Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Thanks Don and Rick for all the help. chuck - Original Message From: Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com To: K6LE k...@mac.com Cc: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 11:16:01 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Rick, OK, that may be possible with the KAT3, but it certainly is not possible with the KAT2 or the KAT100. I do not have a tuner in my K3 because I have all resonant antennas - no tuner required, so I bow to your experience. 73, Don W3FPR K6LE wrote: Have to disagree Don! I have a ladder line fed doublet (with outside balun) attached to Ant 1 and an R7 on Ant 2. I have Ant 1 set to use the ATU and Ant 2 Bypassed since I don't need the tuner for it. When I switch between Ant 1 and 2 the ATU indicator comes on for 1 and off for 2. Slick! Rick K6LE On 2/24/2010, at 3:36 , Don Wilhelm wrote: __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Thanks guys for all the input. I have a better understanding of the capabilities of each option. 73. chuck af4xk -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4635901.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
[Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Hello guys. Narrowing down the options I 'need' in a K3. Regarding an internal vs external ATU: If you were going to operate your K3 at 100 watts (no plans for an amplifier), radio to be used only at home (no portable operating), and one of your antennas was a dipole that can be tuned over all bands with an ATU, would you opt for the K3 internal ATU or purchase an external one? I see advantages both ways and am curious how most of you would decide on this. Thanks for any advice. chuck -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4627735.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
As usual, it depends. In this case it depends upon the feedline losses on your all band dipole. If it is something like a G5RV doublet fed with ladderline with low feedline losses, then the internal tuner will work fine. If it is fed with coax of any appreciable length, then the external tuner is much to be preferred. I have both the K3 internal tuner and an external remote tuner here. I use the internal tuner with my ladderline fed 102 ft doublet and bring the ladderline to within 3 ft of the K3 before transitioning to RG-213 at a current choke. This works fine. For my 80 thru 15 43 ft vertical I use a CG-3000 remote tuner at the base since it is fed with coax. I keep hoping that Elecraft will come out with a remote tuner! One with a balanced output option would be icing on the cake. Are you listening, Aptos ??Hint Hint ;) 73 Craig AC0DS __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
I used my K3 with built in matching unit directly into a low (avg 10ft agl) doublet of 88ft per leg (somewhat bent) and a short feeder directly into the PL. No rf earth, isolated mains supply. Worked well across 160 to 10. I should have used a coax choke but it worked very well. It has always been tedious using an external manual tuner with other rigs. It well justifies the $ for instant band switching. David G3UNA Hello guys. Narrowing down the options I 'need' in a K3. Regarding an internal vs external ATU: If you were going to operate your K3 at 100 watts (no plans for an amplifier), radio to be used only at home (no portable operating), and one of your antennas was a dipole that can be tuned over all bands with an ATU, would you opt for the K3 internal ATU or purchase an external one? I see advantages both ways and am curious how most of you would decide on this. Thanks for any advice. chuck -- __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
I have used my internal tuner and K3 for a year and a half now. I have yet to find an antenna that it will not tune. I own several external tuners and I have never found a need for any of them except when I am using a high power amplifier. The only reason that I can think of to use an external tune is if the antenna is located 500 feet away and you want the tuner at the antenna end of it. Go for the internal tuner and don't look back. Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ From: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 12:44:38 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Hello guys. Narrowing down the options I 'need' in a K3. Regarding an internal vs external ATU: If you were going to operate your K3 at 100 watts (no plans for an amplifier), radio to be used only at home (no portable operating), and one of your antennas was a dipole that can be tuned over all bands with an ATU, would you opt for the K3 internal ATU or purchase an external one? I see advantages both ways and am curious how most of you would decide on this. Thanks for any advice. chuck -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4627735.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Thanks guys. You do make a strong case for the internal unit. My internal unit on my K2 (15 watts) works great. My dipole is coax fed - U shaped, no balun, running thru attic and out eaves to back of yard. My shack is on the 2nd floor (no RF ground) I've never used an external ATU and was thinking it would automatically pick up on a band change and adjust. However, it sounds like that's incorrect and the band change would have to be entered in both the radio and the tuner. I just started using Ham Radio Deluxe and that 'one click' band change is nice. But one of the reasons I was considering the external unit was they provide a nice visual display of both the SWR and the output power level. So with the internal ATU do you guys use a separate SWR/Power meter (and I guess a dummy load would generally be included)? thanks. chuck -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4628064.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
I'm afraid you have the wrong concept of the internal tuner. Every time you change bands, you must push the ATU Tune button. It does have memories and it's very quick and has a very wide range. In fact, the K3's tuner is the best I've ever seen. I also have the MFJ-998 auto tuner. 5 watts of RF is all that is needed to activate the tuning process therefore the amount of manual intervention is the same for either method of tuning. I just push the TUNE button on the K3 which sends a few watts to the MFJ and it tunes. I've installed the MFJ tuner out at the antenna feedpoint now, 95 feet from the shack. The antenna is a 130' inverted L. This would not work well with the K3's internal tuner because I'm running RG-213 to the antenna. I'm able to cover all bands plus I can run the amplifier if needed. External auto tuners do allow greater flexibility and configuration options. Keep that in mind if money is a factor. Otherwise, buy both! Steve N4LQ - Original Message - From: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 2:40 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Thanks guys. You do make a strong case for the internal unit. My internal unit on my K2 (15 watts) works great. My dipole is coax fed - U shaped, no balun, running thru attic and out eaves to back of yard. My shack is on the 2nd floor (no RF ground) I've never used an external ATU and was thinking it would automatically pick up on a band change and adjust. However, it sounds like that's incorrect and the band change would have to be entered in both the radio and the tuner. I just started using Ham Radio Deluxe and that 'one click' band change is nice. But one of the reasons I was considering the external unit was they provide a nice visual display of both the SWR and the output power level. So with the internal ATU do you guys use a separate SWR/Power meter (and I guess a dummy load would generally be included)? thanks. chuck -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4628064.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2707 - Release Date: 02/24/10 02:34:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Most internal tuners, like my FT-920 and Mark-V FT-1000MP, have very limited range, but the K3 tuner has a wide range, and is very fast. Well worth the money. -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4628150.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Steve, You stated Every time you change bands, you must push the ATU Tune button. If that's true then I have been operating my K2 ATU incorrectly but it seems to work fine the way I've been doing it. Initially, or after any change, I run thru the bands tuned to the cw portion and hit the ATU Tune button to obtain close to a 1 to 1 swr. Once that's done I was under the impression that the internal memory kept that setting stored and I didn't need to re-tune (i.e. repress the ATU Tune button) until a change was made to the system. I may go for several weeks without any changes. So do you really need to re-tune EVERYTIME you change bands? thanks. chuck -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4628261.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
This isn't true, is it? It's certainly not the case for the K1 or K2 tuners, and I can't believe that the K3 is less capable. Peter N8MHD On Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 1:52 PM, Steve Ellington n...@carolina.rr.com wrote: I'm afraid you have the wrong concept of the internal tuner. Every time you change bands, you must push the ATU Tune button. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
It depends on whether the antenna is badly out of balance and whether it is low or high impedance. With coax based antenna and when the balun is not required, KAT3 is very convenient. When one uses unbalanced high SWR antennas fed by ladderline or TV line, one needs an efficient current balun. For high impedance antennas, some baluns including BL2 have very high losses. In fact, KAT3 can match BL2 without any antenna; the toroid gets hot fast. With an outside tuner, a jumper of RG174 between K3 and a tuner looped a few times on a toroid makes a very effective low loss balun. Ignacy, NO9E -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4628321.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
You don't have to if you go back to the same frequency, but if you were on the cw band and go back to the phone band you might, depending on if the load changes. It does not seem to remember the settings for frequencies within the band, but it is just the push of one button and two or three seconds to tune again. Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ From: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 2:12:49 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Steve, You stated Every time you change bands, you must push the ATU Tune button. If that's true then I have been operating my K2 ATU incorrectly but it seems to work fine the way I've been doing it. Initially, or after any change, I run thru the bands tuned to the cw portion and hit the ATU Tune button to obtain close to a 1 to 1 swr. Once that's done I was under the impression that the internal memory kept that setting stored and I didn't need to re-tune (i.e. repress the ATU Tune button) until a change was made to the system. I may go for several weeks without any changes. So do you really need to re-tune EVERYTIME you change bands? thanks. chuck -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4628261.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
You do *not* have to push the ATU button every time you change bands. See the firmware release notes for MCU 3.03. The ATU remembers the last setting used on each band/antenna input; in fact, it remembers the setting for every 20 kHz segment (every 10 kHz segment on 160m, every 50 kHz segment on 10m and every 200 kHz segment on 6m). If you use an external antenna switch, then you may have to push the ATU button every time you switch antennas on a given band. One other thing the KAT3 gives you, by the way, is two antenna inputs, switchable on the radio, and remembered on a per-band basis. 73, Rich VE3KI N8MHD wrote: This isn't true, is it? It's certainly not the case for the K1 or K2 tuners, and I can't believe that the K3 is less capable. Peter N8MHD On Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 1:52 PM, Steve Ellington n...@carolina.rr.com wrote: I'm afraid you have the wrong concept of the internal tuner. Every time you change bands, you must push the ATU Tune button. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Chuck, I do use an external meter because I use it to tune my vintage amplifier. If you are operating bare foot, you do not need it. The meter in the K3 is totally adequate to tell you what is going on. I was a Controls Engineer before I retired and we had a saying One meter and you have a measurement, two or more meters and you have an argument. Of course, if you are a nut case like me and like to see the D'arsonval needle bounce, go ahead and put the external meter in. Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ From: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 1:40:53 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Thanks guys. You do make a strong case for the internal unit. My internal unit on my K2 (15 watts) works great. My dipole is coax fed - U shaped, no balun, running thru attic and out eaves to back of yard. My shack is on the 2nd floor (no RF ground) I've never used an external ATU and was thinking it would automatically pick up on a band change and adjust. However, it sounds like that's incorrect and the band change would have to be entered in both the radio and the tuner. I just started using Ham Radio Deluxe and that 'one click' band change is nice. But one of the reasons I was considering the external unit was they provide a nice visual display of both the SWR and the output power level. So with the internal ATU do you guys use a separate SWR/Power meter (and I guess a dummy load would generally be included)? thanks. chuck -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4628064.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Still confused guys on the Re-Tune issue. So on my coax fed dipole, if I press ATU TUNE at 7.030, wouldn't that be enough to tune the 7.000 thru 7.060 freq range without retuning whenever I 'band switch' back to 40 meters and operate in the above cw range? chuck -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4628491.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Cookie and all, That is *not* true for the KAT3 (it was for the KAT2 and KAT100). Look on page 22 of the new owners manual. The K3 saves up to 30 ATU setting for both antennas on every band. However, if you have not yet done so, you will have to do a TUNE at several frequencies throughout the band so the settings are recorded. If you change the antenna that is connected to either ANT1 or ANT2, you have to do that all over again - but once tuned, the settings for that band portion will be retained. Let's see -- 30 settings on a wide band like 80 meters (500 kHz wide), that means you can have a different setting for every 16.67 kHz segment of 80 meters. That should handle even the most narrowband antennas. Similarly 10 meters is 1.7 MHz wide, so the KAT3 can remember a unique setting every 56.67 kHz, and on 6 meters (4 MHz wide), every 133.33 kHz. Not too bad. The band segment boundaries may not be on exactly the intervals that I have stated - I simply divided the width of the band by 30 to get a general idea of the spacing, but in any case it should be quite adequate. 73, Don W3FPR WILLIS COOKE wrote: You don't have to if you go back to the same frequency, but if you were on the cw band and go back to the phone band you might, depending on if the load changes. It does not seem to remember the settings for frequencies within the band, but it is just the push of one button and two or three seconds to tune again. Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
The K3 tuner does store it's settings in memory but you must transmit in order to get the tuner to change to your frequency. Let's say you're on 80m, all tuned up and hop to 40 meters. If you don't transmit and your reception may be rather weak because the tuner is peaked for 80 meters. I usually hit the ATU tune button and let the tuner switch to it's memory settings. I do this instead of hitting the key and transmitting a full 100 watts. Maybe not necessary but seems like it might be easier on the finals. So yesyou need to transmit somehow to make the ATU change. It doesn't follow along as you spin the dial like ICOMs do. Steve N4LQ - Original Message - From: Richard Ferch ve3...@storm.ca To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 3:48 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 You do *not* have to push the ATU button every time you change bands. See the firmware release notes for MCU 3.03. The ATU remembers the last setting used on each band/antenna input; in fact, it remembers the setting for every 20 kHz segment (every 10 kHz segment on 160m, every 50 kHz segment on 10m and every 200 kHz segment on 6m). If you use an external antenna switch, then you may have to push the ATU button every time you switch antennas on a given band. One other thing the KAT3 gives you, by the way, is two antenna inputs, switchable on the radio, and remembered on a per-band basis. 73, Rich VE3KI N8MHD wrote: This isn't true, is it? It's certainly not the case for the K1 or K2 tuners, and I can't believe that the K3 is less capable. Peter N8MHD On Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 1:52 PM, Steve Ellington n...@carolina.rr.com wrote: I'm afraid you have the wrong concept of the internal tuner. Every time you change bands, you must push the ATU Tune button. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2707 - Release Date: 02/24/10 02:34:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Chuck, The short answer is YES. The longer answer is if you move far enough away from the original frequency where the antenna was tuned,. and the SWR increases, just do another TUNE and that will be remembered for that band segment too. I believe you also asked about an external wattmeter - that is not required at all, the indicators on the K3 display will tell you what is going on. If you do use an external wattmeter, be aware that you cannot insert it between the K3 PA and the KAT3. That is the only place that the SWR will change (BTW, that is the place that is monitored for power and SWR by the K3 itself and indicated on the display). An external wattmeter in your antenna line after the tuner will show an unchanging SWR - whatever SWR the coax is running at and that will not change with tuning the KAT3. While that may be informative, it is not important for the K3 operation. 73, Don W3FPR callen1155 wrote: Still confused guys on the Re-Tune issue. So on my coax fed dipole, if I press ATU TUNE at 7.030, wouldn't that be enough to tune the 7.000 thru 7.060 freq range without retuning whenever I 'band switch' back to 40 meters and operate in the above cw range? chuck No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2707 - Release Date: 02/24/10 02:34:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
I do have a KAT3 and have never owned a KAT2 or KAT100. My owners manual is the one that came with the K3 in June of 2008. It does not say anything except pushing the ATU Tune button. What you say is news to me! Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ From: Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com To: WILLIS COOKE wrco...@yahoo.com Cc: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 3:09:09 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Cookie and all, That is *not* true for the KAT3 (it was for the KAT2 and KAT100). Look on page 22 of the new owners manual. The K3 saves up to 30 ATU setting for both antennas on every band. However, if you have not yet done so, you will have to do a TUNE at several frequencies throughout the band so the settings are recorded. If you change the antenna that is connected to either ANT1 or ANT2, you have to do that all over again - but once tuned, the settings for that band portion will be retained. Let's see -- 30 settings on a wide band like 80 meters (500 kHz wide), that means you can have a different setting for every 16.67 kHz segment of 80 meters. That should handle even the most narrowband antennas. Similarly 10 meters is 1.7 MHz wide, so the KAT3 can remember a unique setting every 56.67 kHz, and on 6 meters (4 MHz wide), every 133.33 kHz. Not too bad. The band segment boundaries may not be on exactly the intervals that I have stated - I simply divided the width of the band by 30 to get a general idea of the spacing, but in any case it should be quite adequate. 73, Don W3FPR WILLIS COOKE wrote: You don't have to if you go back to the same frequency, but if you were on the cw band and go back to the phone band you might, depending on if the load changes. It does not seem to remember the settings for frequencies within the band, but it is just the push of one button and two or three seconds to tune again. Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Steve, That is not necessary. The KAT3 remembers the settings on each band, so one can bandswitch from one band to another without need to re-tune. Exception - if you have changed antennas for the new band since the time you did a TUNE on that band, then yes, you will have to re-tune. For those running with multi-band antennas (resonant or not), this is a huge time savings when switching bands - if that antenna was tuned on that band before, just hit the bandswitch and operate, no need to do a tune. If you operate with a multiband antenna, take some time and TUNE the KAT3 at several places on each band - after that, no TUNE required, just change bands. 73, Don W3FPR Steve Ellington wrote: The K3 tuner does store it's settings in memory but you must transmit in order to get the tuner to change to your frequency. Let's say you're on 80m, all tuned up and hop to 40 meters. If you don't transmit and your reception may be rather weak because the tuner is peaked for 80 meters. I usually hit the ATU tune button and let the tuner switch to it's memory settings. I do this instead of hitting the key and transmitting a full 100 watts. Maybe not necessary but seems like it might be easier on the finals. So yesyou need to transmit somehow to make the ATU change. It doesn't follow along as you spin the dial like ICOMs do. Steve N4LQ - Original Message - From: Richard Ferch ve3...@storm.ca To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 3:48 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 You do *not* have to push the ATU button every time you change bands. See the firmware release notes for MCU 3.03. The ATU remembers the last setting used on each band/antenna input; in fact, it remembers the setting for every 20 kHz segment (every 10 kHz segment on 160m, every 50 kHz segment on 10m and every 200 kHz segment on 6m). If you use an external antenna switch, then you may have to push the ATU button every time you switch antennas on a given band. One other thing the KAT3 gives you, by the way, is two antenna inputs, switchable on the radio, and remembered on a per-band basis. 73, Rich VE3KI N8MHD wrote: This isn't true, is it? It's certainly not the case for the K1 or K2 tuners, and I can't believe that the K3 is less capable. Peter N8MHD On Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 1:52 PM, Steve Ellington n...@carolina.rr.com wrote: I'm afraid you have the wrong concept of the internal tuner. Every time you change bands, you must push the ATU Tune button. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2707 - Release Date: 02/24/10 02:34:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2707 - Release Date: 02/24/10 02:34:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Cookie, Download the latest manual from the Elecraft website - that is where I found that info. 73, Don W3FPR WILLIS COOKE wrote: I do have a KAT3 and have never owned a KAT2 or KAT100. My owners manual is the one that came with the K3 in June of 2008. It does not say anything except pushing the ATU Tune button. What you say is news to me! Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Well, I switched my 160 inverted L to 15 meters and tried it. The first pass through the SWR would jump about every 20 khz and I would need to retune, the second pass the SWR stated low as advertised. After a year and a half and 7,000 plus Qs I still learn something new about the K3 pretty often. I guess most of the time I tune my SteppIR and when I am on 80 and 160 I usually am using an amp, so I never noticed. Now it it would self initiate the tuning at about 1.5 SWR it would have it all! That all said, the only thing left is K3, great rig, KAT3, great tuner, if you don't own one, sell your Kaycom and get one! Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ From: WILLIS COOKE wrco...@yahoo.com To: d...@w3fpr.com Cc: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 3:29:31 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 I do have a KAT3 and have never owned a KAT2 or KAT100. My owners manual is the one that came with the K3 in June of 2008. It does not say anything except pushing the ATU Tune button. What you say is news to me! Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ From: Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com To: WILLIS COOKE wrco...@yahoo.com Cc: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 3:09:09 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Cookie and all, That is *not* true for the KAT3 (it was for the KAT2 and KAT100). Look on page 22 of the new owners manual. The K3 saves up to 30 ATU setting for both antennas on every band. However, if you have not yet done so, you will have to do a TUNE at several frequencies throughout the band so the settings are recorded. If you change the antenna that is connected to either ANT1 or ANT2, you have to do that all over again - but once tuned, the settings for that band portion will be retained. Let's see -- 30 settings on a wide band like 80 meters (500 kHz wide), that means you can have a different setting for every 16.67 kHz segment of 80 meters. That should handle even the most narrowband antennas. Similarly 10 meters is 1.7 MHz wide, so the KAT3 can remember a unique setting every 56.67 kHz, and on 6 meters (4 MHz wide), every 133.33 kHz. Not too bad. The band segment boundaries may not be on exactly the intervals that I have stated - I simply divided the width of the band by 30 to get a general idea of the spacing, but in any case it should be quite adequate. 73, Don W3FPR WILLIS COOKE wrote: You don't have to if you go back to the same frequency, but if you were on the cw band and go back to the phone band you might, depending on if the load changes. It does not seem to remember the settings for frequencies within the band, but it is just the push of one button and two or three seconds to tune again. Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Amen to that! And it gets *all* of the RF out of the shack as well. I recently moved my fully balanced homebrew kilowatt autotuner out to my garden shed about a hundred feet from the shack where it feeds the ladderline going up to my 160M horz loop. I have been fighting RF-in-the-shack problems for years ... what a relief ! Don K7FJ External auto tuners do allow greater flexibility and configuration options. Keep that in mind if money is a factor. Otherwise, buy both! Steve N4LQ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Hello Chuck, That is my situation, and I opted for an external tuner. I did that to avoid the loses that I would get from using 140 feet of buried coax to my dipole. My antenna tuner is located at the other end of my coax, so my loses are minimized. This involves using a remote, weather proof tuner. I use an SGC model SG-230 remote tuner (coupler, according to SGC) and a multi conductor rotor cable for power and control. The tuner is housed in a wooden box mounted on a 4x 6 post. The coax and rotor cable run through a buried 2 schedule 40 conduit. I have since changed the dipole for a 176 foot inverted L antenna worked against ground radials. I intend to add a 20 foot vertical for the higher frequencies, and an RF switch, also controlled with the rotor cable. The SGC tuner has worked well and I am happy with the system. I just think the 55 foot high inverted L is not optimum for 20 meters and above, thus the 20 foot vertical. When I had the multi band dipole (doublet) I used 400 ohm window line from the tuner to the antenna. This worked well, but I wanted to eliminate the window line. I think the inverted L works as well and is bothered less by heavy winds. 73, Rick Dettinger K7MW On Feb 24, 2010, at 10:44 AM, callen1155 wrote: Hello guys. Narrowing down the options I 'need' in a K3. Regarding an internal vs external ATU: If you were going to operate your K3 at 100 watts (no plans for an amplifier), radio to be used only at home (no portable operating), and one of your antennas was a dipole that can be tuned over all bands with an ATU, would you opt for the K3 internal ATU or purchase an external one? I see advantages both ways and am curious how most of you would decide on this. Thanks for any advice. chuck -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4627735.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Thanks guys for all the info. I have one other question about the ATU use with two antennas. Say I have two antennas connected to the ATU , one is a dipole (non resonant- need the ATU to 'match') and the other antenna is a Hustler BTV6 (which i've just purchase having never used a vertical) which is supposedly resonant across all it's operating bands. So, i assume I don't really need to use the ATU 'tune/match' functionality for the Hustler (it's just providing the connector). So can i have the ATU 'activated' for the dipole antenna (antenna A) but non-activated for the hustler (ant B)? Question would apply to both the K3 and K2 ATU's. Thanks so much for all the help. chuck -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4629233.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
I have not tried that, but you can certainly push and hold the ATU Tune button and bypass the tuner whenever you like. If you have two antennas connected you can change antennas with the ANT button. Whether it would remember and change automatically I don't know and I would have to change some wiring to find out. One thing that we have not mentioned is that the second SO239 and the relay to switch between two antennas is part of the KAT3, so if you want to have two antennas you need it. The points people are making about the tuner at the antenna are certainly valid in many circumstances, but unless you are really hard pressed for funds there is no down side for having the KAT3 installed. I am pondering buying one to install in my TS-440 for mobile. I bought a MFJ-927 to use mobile, but I have not been able to make it work. Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ From: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 5:13:17 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Thanks guys for all the info. I have one other question about the ATU use with two antennas. Say I have two antennas connected to the ATU , one is a dipole (non resonant- need the ATU to 'match') and the other antenna is a Hustler BTV6 (which i've just purchase having never used a vertical) which is supposedly resonant across all it's operating bands. So, i assume I don't really need to use the ATU 'tune/match' functionality for the Hustler (it's just providing the connector). So can i have the ATU 'activated' for the dipole antenna (antenna A) but non-activated for the hustler (ant B)? Question would apply to both the K3 and K2 ATU's. Thanks so much for all the help. chuck -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/Thoughts-on-internal-vs-external-ATU-for-K3-tp4627735p4629233.html Sent from the [K3] mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Chuck, While you cannot have one antenna set to bypass and the other one for tuning - there is an easy way to accomplish that. Since the K2 and K3 tuners remember the settings for each antenna jack separately, just pre-tune the one you will not use for tuning into a 50 ohm dummy load. Then when you select that antenna, the tuner is effectively bypassed. In practice, not all antennas are well matched on all bands - and that is particularly true of electrically short antennas, so you would likely want tuning on both antennas anyway. 73, Don W3FPR callen1155 wrote: Thanks guys for all the info. I have one other question about the ATU use with two antennas. Say I have two antennas connected to the ATU , one is a dipole (non resonant- need the ATU to 'match') and the other antenna is a Hustler BTV6 (which i've just purchase having never used a vertical) which is supposedly resonant across all it's operating bands. So, i assume I don't really need to use the ATU 'tune/match' functionality for the Hustler (it's just providing the connector). So can i have the ATU 'activated' for the dipole antenna (antenna A) but non-activated for the hustler (ant B)? Question would apply to both the K3 and K2 ATU's. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
I'll weigh in on this one, too, since I'm considering this option quite seriously. With my home-only station running QRP CW I use a nice 100+ Watt external tuner (even for QRP). It has the obligatory cable connected between it and the radio plus a grounding cable plus a power cable and either sits beside or on top. It is convenient in that it will initiate tuning when I press the Tune button on the radio, but it just looks messy to have an external unit attached to the radio, to the power supply and to the ground buss. I hate it! I want an internal tuner for no other reason than to keep my station neat and simple. Removing the clutter and other points of possible failures from the coax jumper, power cable and grounding cable is a huge bonus in my opinion! __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Cookie Now switch back to 160m. Don't touch anything. Is your receive level ok? Now transmitDid receive level improve? Did the tuner go back to it's 160m setting WITHOUT transmitting at all? Just curious. Steve N4LQ - Original Message - From: WILLIS COOKE wrco...@yahoo.com To: WILLIS COOKE wrco...@yahoo.com; d...@w3fpr.com Cc: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 4:51 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Well, I switched my 160 inverted L to 15 meters and tried it. The first pass through the SWR would jump about every 20 khz and I would need to retune, the second pass the SWR stated low as advertised. After a year and a half and 7,000 plus Qs I still learn something new about the K3 pretty often. I guess most of the time I tune my SteppIR and when I am on 80 and 160 I usually am using an amp, so I never noticed. Now it it would self initiate the tuning at about 1.5 SWR it would have it all! That all said, the only thing left is K3, great rig, KAT3, great tuner, if you don't own one, sell your Kaycom and get one! Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ From: WILLIS COOKE wrco...@yahoo.com To: d...@w3fpr.com Cc: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 3:29:31 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 I do have a KAT3 and have never owned a KAT2 or KAT100. My owners manual is the one that came with the K3 in June of 2008. It does not say anything except pushing the ATU Tune button. What you say is news to me! Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ From: Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com To: WILLIS COOKE wrco...@yahoo.com Cc: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 3:09:09 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Cookie and all, That is *not* true for the KAT3 (it was for the KAT2 and KAT100). Look on page 22 of the new owners manual. The K3 saves up to 30 ATU setting for both antennas on every band. However, if you have not yet done so, you will have to do a TUNE at several frequencies throughout the band so the settings are recorded. If you change the antenna that is connected to either ANT1 or ANT2, you have to do that all over again - but once tuned, the settings for that band portion will be retained. Let's see -- 30 settings on a wide band like 80 meters (500 kHz wide), that means you can have a different setting for every 16.67 kHz segment of 80 meters. That should handle even the most narrowband antennas. Similarly 10 meters is 1.7 MHz wide, so the KAT3 can remember a unique setting every 56.67 kHz, and on 6 meters (4 MHz wide), every 133.33 kHz. Not too bad. The band segment boundaries may not be on exactly the intervals that I have stated - I simply divided the width of the band by 30 to get a general idea of the spacing, but in any case it should be quite adequate. 73, Don W3FPR WILLIS COOKE wrote: You don't have to if you go back to the same frequency, but if you were on the cw band and go back to the phone band you might, depending on if the load changes. It does not seem to remember the settings for frequencies within the band, but it is just the push of one button and two or three seconds to tune again. Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.733 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2707 - Release Date: 02/24/10 02:34:00 __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
That would not be a meaningful test for me Steve. When I use the tuner on 160 meters I use it to match the input to my amplifier and I do not use a tuner between the amp and the inverted L. The SWR is 3/1 or less and the tube type amp handles that fine. The impedence of the input to the amp if dependent on the Tune and Load settings more than anything else that varies. I seldom use the KAT3 to tune an antenna as I run the L with an 80 meter trap on 80 the same way that I do on 160. On 40 thru 6 I use the SteppIR beam and it tunes to frequency with its own micro processor controller. I really can't tell any difference in the receive level between the KAT3 and Bypass. I did use the L as an all band antenna for three months after Ike broke my SteppIR, but it never occurred to me that the KAT3 had the memory so I just punched the button when the SWR got high and didn't give it any thought. Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ From: Steve Ellington n...@carolina.rr.com To: WILLIS COOKE wrco...@yahoo.com; d...@w3fpr.com Cc: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 5:59:32 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Cookie Now switch back to 160m. Don't touch anything. Is your receive level ok? Now transmitDid receive level improve? Did the tuner go back to it's 160m setting WITHOUT transmitting at all? Just curious. Steve N4LQ - Original Message - From: WILLIS COOKE wrco...@yahoo.com To: WILLIS COOKE wrco...@yahoo.com; d...@w3fpr.com Cc: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 4:51 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Well, I switched my 160 inverted L to 15 meters and tried it. The first pass through the SWR would jump about every 20 khz and I would need to retune, the second pass the SWR stated low as advertised. After a year and a half and 7,000 plus Qs I still learn something new about the K3 pretty often. I guess most of the time I tune my SteppIR and when I am on 80 and 160 I usually am using an amp, so I never noticed. Now it it would self initiate the tuning at about 1.5 SWR it would have it all! That all said, the only thing left is K3, great rig, KAT3, great tuner, if you don't own one, sell your Kaycom and get one! Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ From: WILLIS COOKE wrco...@yahoo.com To: d...@w3fpr.com Cc: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 3:29:31 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 I do have a KAT3 and have never owned a KAT2 or KAT100. My owners manual is the one that came with the K3 in June of 2008. It does not say anything except pushing the ATU Tune button. What you say is news to me! Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ From: Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com To: WILLIS COOKE wrco...@yahoo.com Cc: callen1155 callen1...@yahoo.com; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wed, February 24, 2010 3:09:09 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3 Cookie and all, That is *not* true for the KAT3 (it was for the KAT2 and KAT100). Look on page 22 of the new owners manual. The K3 saves up to 30 ATU setting for both antennas on every band. However, if you have not yet done so, you will have to do a TUNE at several frequencies throughout the band so the settings are recorded. If you change the antenna that is connected to either ANT1 or ANT2, you have to do that all over again - but once tuned, the settings for that band portion will be retained. Let's see -- 30 settings on a wide band like 80 meters (500 kHz wide), that means you can have a different setting for every 16.67 kHz segment of 80 meters. That should handle even the most narrowband antennas. Similarly 10 meters is 1.7 MHz wide, so the KAT3 can remember a unique setting every 56.67 kHz, and on 6 meters (4 MHz wide), every 133.33 kHz. Not too bad. The band segment boundaries may not be on exactly the intervals that I have stated - I simply divided the width of the band by 30 to get a general idea of the spacing, but in any case it should be quite adequate. 73, Don W3FPR WILLIS COOKE wrote: You don't have to if you go back to the same frequency, but if you were on the cw band and go back to the phone band you might, depending on if the load changes. It does not seem to remember the settings for frequencies within the band, but it is just the push of one button and two or three seconds to tune again. Willis 'Cookie' Cooke K5EWJ __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Have to disagree Don! I have a ladder line fed doublet (with outside balun) attached to Ant 1 and an R7 on Ant 2. I have Ant 1 set to use the ATU and Ant 2 Bypassed since I don't need the tuner for it. When I switch between Ant 1 and 2 the ATU indicator comes on for 1 and off for 2. Slick! Rick K6LE On 2/24/2010, at 3:36 , Don Wilhelm wrote: Chuck, While you cannot have one antenna set to bypass and the other one for tuning - there is an easy way to accomplish that. Since the K2 and K3 tuners remember the settings for each antenna jack separately, just pre-tune the one you will not use for tuning into a 50 ohm dummy load. Then when you select that antenna, the tuner is effectively bypassed. In practice, not all antennas are well matched on all bands - and that is particularly true of electrically short antennas, so you would likely want tuning on both antennas anyway. 73, Don W3FPR __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] Thoughts on internal vs external ATU for K3
Rick, OK, that may be possible with the KAT3, but it certainly is not possible with the KAT2 or the KAT100. I do not have a tuner in my K3 because I have all resonant antennas - no tuner required, so I bow to your experience. 73, Don W3FPR K6LE wrote: Have to disagree Don! I have a ladder line fed doublet (with outside balun) attached to Ant 1 and an R7 on Ant 2. I have Ant 1 set to use the ATU and Ant 2 Bypassed since I don't need the tuner for it. When I switch between Ant 1 and 2 the ATU indicator comes on for 1 and off for 2. Slick! Rick K6LE On 2/24/2010, at 3:36 , Don Wilhelm wrote: __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
