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[KXPA100] ATU

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Joel Black-2

[KXPA100] ATU

I am not completely understanding the tuning performed using the KX3 with the KXPA100.

First, I’m not even completely sure which mode I should be in: Byp, Man, or Auto. I have three antennas - one is a vertical which is resonant on 40 - 10 except for 17 and 12 m. I have an OCF that is resonant on 40 - 10 *including* 17 and 12 m. I also have a shortened 80 m inverted vee that I have to tune if I go to 75 m.

Currently, I have the shortened 80 m antenna selected with my antenna switch. No matter which mode I use, I never hear any relays in the KXPA100 ATU and I never get below about 7.4:1 SWR. The KX3’s ATU works just fine with the same antenna. Pressing the ATU TUNE button on the KX3 starts the 25 LED blinking but stopping the tuning does not stop the 25 LED from blinking. It’s blinking right now and I’m not tuning anything.

I’m going to go back and verify all my cabling (I also have a PX3 in the mix) and make sure I haven’t cabled something wrong. Otherwise, what else can I look for?

Thanks,
Joel - W4JBB

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Don Wilhelm

Re: [KXPA100] ATU

Joel,

If you have the KXAT100 in your KXPA100 then, you should set the KXAT100
to AUTO while you "train" the ATU. Move the VFO in 50kHz increments and
do a TUNE. Do that for all bands of interest and each antenna of interest.

Then put the KXATU into MAN mode and it will recall the settings for
each band segment, but will not try to auto-tune.

If you leave it in AUTO mode, it may detect an erroneous bad SWR and
attempt to auto-tune. That is more likely during SSB speech than it is
for CW or data modes.

If you have resonant antennas and do not wish the KXAT100 to tune, put
it in bypass for those antennas.

In other words, do not leave the KXAT100 in AUTO mode unless you connect
an antenna that you have not yet trained the antenna to.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 7/20/2016 8:34 PM, Joel Black wrote:

> I am not completely understanding the tuning performed using the KX3 with the KXPA100.
>
> First, I’m not even completely sure which mode I should be in: Byp, Man, or Auto. I have three antennas - one is a vertical which is resonant on 40 - 10 except for 17 and 12 m. I have an OCF that is resonant on 40 - 10 *including* 17 and 12 m. I also have a shortened 80 m inverted vee that I have to tune if I go to 75 m.
>
> Currently, I have the shortened 80 m antenna selected with my antenna switch. No matter which mode I use, I never hear any relays in the KXPA100 ATU and I never get below about 7.4:1 SWR. The KX3’s ATU works just fine with the same antenna. Pressing the ATU TUNE button on the KX3 starts the 25 LED blinking but stopping the tuning does not stop the 25 LED from blinking. It’s blinking right now and I’m not tuning anything.
>
> I’m going to go back and verify all my cabling (I also have a PX3 in the mix) and make sure I haven’t cabled something wrong. Otherwise, what else can I look for?
>
> Thanks,
> Joel - W4JBB
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

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Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

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Joel Black-2

Re: [KXPA100] ATU

Thanks, Don. It was cockpit error. Hopefully I haven’t burned anything up. I had the KX3 connected to ANT 1 and the antenna selector switch on RF IN. Yep, I’m feeling pretty small right now.

73,
Joel - W4JBB

> On Jul 20, 2016, at 19:52, Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Joel,
>
> If you have the KXAT100 in your KXPA100 then, you should set the KXAT100 to AUTO while you "train" the ATU. Move the VFO in 50kHz increments and do a TUNE. Do that for all bands of interest and each antenna of interest.
>
> Then put the KXATU into MAN mode and it will recall the settings for each band segment, but will not try to auto-tune.
>
> If you leave it in AUTO mode, it may detect an erroneous bad SWR and attempt to auto-tune. That is more likely during SSB speech than it is for CW or data modes.
>
> If you have resonant antennas and do not wish the KXAT100 to tune, put it in bypass for those antennas.
>
> In other words, do not leave the KXAT100 in AUTO mode unless you connect an antenna that you have not yet trained the antenna to.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> On 7/20/2016 8:34 PM, Joel Black wrote:
>> I am not completely understanding the tuning performed using the KX3 with the KXPA100.
>>
>> First, I’m not even completely sure which mode I should be in: Byp, Man, or Auto. I have three antennas - one is a vertical which is resonant on 40 - 10 except for 17 and 12 m. I have an OCF that is resonant on 40 - 10 *including* 17 and 12 m. I also have a shortened 80 m inverted vee that I have to tune if I go to 75 m.
>>
>> Currently, I have the shortened 80 m antenna selected with my antenna switch. No matter which mode I use, I never hear any relays in the KXPA100 ATU and I never get below about 7.4:1 SWR. The KX3’s ATU works just fine with the same antenna. Pressing the ATU TUNE button on the KX3 starts the 25 LED blinking but stopping the tuning does not stop the 25 LED from blinking. It’s blinking right now and I’m not tuning anything.
>>
>> I’m going to go back and verify all my cabling (I also have a PX3 in the mix) and make sure I haven’t cabled something wrong. Otherwise, what else can I look for?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Joel - W4JBB
>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> 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
>> Message delivered to [hidden email]
>