Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO
1) It doesn't matter which order you hold the K3 tune button or tap KAT500 tune. I prefer to start KAT500 TUNE first, because it reduces on-air signal time, and this interrupts the amp key line immediately, before RF. The KAT500 continues tuning when RF arrives. 2) I don't use Mode AUTO mode. To train the tuner (initial setting), I put the tuner in mode MAN, then perform step 1) above in several places on each band. On bands where my antennas are sharp (160 and 80), I do this on every 10 kHz (for 160 meters) and every 20 kHz (80 meters). On 40 I tune in about five spots, on 20 meters I tune at the bottom, middle, and top of the CW and phone segments. The tuner finds the nearest memory to your current frequency. If I didn't tune in enough spaces, I sometimes perform step 1) later when I find a spot that I should have trained in the initial step. It's important to clear memories on a band where you make significant antenna changes, because all the old settings can be used if you don't retune in every memory segment. In mode MAN, my KAT500 never enters full search tune unless I tap the TUNE button. If I make an antenna selection mistake (I have switches beyond the KAT500), I'd prefer for the KAT500 to not search, just disconnect the amp key line and show a fault LED. When I fix the antenna switch and tap the key, the KAT500 measures good SWR at exciter power and clears the SWR fault, reconnecting the amplifier. Mode AUTO is useful when you have multiple antennas switched after the KAT500 (and more than one on a given band), or can't reach the KAT500 TUNE button. You should expect to send a TUNE-level signal long enough for the ATU tuner to react on each significant QSY or antenna change. 73 de Dick, K6KR -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Roy Morris Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2014 8:27 AM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO I had to boil down a portion of the instructions for my understanding. I hope this is correct: When setting the VFO tracking frequencies, hold K3 tune button FIRST then tap KAT500 tune IN THAT ORDER. (The frequencies can be set in reverse order.) Use KAT500 AUTO button to set INITIAL tracking of K3 VFO on each band. Also use the KAT500 AUTO button to reset new VFO tracking frequencies if you've ERASED previous tracking settings on a given band. Once you're pretuned switch KAT500 button to MAN mode. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO
Hmmm ... I think you may have pointed out a technical difficulty in my mind. I thought the KAT500 divided the bands up into fixed segments and I trained mine at what I thought was the center of each segment ... every 10 KHz on 160, 20 KHz on 80, 50 KHz on 40/30, 100 KHz on 20/17/15/10, and I don't remember on 6. If I'm reading your explanation right, I should have done it based on the bandwidth of my antennas instead? That would be a lot faster, my method took an afternoon since I have more than one antenna for most bands. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014 - www.cqp.org On 3/1/2014 10:07 AM, Dick Dievendorff wrote: 2) I don't use Mode AUTO mode. To train the tuner (initial setting), I put the tuner in mode MAN, then perform step 1) above in several places on each band. On bands where my antennas are sharp (160 and 80), I do this on every 10 kHz (for 160 meters) and every 20 kHz (80 meters). On 40 I tune in about five spots, on 20 meters I tune at the bottom, middle, and top of the CW and phone segments. The tuner finds the nearest memory to your current frequency. If I didn't tune in enough spaces, I sometimes perform step 1) later when I find a spot that I should have trained in the initial step. It's important to clear memories on a band where you make significant antenna changes, because all the old settings can be used if you don't retune in every memory segment. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO
If your antenna tuner settings at nearby frequencies are similar, they don't all need to be present. The ATU searches left and right of the tune freq for the first non-empty memory. But if there is a stale entry from a prior antenna, it looks just as good for a Memory recall tune. The segment widths are 10 kHz on 160 20 kHz on 80 thru 12 meters 100 kHz on 10 200 kHz on 6 meters My 10 meter antenna, an InnovAntenna, is flat from 28000 thru 29000. I trained at just at those two points. More doesn't hurt, it's just unnecessary work if the antennas are flat. My 40 meter W6NL Moxon is a close second. 73 de Dick, K6KR On Mar 1, 2014, at 10:41, Fred Jensen k6...@foothill.net wrote: Hmmm ... I think you may have pointed out a technical difficulty in my mind. I thought the KAT500 divided the bands up into fixed segments and I trained mine at what I thought was the center of each segment ... every 10 KHz on 160, 20 KHz on 80, 50 KHz on 40/30, 100 KHz on 20/17/15/10, and I don't remember on 6. If I'm reading your explanation right, I should have done it based on the bandwidth of my antennas instead? That would be a lot faster, my method took an afternoon since I have more than one antenna for most bands. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014 - www.cqp.org On 3/1/2014 10:07 AM, Dick Dievendorff wrote: 2) I don't use Mode AUTO mode. To train the tuner (initial setting), I put the tuner in mode MAN, then perform step 1) above in several places on each band. On bands where my antennas are sharp (160 and 80), I do this on every 10 kHz (for 160 meters) and every 20 kHz (80 meters). On 40 I tune in about five spots, on 20 meters I tune at the bottom, middle, and top of the CW and phone segments. The tuner finds the nearest memory to your current frequency. If I didn't tune in enough spaces, I sometimes perform step 1) later when I find a spot that I should have trained in the initial step. It's important to clear memories on a band where you make significant antenna changes, because all the old settings can be used if you don't retune in every memory segment. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO
As I read Fred's note, it seems like maybe he is assuming that it can keep multiple settings, as he said he has more than one antenna for most bands. Does the KAT500 keep a separate set of memories for each ANTx port, or is there just ONE for each band, irregardless of what ANTx port the antenna is hooked to? My understanding was that there is just ONE set of memories. Yes? Jim / W6JHB On Saturday, Mar 1, 2014, at Saturday, 10:54 AM, Dick Dievendorff wrote: If your antenna tuner settings at nearby frequencies are similar, they don't all need to be present. The ATU searches left and right of the tune freq for the first non-empty memory. But if there is a stale entry from a prior antenna, it looks just as good for a Memory recall tune. The segment widths are 10 kHz on 160 20 kHz on 80 thru 12 meters 100 kHz on 10 200 kHz on 6 meters My 10 meter antenna, an InnovAntenna, is flat from 28000 thru 29000. I trained at just at those two points. More doesn't hurt, it's just unnecessary work if the antennas are flat. My 40 meter W6NL Moxon is a close second. 73 de Dick, K6KR On Mar 1, 2014, at 10:41, Fred Jensen k6...@foothill.net wrote: Hmmm ... I think you may have pointed out a technical difficulty in my mind. I thought the KAT500 divided the bands up into fixed segments and I trained mine at what I thought was the center of each segment ... every 10 KHz on 160, 20 KHz on 80, 50 KHz on 40/30, 100 KHz on 20/17/15/10, and I don't remember on 6. If I'm reading your explanation right, I should have done it based on the bandwidth of my antennas instead? That would be a lot faster, my method took an afternoon since I have more than one antenna for most bands. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014 - www.cqp.org On 3/1/2014 10:07 AM, Dick Dievendorff wrote: 2) I don't use Mode AUTO mode. To train the tuner (initial setting), I put the tuner in mode MAN, then perform step 1) above in several places on each band. On bands where my antennas are sharp (160 and 80), I do this on every 10 kHz (for 160 meters) and every 20 kHz (80 meters). On 40 I tune in about five spots, on 20 meters I tune at the bottom, middle, and top of the CW and phone segments. The tuner finds the nearest memory to your current frequency. If I didn't tune in enough spaces, I sometimes perform step 1) later when I find a spot that I should have trained in the initial step. It's important to clear memories on a band where you make significant antenna changes, because all the old settings can be used if you don't retune in every memory segment. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO
On 3/1/2014 11:04 AM, Jim Bennett wrote: As I read Fred's note, it seems like maybe he is assuming that it can keep multiple settings, as he said he has more than one antenna for most bands. Does the KAT500 keep a separate set of memories for each ANTx port, or is there just ONE for each band, irregardless of what ANTx port the antenna is hooked to? My understanding was that there is just ONE set of memories. Yes? I'll defer to Dick because he actually *knows*, but I have 3 antennas and I set the 500 up with the utility with a primary and secondary antenna on each band [where I had more than one]. The other(s) are disabled so when I punch the ANT button, it cycles through those that are enabled. When I was training it, the solutions were different depending on which antenna I was on, and now, it recalls the correct L-C solution when I change antennas. So, I think it remembers your settings by band segment for each of the three antenna outputs. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014 - www.cqp.org __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO
And that is good to know - thanks guys! On Saturday, Mar 1, 2014, at Saturday, 2:28 PM, Fred Jensen wrote: On 3/1/2014 11:04 AM, Jim Bennett wrote: As I read Fred's note, it seems like maybe he is assuming that it can keep multiple settings, as he said he has more than one antenna for most bands. Does the KAT500 keep a separate set of memories for each ANTx port, or is there just ONE for each band, irregardless of what ANTx port the antenna is hooked to? My understanding was that there is just ONE set of memories. Yes? I'll defer to Dick because he actually *knows*, but I have 3 antennas and I set the 500 up with the utility with a primary and secondary antenna on each band [where I had more than one]. The other(s) are disabled so when I punch the ANT button, it cycles through those that are enabled. When I was training it, the solutions were different depending on which antenna I was on, and now, it recalls the correct L-C solution when I change antennas. So, I think it remembers your settings by band segment for each of the three antenna outputs. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014 - www.cqp.org __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 Tracking of K3 VFO
I don't want to belabor this but I do want to understand, this is sort of science so it therefore must be hard :-) All this assumes MAN mode which is what I run in. 1. There are defined band segments where the KAT500 stores matching solutions if trained, by antenna port. 2. If a band segment/port hasn't been trained, the 500 will go to the nearest frequency for which a solution *has* been trained, regardless of where [freq] that might be. 3. I can train it in any segment I want to, likely based on the BW of my antennas and when I need to. If I don't train it in a segment, it doesn't matter, the 500 will still use the nearest match. If this is all true, please tell me and I will be a Happy Ham! Actually I am now, it works. I probably need to stop reading about everyones' problems. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014 - www.cqp.org On 3/1/2014 10:54 AM, Dick Dievendorff wrote: If your antenna tuner settings at nearby frequencies are similar, they don't all need to be present. The ATU searches left and right of the tune freq for the first non-empty memory. But if there is a stale entry from a prior antenna, it looks just as good for a Memory recall tune. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
