Thoughts on internal/external ATU for K3

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Thoughts on internal/external ATU for K3

ve3gfn
I had to respond to this query, as the K3's internal ATU puts me in
the Star Wars category!

For the past 33 years, one primary antenna I have used is an inverted
vee with fifty foot legs, fed with 40 feet of open-wire line, and up
to "K3 time", two switched external tuners with baluns.  I could
operate any two bands I chose without retuning, or apply a "touchup"
across 80/160M.

Since owning my K3, I've added a Balun Designs external balun to this
system, switched, so I can drive the open-wire line directly from the
ATU in the K3 through the balun, or use my traditional system.  Of
course, to use any rig other than the K3 in my shack, I'd still need
my traditional tuner system.

The K3 ATU will beautifully match my balun/vee system on all bands
except 160M, where the antenna is too small.  I use this arrangement
on all bands, 80-10 Meters, except for the bands 20/15/10M, covered
by my triband Yagi - but the ATU will match those bands, as well!

Retune the ATU each time I change bands?  Forget it!  I did a "tuning
run" on each band when I first set up the system, and then the K3
remembered all the settings, per band.

What's more, I drive my traditional tuner system/Yagi  from ANT1, and
my external balun from ANT2, and I sometimes also use the ATU when
driving the Yagi ... and the K3 remembers all those combinations.

The upshot is that, during the recent DX contest, I worked all bands
80 through 10M, simply changing bands on the K3 as needed, and the
right settings for the ATU, the correct use of ANT1/ANT2, and the
necessary use of the ATU for the Yagi as desired, were all switched
in automatically.

What's more, a mouse click on the bandmap of my logging software
would have me quickly moved from 10M to 80M, antenna changed, RF
output changed, antenna tuned for the right frequency, and ready to
call a station.  When Elecraft devise a way to call DX in their own
language, my life will be complete.

Is this Star Wars, or what?  Guys, when Elecraft says the ATU
remembers intraband, crossband,and inter-band settings (are they all
different?), as well as ANT1/ANT2 settings, they aren't kidding!  I
have capability here I never had before, in all my 53 years of hamming!

Not buy the internal ATU?  Bite your tongue!

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