KAT500 vs K3 ATU

[Gary Ferdinand]

I am considering getting a KAT500 to provide me with higher power auto-tuning.  Currently, the KAT3 is capable of achieving a match on all bands using my open-wire fed 160-meter dipole, with some help from a 4:1 balun.  I believe both tuners are T-matches, but I don't have enough information to judge whether the KAT500 will achieve the same matches that the KAT3 will.

Can anyone give me the L and C values for each tuner?  

Thanks,

Gary W2CS
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[Cady, Fred]

Gary,
Both tuners are L-C or C-L with the cap being able to be on the transmit side or the antenna side. The L and C values can  be found in the K3 schematic package available on the Elecraft website but, so far as I know, the KAT500 schematics haven't been published yet.
I would expect, that if you K3 can tune the antenna, certainly the KAT500 can too.
Cheers and 73,
Fred KE7X
 

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Gary Ferdinand
Sent: Sunday, August 04, 2013 8:37 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] KAT500 vs K3 ATU

I am considering getting a KAT500 to provide me with higher power auto-tuning.  Currently, the KAT3 is capable of achieving a match on all bands using my open-wire fed 160-meter dipole, with some help from a 4:1 balun.  I believe both tuners are T-matches, but I don't have enough information to judge whether the KAT500 will achieve the same matches that the KAT3 will.

Can anyone give me the L and C values for each tuner?  

Thanks,

Gary W2CS
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[Dick Dievendorff]

Essentially the same lumped values of L and C and hence the same tuning
range.  The distributed reactances inside the larger tuner are somewhat
different because of component size changes, so there are some minor
differences that show up on 6 meters mostly.

If you install the KAT500 Utility (available free on our web site), the
individual KAT500 L and C values are shown on the Operate Page. You don't
need the ATU to do this.

Both tuners are switched L matches, with a series inductor and the ability
to switch the selected capacitors to either end of the inductor.

73 de Dick, K6KR


-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Gary Ferdinand
Sent: Sunday, August 04, 2013 7:37 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] KAT500 vs K3 ATU

I am considering getting a KAT500 to provide me with higher power
auto-tuning.  Currently, the KAT3 is capable of achieving a match on all
bands using my open-wire fed 160-meter dipole, with some help from a 4:1
balun.  I believe both tuners are T-matches, but I don't have enough
information to judge whether the KAT500 will achieve the same matches that
the KAT3 will.

Can anyone give me the L and C values for each tuner?  

Thanks,

Gary W2CS
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[Roger Dallimore-2]

My K3's internal ATU will match 40m to 6m fine using a 66 foot doublet
but my KAT500 struggles a bit on two bands using the same antenna
configuration (with fine tuning), it tunes the remaining bands fine.

73
Roger MW0IDX



On 04/08/2013 15:37, Gary Ferdinand wrote:

> I am considering getting a KAT500 to provide me with higher power auto-tuning.  Currently, the KAT3 is capable of achieving a match on all bands using my open-wire fed 160-meter dipole, with some help from a 4:1 balun.  I believe both tuners are T-matches, but I don't have enough information to judge whether the KAT500 will achieve the same matches that the KAT3 will.
>
> Can anyone give me the L and C values for each tuner?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Gary W2CS
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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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[Al K0VM]

The KAT-500 utility shows C Values from 8 to 1360 pf ( ~2600 max ) and L
values from 50 to 9000 nH ( ~18000 max ).. I assume that is what is in
the hardware.

AL, K0VM

On 8/4/2013 9:37 AM, Gary Ferdinand wrote:

> I am considering getting a KAT500 to provide me with higher power auto-tuning.  Currently, the KAT3 is capable of achieving a match on all bands using my open-wire fed 160-meter dipole, with some help from a 4:1 balun.  I believe both tuners are T-matches, but I don't have enough information to judge whether the KAT500 will achieve the same matches that the KAT3 will.
>
> Can anyone give me the L and C values for each tuner?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Gary W2CS
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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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[ke9uw]

The K3 has values of reactance which are smaller in size than the KAT500. Therefore there are some instances of antenna and frequency where the KAT500 cannot tune and the K3 can. In that case, you could place a reactance on the feedline to bring the KAT500 into tune. You can find those values since both tuners display their values when tuned (or are unsatisfactory tuned).