Bob, it sounds like rain is changing the characteristics of that ladder line and so altering the tuning solution required at the KAT500.
The blinking MODE light says it's ready to tune once you apply enough RF power. Five watts won't do it. The KAT500 cannot tune with less than 10 watts of RF applied (20 watts is required for the most accurate tuning). 73 Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of KD7YZ Bob Sent: Monday, December 24, 2012 8:52 AM To: K3 List Subject: [Elecraft] KAT500 question Howdy K3' people: I have a KAT500. The "Auto" green LED is lit. I have previously tuned to the best it could get on 17m. This morning it is drizzling. The 450 ladder can sometimes act up when it is raining. So I begin a JT9, one-minute long, sequence. Next I hear a little chatter and see the Red-LED come on for SWR>=3. The "Auto" LED is now flashing. No tuning is taking place and the one-minute transmission finishes. I press & hold the XMIT/TUNE button and the KAT500 finds a nice SWR of 1.1 . Next sequence comes around and the K3 switches to xmit. The KAT500 chatters maybe once and the Red SWR LED comes on again. The "Auto" LED is now flashing. I can do nothing about this while the K3 is transmitting. Technically I should kill the XMIT and correct the SWR problem. We all know this. Fortunately I was running but 5 watts on the JT9-1 mode so I don't believe I did any damage. When I used my Palstar AT2K tuner, and it was raining, I'd see the VSWR climb, and knowing the cause, would just manually turn a knob and keep the SWR down. Was jut something ya do when it's raining, Is there something I am overlooking with my new automatic-tuner? -- 73 KD7YZ Bob ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
