tuner to market. It’s been vaporware for a looooong time. Time will tell.

HCampbell WB4IVF

The “lashup” tuner pic posted by K9ZW:

https://community.flexradio.com/flexradio/topics/powergenius-tuner

So it’s a switched inductor/cap tuner as Ria says and probably won’t have the range of a Palstar-style autotuner at power, but the extended functionality with Flex and follow-on remote capability should be very nice.

Howard