Palstar

What Palstar does

Palstar is a privately held US electronics manufacturer founded in 1996 and headquartered in Piqua, Ohio, that designs and builds amateur (ham) radio equipment under the Palstar Incorporated brand. The product portfolio centers on antenna tuners — including the HF-AUTO 1800W automatic tuner using proprietary continuously variable components, manual tuners (AT-500 through AT5K-HP) at power ratings up to 3500W, and the BT1500A balanced tuner — supplemented by the LA-1K 1000W RF Sensing Dual HF LDMOS amplifier, the R30A shortwave receiver, the SP30/SP50 speaker line, and a long tail of accessories (dummy loads, wattmeters, keyers, active antennas, cables) and components (roller inductors, variable capacitors, baluns, turns counters).

The business operates on a one-time hardware purchase model with no subscription or recurring revenue; products are priced from $3 (small parts) to $3,795.95 (LA-1K amplifier), with core tuners in the $649–$1,795 range. Distribution is through Palstar's own e-commerce storefront at palstar.com, a toll-free phone sales line (800-773-7931), and a network of authorized dealers, all serving a single North American customer segment of licensed amateur radio operators. The company employs 11-50 people, is led by founder Paul Hrivnak (K8PD, Founder/President/CEO), and holds FCC equipment authorization for the LA-1K amplifier. No external funding, M&A activity, partnerships, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in the available source material.

Name

Palstar

Legal name

Palstar Inc.

Website

https://palstar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Palstar is a privately held, US-made amateur radio equipment manufacturer in Piqua, Ohio, serving licensed ham operators with antenna tuners, amplifiers, speakers, and related components sold direct-to-consumer and through authorized dealers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Piqua

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Antenna Tuners: Primary revenue stream from selling antenna tuners (autotuners, manual tuners, balanced tuners) at price points ranging from $649 to $1,795. One-time purchase model with no recurring revenue.
2. Hardware Sales - Amplifiers: Sale of RF amplifiers including the LA-1K 1000W amplifier at $3,795. Higher price point equipment contributing significant revenue per unit.
3. Hardware Sales - Components: Replacement parts and components including inductors, capacitors, meters, cables, knobs, dials, and miscellaneous hardware for amateur radio equipment. Prices range from $3 to $495.
4. Hardware Sales - Accessories: Accessories including speakers (SP30 series at $149-$295), dummy loads ($295-$495), wattmeters ($349-$360), and keyers ($379).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Palstar designs and manufactures amateur (ham) radio equipment in the USA. The product portfolio centers on automatic and manual antenna tuners, a 1000W RF power amplifier, shortwave receivers, communications speakers, and supporting accessories (dummy loads, wattmeters, keyers, cables) and components (roller inductors, variable capacitors, baluns, turns counters). Hardware is sold as one-time purchases to licensed amateur radio operators.

Product overview

Palstar is a manufacturer of amateur radio equipment designed and made in the USA. The product portfolio centers on antenna tuners (including automatic tuners like HF-AUTO, manual tuners like AT-500/AT2K/AT2KD/AT4K/AT5K/AT5K-HP, and balanced tuners like BT1500A), RF amplifiers (LA-1K 1000W LDMOS amplifier), shortwave receivers (R30A), and speakers (SP30 series). The company also offers a comprehensive range of accessories including dummy loads, wattmeters, keyers, active antennas, and cables. Additionally, Palstar sells individual components such as roller inductors (RI-20, RI-32), variable capacitors (C500, C600, C1350), turns counters, filters, and baluns for amateur radio builders and repair.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HF-AUTO 1800 Watt Automatic Antenna Tuner 1800 Watt automatic antenna tuner covering 160 to 6 meters with a power rating of 5 to 1800 watts PEP. Features continuously variable components for precise matching, 4-line LCD display, large plate variable differential capacitor, ceramic inductor, and three SO239 coax output connectors. Supports firmware updates via RS-232. Priced at $1,795.00.
• HF-AUTO-R Remote Control Unit Full-function remote control unit for the HF-AUTO automatic antenna tuner. Allows remote operation up to 500 feet away, duplicating all buttons, controls, and display info from the base unit. Connects via 3-wire RS-232 null-modem cable. Priced at $595.00.
• LA-1K RF Sensing Dual HF LDMOS 1000 Watt Amplifier RF Sensing Dual HF LDMOS 1000 Watt amplifier custom-designed to work as the perfect match for the HF-AUTO autotuner. FCC certified for equipment authorization. Priced at $3,795.95.
• AT-500 Manual Antenna Tuner Entry-level manual antenna tuner for amateur radio operators. Priced at $649.00.
• AT2K Manual Antenna Tuner Mid-range manual antenna tuner with differential capacitor. Priced at $795.00.
• AT2KD Differential Antenna Tuner Differential antenna tuner for amateur radio applications.
• AT4K Antenna Tuner High-power antenna tuner for amateur radio. Priced at $1,395.00.
• AT5K 3500 Watt Antenna Tuner 3500 Watt high-power antenna tuner for amateur radio. Priced at $1,495.00.
• AT5K-HP 3500 Watt High-Power Antenna Tuner 3500 Watt high-power antenna tuner for demanding amateur radio applications.
• BT1500A Balanced Antenna Tuner Balanced antenna tuner designed for balanced line tuning applications. Priced at $995.00.
• R30A Shortwave Receiver Shortwave receiver for amateur radio operators and shortwave listeners (SWL).
• SP30A Speaker Communications speaker designed for coherence and accuracy.
• SP30B Speaker Communications speaker for amateur radio stations.
• SP30H Ultimate Communications Speaker Ultimate communications speaker for amateur radio.
• SP30HP Powered Speaker Powered communications speaker for amateur radio.
• SP50HP Ultimate Powered Speaker Ultimate powered communications speaker for amateur radio stations.
• DL1500 Dummy Load Dummy load for testing amateur radio equipment.
• DL2K Dummy Load Dummy load for testing amateur radio equipment. Priced up to $495.00.
• DL2.5HP High-Power Dummy Load High-power dummy load for testing amateur radio equipment.
• PM2000A SWR Wattmeter Wattmeter with SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) measurement for amateur radio stations. Priced around $349.00.
• PM2000AM Mobile SWR Wattmeter Mobile wattmeter with SWR measurement for amateur radio applications.
• CW50A CW Keyer CW (Morse code) keyer with 5-55 WPM speed range and OPTO keying for amateur radio operators. Priced around $379.00.
• AA30 Active Antenna Active antenna for shortwave listening and amateur radio reception.
• HF-AUTO USB to RS-232 Cable USB to RS-232 cable for connecting a computer to download HF-AUTO firmware updates.
• 100' Null-Modem Cable for HF-AUTO-R Null-modem cable (100 feet) for connecting the HF-AUTO-R remote unit to the HF-AUTO base unit.
• RI-20 Roller Inductor (20uH) 20uH roller inductor measuring 3.5" x 3.75" x 5.5". For amateur radio builders and tuner repair.
• RI-32 Roller Inductor (32uH) 32uH roller inductor measuring 3.5" x 3.75" x 6 3/8". For amateur radio builders and tuner repair.
• C500 Variable Capacitor Variable capacitor rated at 4.6 kV, measuring 3.75" x 3.75" x 10". For amateur radio tuner construction.
• C600 Variable Capacitor Variable capacitor rated at 5.5 kV, measuring 4 3/8" x 5 5/16" x 10 1/4". For amateur radio tuner construction.
• C1350 Variable Capacitor Variable capacitor rated at 1.0 kV, measuring 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" x 6 7/16". For amateur radio tuner construction.
• B4000N 1:1 Balun 1:1 balun for amateur radio antenna systems.
• B4000N 4:1 Balun 4:1 balun for amateur radio antenna systems.
• TCB Precision Turns Counter Precision turns counter for amateur radio antenna tuners.
• FL30 Filter Filter component for amateur radio applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4-6 second processor-controlled tuning time for HF-AUTO
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• DX Engineering: Large US distributor and reseller of amateur radio equipment including tuners and amplifiers; competes with Palstar indirectly via its dealer/retail channel and its own house-brand products.

Emerging players

• Alpha Antenna: Smaller US-based maker of antenna systems and related RF gear, with partial overlap to Palstar in the antenna-tuning ecosystem for amateur radio.
• QRP Labs: Niche manufacturer of low-power QRP amateur radio kits and tuners; overlapping enthusiast audience but focused on lower-power, kit-based offerings versus Palstar's high-power equipment.

Broad incumbents

• Icom: Major Japanese amateur and professional radio manufacturer; overlaps with Palstar on tuner-adjacent ecosystem products sold to licensed hams.
• Yaesu: Global incumbent in amateur radio transceivers and accessories; competes with Palstar indirectly as part of a much broader portfolio targeting the same ham operators.
• Kenwood (JVCKENWOOD): Global incumbent in amateur HF transceivers and communication equipment; serves the same ham operator base with a wider equipment range.

Direct peers

• Elecraft: Premium American manufacturer of HF transceivers, amplifiers, and tuners, including auto-tuners — a direct competitor in the high-end ham station equipment niche Palstar serves.
• LDG Electronics: Specialist maker of automatic antenna tuners for amateur radio, including flagship autotuner models aimed at the same ham operator segment as Palstar's HF-AUTO line.
• MFJ Enterprises: Long-standing American manufacturer of amateur radio accessories, antenna tuners, and RF equipment with a similarly broad enthusiast catalog; competes head-to-head with Palstar in tuners, dummy loads, and station accessories.
• Ameritron: US manufacturer of HF RF power amplifiers for amateur radio, directly competing in the same high-power amplifier category as Palstar's LA-1K.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PalstarIncorporated/timeline

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Palstar