--- In [email protected], Andy obrien <k3uka...@...> wrote: > > On Sat, Nov 21, 2009 at 10:18 PM, aa777888athotmaildotcom > <aa777...@...> wrote: > > > > > > > > I've gave PCALE a very good try. As implemented it suffers from several > > problems: > > > > 1. It is equipment specific and intensive. You either need an SGC tuner set > > up for bypass-on-receive (the only brand I am aware of that has this > > capability) or a special antenna that is resonant and >efficient on each > > band you plan to scan. You can also set up RF switching to bypass the tuner > > on receive but that becomes even more complex. There was a computer > > controlled tuner on the market >that could be controlled by MARS-ALE but > > MARS-ALE is not available to mere mortals and the tuner itself was buggy > > and is now out of production. > > > This is not really correct with PC-ALE and a modern receiver that has > a internal antenna tuner. I have used PC-ALE with a TS2000 and an > Icom 746 Pro and the tuner in both rigs memorizes settings for each > frequency fast enough so that a match is achieved before an ALE > transmission. So, with my basic home brewed antennas (a 60M loop and > a 20M ground plan vertical) I can macth 80-10M and use PC-ALE (or > Multipsk) fully.
Andy--are you saying that the TS2000 and 746 will tune BEFORE transmit (assuming valid tune data for that freq is there)? If so that's really great, but it still speaks to my issue on requiring particular and more elaborate equipment to operate "real" ALE, i.e. scanning ALE (which is the whole point, of course!) If they don't tune before transmit then you could be receiving into an unmatched antenna and thereby potentially causing significant reception problems. My smart external tuner, an MFJ-993B, is almost fast enough (I have to add more "tune bits", which is just ONE thing that speaks to my "ALE is NOT so easy to set up argument" ;-) as it also tunes from memory, but it still doesn't help me on receive. :-(
