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KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO

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Roy Morris-6

KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO

I had to boil down a portion of the instructions for my understanding. I
hope this is correct:

When setting the VFO tracking frequencies, hold K3 tune button FIRST then
tap KAT500 tune IN THAT ORDER. (The frequencies can be set in reverse
order.)

Use KAT500 AUTO button to set INITIAL tracking of K3 VFO on each band. Also
use the KAT500 AUTO button to reset new VFO tracking frequencies if you've
ERASED previous tracking settings on a given band. Once you're pretuned
switch KAT500 button to MAN mode.

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Dick Dievendorff-4

Re: KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO

1) It doesn't matter which order you hold the K3 tune button or tap KAT500
tune. I prefer to start KAT500 TUNE first, because it reduces on-air
signal time, and this interrupts the amp key line immediately, before RF.
The KAT500 continues tuning when RF arrives.

2) I don't use Mode AUTO mode. To "train" the tuner (initial setting), I put
the tuner in mode MAN, then perform step 1) above in several places on each
band. On bands where my antennas are "sharp" (160 and 80), I do this on
every 10 kHz (for 160 meters) and every 20 kHz (80 meters). On 40 I tune in
about five spots, on 20 meters I tune at the bottom, middle, and top of the
CW and phone segments. The tuner finds the nearest memory to your current
frequency. If I didn't tune in enough spaces, I sometimes perform step 1)
later when I find a spot that I should have trained in the initial step.
It's important to clear memories on a band where you make significant
antenna changes, because all the old settings can be used if you don't
retune in every memory segment.

In mode MAN, my KAT500 never enters full search tune unless I tap the TUNE
button.

If I make an antenna selection mistake (I have switches beyond the KAT500),
I'd prefer for the KAT500 to not search, just disconnect the amp key line
and show a fault LED. When I fix the antenna switch and tap the key, the
KAT500 measures "good" SWR at exciter power and clears the SWR fault,
reconnecting the amplifier.

Mode AUTO is useful when you have multiple antennas switched after the
KAT500 (and more than one on a given band), or can't reach the KAT500 TUNE
button. You should expect to send a TUNE-level signal long enough for the
ATU tuner to react on each significant QSY or antenna change.

73 de Dick, K6KR

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Roy Morris
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2014 8:27 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO

I had to boil down a portion of the instructions for my understanding. I
hope this is correct:

When setting the VFO tracking frequencies, hold K3 tune button FIRST then
tap KAT500 tune IN THAT ORDER. (The frequencies can be set in reverse
order.)

Use KAT500 AUTO button to set INITIAL tracking of K3 VFO on each band. Also
use the KAT500 AUTO button to reset new VFO tracking frequencies if you've
ERASED previous tracking settings on a given band. Once you're pretuned
switch KAT500 button to MAN mode.

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k6dgw

Re: KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO

Hmmm ... I think you may have pointed out a technical difficulty in my
mind. I thought the KAT500 divided the bands up into fixed segments and
I "trained" mine at what I thought was the center of each segment ...
every 10 KHz on 160, 20 KHz on 80, 50 KHz on 40/30, 100 KHz on
20/17/15/10, and I don't remember on 6. If I'm reading your explanation
right, I should have done it based on the bandwidth of my antennas
instead? That would be a lot faster, my method took an afternoon since
I have more than one antenna for most bands.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
- www.cqp.org

On 3/1/2014 10:07 AM, Dick Dievendorff wrote:

> 2) I don't use Mode AUTO mode. To "train" the tuner (initial setting), I put
> the tuner in mode MAN, then perform step 1) above in several places on each
> band. On bands where my antennas are "sharp" (160 and 80), I do this on
> every 10 kHz (for 160 meters) and every 20 kHz (80 meters). On 40 I tune in
> about five spots, on 20 meters I tune at the bottom, middle, and top of the
> CW and phone segments. The tuner finds the nearest memory to your current
> frequency. If I didn't tune in enough spaces, I sometimes perform step 1)
> later when I find a spot that I should have trained in the initial step.
> It's important to clear memories on a band where you make significant
> antenna changes, because all the old settings can be used if you don't
> retune in every memory segment.

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Dick Dievendorff-4

Re: KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO

If your antenna tuner settings at nearby frequencies are similar, they don't all need to be present. The ATU searches left and right of the tune freq for the first non-empty memory. But if there is a stale entry from a prior antenna, it looks just as good for a Memory recall tune.

The segment widths are
10 kHz on 160
20 kHz on 80 thru 12 meters
100 kHz on 10
200 kHz on 6 meters

My 10 meter antenna, an InnovAntenna, is flat from 28000 thru 29000. I trained at just at those two points. More doesn't hurt, it's just unnecessary work if the antennas are flat. My 40 meter W6NL Moxon is a close second.

73 de Dick, K6KR

> On Mar 1, 2014, at 10:41, Fred Jensen <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Hmmm ... I think you may have pointed out a technical difficulty in my mind. I thought the KAT500 divided the bands up into fixed segments and I "trained" mine at what I thought was the center of each segment ... every 10 KHz on 160, 20 KHz on 80, 50 KHz on 40/30, 100 KHz on 20/17/15/10, and I don't remember on 6. If I'm reading your explanation right, I should have done it based on the bandwidth of my antennas instead? That would be a lot faster, my method took an afternoon since I have more than one antenna for most bands.
>
> 73,
>
> Fred K6DGW
> - Northern California Contest Club
> - CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
> - www.cqp.org
>
>> On 3/1/2014 10:07 AM, Dick Dievendorff wrote:
>>
>> 2) I don't use Mode AUTO mode. To "train" the tuner (initial setting), I put
>> the tuner in mode MAN, then perform step 1) above in several places on each
>> band. On bands where my antennas are "sharp" (160 and 80), I do this on
>> every 10 kHz (for 160 meters) and every 20 kHz (80 meters). On 40 I tune in
>> about five spots, on 20 meters I tune at the bottom, middle, and top of the
>> CW and phone segments. The tuner finds the nearest memory to your current
>> frequency. If I didn't tune in enough spaces, I sometimes perform step 1)
>> later when I find a spot that I should have trained in the initial step.
>> It's important to clear memories on a band where you make significant
>> antenna changes, because all the old settings can be used if you don't
>> retune in every memory segment.
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
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> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Jim Bennett

Re: KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO

As I read Fred's note, it seems like maybe he is assuming that it can keep multiple settings, as he said he "has more than one antenna for most bands." Does the KAT500 keep a separate set of memories for each ANTx port, or is there just ONE for each band, irregardless of what ANTx port the antenna is hooked to? My understanding was that there is just ONE set of memories. Yes?

Jim / W6JHB

On Saturday, Mar 1, 2014, at Saturday, 10:54 AM, Dick Dievendorff wrote:

> If your antenna tuner settings at nearby frequencies are similar, they don't all need to be present. The ATU searches left and right of the tune freq for the first non-empty memory. But if there is a stale entry from a prior antenna, it looks just as good for a Memory recall tune.
>
> The segment widths are
> 10 kHz on 160
> 20 kHz on 80 thru 12 meters
> 100 kHz on 10
> 200 kHz on 6 meters
>
> My 10 meter antenna, an InnovAntenna, is flat from 28000 thru 29000. I trained at just at those two points. More doesn't hurt, it's just unnecessary work if the antennas are flat. My 40 meter W6NL Moxon is a close second.
>
> 73 de Dick, K6KR
>
>> On Mar 1, 2014, at 10:41, Fred Jensen <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> Hmmm ... I think you may have pointed out a technical difficulty in my mind. I thought the KAT500 divided the bands up into fixed segments and I "trained" mine at what I thought was the center of each segment ... every 10 KHz on 160, 20 KHz on 80, 50 KHz on 40/30, 100 KHz on 20/17/15/10, and I don't remember on 6. If I'm reading your explanation right, I should have done it based on the bandwidth of my antennas instead? That would be a lot faster, my method took an afternoon since I have more than one antenna for most bands.
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Fred K6DGW
>> - Northern California Contest Club
>> - CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
>> - www.cqp.org
>>
>>> On 3/1/2014 10:07 AM, Dick Dievendorff wrote:
>>>
>>> 2) I don't use Mode AUTO mode. To "train" the tuner (initial setting), I put
>>> the tuner in mode MAN, then perform step 1) above in several places on each
>>> band. On bands where my antennas are "sharp" (160 and 80), I do this on
>>> every 10 kHz (for 160 meters) and every 20 kHz (80 meters). On 40 I tune in
>>> about five spots, on 20 meters I tune at the bottom, middle, and top of the
>>> CW and phone segments. The tuner finds the nearest memory to your current
>>> frequency. If I didn't tune in enough spaces, I sometimes perform step 1)
>>> later when I find a spot that I should have trained in the initial step.
>>> It's important to clear memories on a band where you make significant
>>> antenna changes, because all the old settings can be used if you don't
>>> retune in every memory segment.
>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> ______________________________________________________________
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>
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k6dgw

Re: KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO

On 3/1/2014 11:04 AM, Jim Bennett wrote:
> As I read Fred's note, it seems like maybe he is assuming that it can
> keep multiple settings, as he said he "has more than one antenna for
> most bands." Does the KAT500 keep a separate set of memories for each
> ANTx port, or is there just ONE for each band, irregardless of what
> ANTx port the antenna is hooked to? My understanding was that there
> is just ONE set of memories. Yes?

I'll defer to Dick because he actually *knows*, but I have 3 antennas
and I set the 500 up with the utility with a primary and secondary
antenna on each band [where I had more than one]. The other(s) are
disabled so when I punch the ANT button, it cycles through those that
are enabled. When I was training it, the solutions were different
depending on which antenna I was on, and now, it recalls the correct L-C
solution when I change antennas.

So, I think it remembers your settings by band segment for each of the
three antenna outputs.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
- www.cqp.org

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Jim Bennett

Re: KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO

And that is good to know - thanks guys!

On Saturday, Mar 1, 2014, at Saturday, 2:28 PM, Fred Jensen wrote:

> On 3/1/2014 11:04 AM, Jim Bennett wrote:
>> As I read Fred's note, it seems like maybe he is assuming that it can
>> keep multiple settings, as he said he "has more than one antenna for
>> most bands." Does the KAT500 keep a separate set of memories for each
>> ANTx port, or is there just ONE for each band, irregardless of what
>> ANTx port the antenna is hooked to? My understanding was that there
>> is just ONE set of memories. Yes?
>
> I'll defer to Dick because he actually *knows*, but I have 3 antennas and I set the 500 up with the utility with a primary and secondary antenna on each band [where I had more than one]. The other(s) are disabled so when I punch the ANT button, it cycles through those that are enabled. When I was training it, the solutions were different depending on which antenna I was on, and now, it recalls the correct L-C solution when I change antennas.
>
> So, I think it remembers your settings by band segment for each of the three antenna outputs.
>
> 73,
>
> Fred K6DGW
> - Northern California Contest Club
> - CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
> - www.cqp.org
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
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k6dgw

Re: KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO

In reply to this post by Dick Dievendorff-4

I don't want to belabor this but I do want to understand, this is sort
of "science" so it therefore must be hard :-) All this assumes MAN mode
which is what I run in.

1. There are defined band segments where the KAT500 stores matching
solutions if trained, by antenna port.

2. If a band segment/port hasn't been "trained," the 500 will go to the
nearest frequency for which a solution *has* been trained, regardless of
where [freq] that might be.

3. I can train it in any segment I want to, likely based on the BW of
my antennas and when I need to. If I don't train it in a segment, it
doesn't matter, the 500 will still use the nearest match.

If this is all true, please tell me and I will be a Happy Ham! Actually
I am now, it works.

I probably need to stop reading about everyones' problems.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014
- www.cqp.org

On 3/1/2014 10:54 AM, Dick Dievendorff wrote:
> If your antenna tuner settings at nearby frequencies are similar,
> they don't all need to be present. The ATU searches left and right
> of the tune freq for the first non-empty memory. But if there is a
> stale entry from a prior antenna, it looks just as good for a Memory
> recall tune.

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