KAT500 tuning procedure ?

[Michael Blake]

My current station is a K3s, KPA500 and a remote MFJ 944BRT auto tuner.  The remote auto tuner is being replaced with a local KAT500 and I am a bit confused on the workflow described in the manual.

The K3s does not contain the built in auto tuner and the three boxes will be connected per Figure 1. Cabling Diagram: Elecraft K3, KPA500 and KAT500 Using E850463 Aux Interface Cables on page 5 of the KAT500 manual.
The question(s) are:

1.  With the KAT500 in the “Auto” mode and the K3s “Tune” power level set for 10 watts and the KPA500 on and in the Operate mode will the KAT500 automatically drop (not key) the KPA500 offline and perform an autotune, when the K3s “Tune” button is pressed and the SWR exceeds the preset level?

2.   With the KAT500 in the “Auto” mode and the K3s “Tune” power level set for 10 watts and the KPA500 “ON" and in the “OPERATE" mode will the KAT500 leave the KPA500 online and drive the KPA500 to whatever output 10 watts drive delivers when the K3s ‘Tune” button is pressed if the SWR DOES NOT exceed the preset level?  I assume that this will be the condition when returning to a previously tuned band/frequency.

3.  If either 1 or 2 or both are not true is the procedure to always manually place the KPA500 in the “Standby” mode until all KAT500 tuning operations have been completed.

Michael Blake
[hidden email] <mailto:[hidden email]>






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[Richard Ferch-2]

FWIW, I have had a KAT500 for a few years now. I never use the KAT500's
Auto setting. Once the KAT500's memories are set up, the Manual setting
does everything I need.

First, with the KPA500 in Standby (or turned off), for every band/antenna
combination I use, I trained the KAT500 across the band. I did this by
tuning to a frequency near the bottom of the band, tapping the KAT500's
Tune button and then pressing the K3's Tune button (a long press, since
Tune is a "hold" function) and left the K3's Tune signal running until the
KAT500 found the best match, then turned the K3's Tune back off. Tune up 20
kHz and press the Tune buttons first on the KAT500 and then on the K3 until
the KAT500 finds a match. Keep doing this until the band is covered. Repeat
for all other band/antenna combinations. On 10 meters, you only have to do
this every 100 kHz instead of every 20 kHz, and on 6m, only every 200 kHz.
On 160m, the settings to be remembered are every 10 kHz.

Once this set-and-forget once-only training step was completed, I just
leave the KAT500 in Manual mode all the time. As I tune the K3 around, the
KAT500 reads the frequency from the K3 and automatically selects the
antenna for that band and the settings I trained it with for that frequency
and antenna. You can hear the relays in the KAT500 click as you move from
one band to another, or from one frequency memory segment to another one as
the remembered tuner settings change. As long as the impedance presented by
your antenna's feedline to the tuner does not change from what it was when
you trained the tuner, the remembered memory settings will work fine.

Sometimes, e.g. when it rains or snows, the SWR with the original setting
starts to get higher. Perhaps this is the kind of situation where the Auto
setting would touch the settings up automatically, but I heartily dislike
having the tuner suddenly spring into action mid-QSO. Instead, I wait for a
quiet moment, put the KPA500 in standby, put the KAT500 in Tune mode and
use the K3's Tune button again in order to find the best match for the
current conditions. As soon as the KAT500 finds a match, I put the KPA500
back into operate and carry on. Usually when this happens, the abnormal
tuner settings are only needed for a few hours, and as the humidity returns
to normal I redo the training procedure once more to bring the KAT500's
memory for that particular frequency/antenna combination back to normal.

73,
Rich VE3KI
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[Michael Blake]

Thanks Fred.  Your document mirrors what I have heard, in various versions, from several local K3/KPA/KAT owners.  Your logic for leaving the tuner in the “Manual” mode makes some sense but I wonder why the software command structure does not automatically place the K3/K3s in the “Tune”mode when the “Tune” button on the KAT500 is pressed.  Having to press two “Tune” buttons in sequence seems a bit crude for an otherwise elegantly integrated system.

But!  Thank you for your input Fred.  It is clear.  Some input from Wayne as to his views on the implementation of the K3/KPA/KAT tuning system would also be welcomed.

The reason I just ordered the KAT500 was because of a recent catastrophic failure of both VRF2933s in my KPA500,  While the failure was covered quickly and completely by Elecraft’s near perfect warranty I want to do whatever I can to insure it doesn’t happen again.  My goal is to achieve as much automated protection as possible.

Very 73 - Mike - K9JRI

> On Jun 16, 2018, at 8:24 PM, Cady, Fred <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Hi Michael,
> There are a couple of pdf files here
> http://www.ke7x.com/home/k-line-introduction-and-set-up-guide <http://www.ke7x.com/home/k-line-introduction-and-set-up-guide>
> that can help you understand a bit more of the KAT/KPA operation.
> Note, that, once you have trained the KAT you should run in Man mode, not Auto mode.
> Cheers and 73,
> Fred
>
> For all KE7X Elecraft books, see www.ke7x.com <http://www.ke7x.com/>
>
>
> From: [hidden email] <mailto:[hidden email]> <[hidden email] <mailto:[hidden email]>> on behalf of Michael Blake <[hidden email] <mailto:[hidden email]>>
> Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2018 5:41 PM
> To: Elecraft Mailing List
> Subject: [Elecraft] KAT500 tuning procedure ?
>  
> My current station is a K3s, KPA500 and a remote MFJ 944BRT auto tuner.  The remote auto tuner is being replaced with a local KAT500 and I am a bit confused on the workflow described in the manual.
>
> The K3s does not contain the built in auto tuner and the three boxes will be connected per Figure 1. Cabling Diagram: Elecraft K3, KPA500 and KAT500 Using E850463 Aux Interface Cables on page 5 of the KAT500 manual.
> The question(s) are:
>
> 1.  With the KAT500 in the “Auto” mode and the K3s “Tune” power level set for 10 watts and the KPA500 on and in the Operate mode will the KAT500 automatically drop (not key) the KPA500 offline and perform an autotune, when the K3s “Tune” button is pressed and the SWR exceeds the preset level?
>
> 2.   With the KAT500 in the “Auto” mode and the K3s “Tune” power level set for 10 watts and the KPA500 “ON" and in the “OPERATE" mode will the KAT500 leave the KPA500 online and drive the KPA500 to whatever output 10 watts drive delivers when the K3s ‘Tune” button is pressed if the SWR DOES NOT exceed the preset level?  I assume that this will be the condition when returning to a previously tuned band/frequency.
>
> 3.  If either 1 or 2 or both are not true is the procedure to always manually place the KPA500 in the “Standby” mode until all KAT500 tuning operations have been completed.
>
> Michael Blake
> [hidden email] <mailto:[hidden email]> <mailto:[hidden email] <mailto:[hidden email]>>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
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