I just got back from my annual trek to Martha's Vineyard, but operating
the K2 was a bit different this year. My home qth situation does not
accommodate an ATU very well, so I avoided getting the KAT2. And, of
course, once I added the KPA100, that issue seemed to become moot.
However, when I'm at the Vineyard, I put the original lid back on to
the K2 and operate qrp. I use my slingshot to throw a 112' wire into a
tree (the other end is anchored to the lightning rod on the end of the
converted barn) and I pitch a 33' counterpoise out the loft window. I
used to tune this with an MFJ 934 tuner with artificial ground. This
worked very well on 80-10. But then I began thinking: if I am going to
use the original lid only under these kinds of circumstances, maybe it
makes sense to add the KAT2. Which is what I did. And, boy, yes!!! I
sure don't know why I didn't do it earlier.
Because I built the ATU just shortly before leaving and didn't have
much time to test it except to see that it was working, I lugged along
the MFJ box, just in case, and the MFJ-259, which is very useful in
finding initial settings without using the K2's power. Well, that was
a waste of space. I could have left those boxes at home, as well as an
assortment of cables and a coax switch. The KAT2 tuned that same
antenna set up (I added a second 16' cp) fantastically well on all
bands 160-10 (1.1-1 or better). I just wish the bands were in as good
shape as the KAT2 behaved.
Although it tuned top band, I wondered just how well I would be able to
get out. I tried twice and made good contacts both times, once getting
a 599 from K9DX in IL (of course, he was about 30 db over s9, running a
kw and an appropriate top-band antenna). Add to that the fact that the
settings are remembered, so switching bands merely required pushing the
band button, and, wow, who could ask for more. I sure don't know why I
didn't do it earlier.
best wishes,
dave belsley, w1euy
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