Don, When you say "The ATU will tune the antenna to an acceptable SWR", you
are contradicting yourself, because as you rightly said the tuner does not
change the antenna feedpoint swr.

So we tune the transceiver to the feedline length feeding the antenna. that
feedline length is important 
regarding the 'measured' swr. A 1/2 wl will show the antenna feedpoint swr
or impedance (with analyser).
At the connection to the transceiver before any builtin or ext tuner. The
indicated swr on the transceiver or ext tuner display shows the feed side of
the tuner swr.

In theory the swr along the feedline maintains value, but it's a very
different story when you measure it.
The 1/2 wl feedline connected to a high swr antenna feedpoint shows high swr
at the tx feedline end, but cut the feedline at the 1/4wl point and measure
there for a much different 'indicated' result. 

As the swr detectors in the transceiver or atu use this method also, it
becomes obvious that feedline/coax length becomes a factor in showing the
transceiver a good match when the antenna feedpoint impedance is other than
50 ohms.. 

The best thing you can do in a multiband antenna setups where antenna
feedpoint impedance gets way off desired on certain bands, is to use the
lowest loss feedline possible., because this is where most of your losses
are, not the tuner. Remember only resistance can lose power as heat, not
reactance.

Every signal pass back up and down the feedline until sync radiation release
occurs, loses power with every pass depending on the feedline
specifications.

 

>
Lucia,

The Elecraft tuner (I don't care if it is a KAT2, KAT1, KXT1 o KXAT3)  
cannot change the the SWR of the antenna itself.  The ATU will tune the 
antenna to an acceptable SWR so the PA  transistor in the transceiver 
are happy.  If you measure the SWR between the Tuner and the antenna, 
you will not see any change.  The internal tuner does change the 
impedance that is seen by the PA transistors, and that is the goal of 
antenna tuners.

73,
Don W3FPR

>



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