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KAT500 remote operation

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ab2tc

KAT500 remote operation

Hi all,

I 've got my new KAT500 into my remote location. Unfortunately the software associated with my B&B Ethernet server decided to act up so I have not been able to talk to it. I have temporarily put it in the auto mode and it's mostly working nicely. It did not achieve a very good SWR on some segments of 80m as has been reported by other people. On all other bands I have better than 1.3:1.

AB2TC - Knut

ab2tc

Re: KAT500 remote operation

Hello again,

I finally managed to get the B&B software to work and I am now in full control of the box from the shack using the utility. Wonderful. I tried the "fine tune" method to improve the SWR on some 80m frequencies, but don't seem to able to make it work. Am I supposed to continue with uninterrupted 20W carrier when I click on the tune button again? It never seems to want to improve the settings any.

AB2TC - Knut

ab2tc wrote

Hi all,

I 've got my new KAT500 into my remote location. Unfortunately the software associated with my B&B Ethernet server decided to act up so I have not been able to talk to it. I have temporarily put it in the auto mode and it's mostly working nicely. It did not achieve a very good SWR on some segments of 80m as has been reported by other people. On all other bands I have better than 1.3:1.

AB2TC - Knut

Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ

Re: KAT500 remote operation

Administrator

Stop tx after the first tune. Then quickly press the tune button on the KAT500 and the immediately go back into TX. That will enter the fine tune mode.

Eric

www.elecraft.com
_..._

On Dec 7, 2012, at 12:09 PM, ab2tc <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Hello again,
>
> I finally managed to get the B&B software to work and I am now in full
> control of the box from the shack using the utility. Wonderful. I tried the
> "fine tune" method to improve the SWR on some 80m frequencies, but don't
> seem to able to make it work. Am I supposed to continue with uninterrupted
> 20W carrier when I click on the tune button again? It never seems to want to
> improve the settings any.
>
> AB2TC - Knut
>
>
> ab2tc wrote
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I 've got my new KAT500 into my remote location. Unfortunately the
>> software associated with my B&B Ethernet server decided to act up so I
>> have not been able to talk to it. I have temporarily put it in the auto
>> mode and it's mostly working nicely. It did not achieve a very good SWR on
>> some segments of 80m as has been reported by other people. On all other
>> bands I have better than 1.3:1.
>>
>> AB2TC - Knut
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/KAT500-remote-operation-tp7566817p7566864.html
> Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
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ab2tc

Re: KAT500 remote operation

Hi,

Still can't manage to get any improvement doing this. Anyway, right now the tuner is doing a great job to my G5RV on all bands except 15m and 80m. For those bands the raw SWR is above 12:1 so is outside the design parameters for the tuner. These are screen shots for the bands where the tuner is finding a good match:

http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_10m.png
http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_12m.png
http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_17m.png
http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_20m.png
http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_40m.png

I'll continue to work on the 15m and 80m to see if I can improve it.

AB2TC - Knut

Eric Swartz WA6HHQ - Elecraft wrote

Stop tx after the first tune. Then quickly press the tune button on the KAT500 and the immediately go back into TX. That will enter the fine tune mode.

Eric

www.elecraft.com
_..._

<snip>

Don Wilhelm-4

Re: KAT500 remote operation

Knut,

You might try adding or subtracting feedline at the shack end of the
feedline to bring the SWR down on those bands. I would suggest
experimenting with an antenna analyzer rather than the tuner - you will
be able to see which way to go for making improvement.

The fact is that the feedline with SWR will act as an impedance
transformer, and it will be more of a transformer on bands with high SWR
than on the bands that are better matched.

Some experimentation may be in order.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 12/7/2012 5:52 PM, ab2tc wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Still can't manage to get any improvement doing this. Anyway, right now the
> tuner is doing a great job to my G5RV on all bands except 15m and 80m. For
> those bands the raw SWR is above 12:1 so is outside the design parameters
> for the tuner. These are screen shots for the bands where the tuner is
> finding a good match:
>
> http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_10m.png
> http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_12m.png
> http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_17m.png
> http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_20m.png
> http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_40m.png
>
> I'll continue to work on the 15m and 80m to see if I can improve it.
>
> AB2TC - Knut
>

N5GE

Re: KAT500 remote operation

Knut,

I did what Don suggests to match my MARS NVIS Loop which is fed with
450 ohm ladder-line and has a ten foot 450 ohm ladder-line stub
diagonally opposite the fed corner, but added 75 ohm coax rather than
50 ohm.

I made three lengths of RG11, 6.5 feet, 6 feet and 9 feet. With
those three lengths you can try 6.5 feet, 12.5 feet, 15.5 feet and
21.5 feet to test with. After testing I ended up with 15.5 feet
which I coiled up between the 4:1 balun and the 50 ohm coax feeding
the KAT500 and KPA500. I used an AIM 4170 analyzer and looked at SWR
and Rs readings.

When you do that you compare the SWR and Rs value at a given
frequency and if the SWR is > Rs you divide SWR by Rs looking for a
value of < 10 If the value is < 10 the KAT500 can tune it at high
power. On the other hand if the Rs is > SWR you divide the Rs by the
SWR also looking for a value of < 10.

When you have value at each of the frequencies within desired range
of less than 10 The KAT500 will tune them.

My loop has 388 feet of wire in it and will tune with the KAT500 from
3.5 to 10.5MHz, except close to the K3 IF frequency, which can't be
used anyway.

Good luck with your antenna trimming!

73,
Tom
Amateur Radio Operator N5GE
ARRL Lifetime Member
QCWA Lifetime Member

On Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:00:24 -0500, Don Wilhelm
<[hidden email]> wrote:

>Knut,
>
>You might try adding or subtracting feedline at the shack end of the
>feedline to bring the SWR down on those bands. I would suggest
>experimenting with an antenna analyzer rather than the tuner - you will
>be able to see which way to go for making improvement.
>
>The fact is that the feedline with SWR will act as an impedance
>transformer, and it will be more of a transformer on bands with high SWR
>than on the bands that are better matched.
>
>Some experimentation may be in order.
>
>73,
>Don W3FPR
>
>On 12/7/2012 5:52 PM, ab2tc wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> Still can't manage to get any improvement doing this. Anyway, right now the
>> tuner is doing a great job to my G5RV on all bands except 15m and 80m. For
>> those bands the raw SWR is above 12:1 so is outside the design parameters
>> for the tuner. These are screen shots for the bands where the tuner is
>> finding a good match:
>>
>> http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_10m.png
>> http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_12m.png
>> http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_17m.png
>> http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_20m.png
>> http://ab2tc.getmyip.com/g5rv_40m.png
>>
>> I'll continue to work on the 15m and 80m to see if I can improve it.
>>
>> AB2TC - Knut
>>
>
>______________________________________________________________
>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

Amateur Radio Operator N5GE

ab2tc

Re: KAT500 remote operation

Hi,

I might try a delta loop in the spring. CNY weather is not conducive to antenna work riight now. I have now hooked up two more antennas, resonant dipoles for 10 and 15m. I am happy as a blast that I got the remote KAT500 installed before winter. The rollout of the KAT500 has been surprisingly snappy.

AB2TC - Knut

N5GE wrote

Knut,

I did what Don suggests to match my MARS NVIS Loop which is fed with
450 ohm ladder-line and has a ten foot 450 ohm ladder-line stub
diagonally opposite the fed corner, but added 75 ohm coax rather than
50 ohm.
<snip>