[Elecraft] Re: KAT100 LEDs Overactive on Reflected SWR

Wayne Burdick [email protected]
Tue Jan 21 08:41:01 2003


Mario,

If you see unwarranted high peak-SWR readings, and they are not dealt with by
the new revision of KAT100 firmware (1.04), then they almost always indicate
high RF on the VRFDET line and/or a spontaneous mismatch condition of some kind.
There are a number of suggestions in the back of the KAT100 manual, to which I
would add those you mentioned here.

Thanks,
Wayne
N6KR


Mario Lorenz wrote:
> 
> Am 19. Jan 2003, um 22:49:13 schrieb Wayne Burdick:
> > Hi Roy,
> >
> > KAT100 f/w revision 1.04 (the latest) does a lot more averaging, and should
> > eliminate this problem. If it doesn't, please let me know.
> 
> Wayne, I can confirm this problem happening with 1.04 as well. Sometimes
> thats up right into the red LEDs. I push tune, the tuner matches SWR down
> to 1.2:1 or so, and while I talk on SSB (80m in this case) the LEDs
> illuminate, in some cases up to the reds.
> 
> I think the issue is twofold.
> 
> 1. correct allignment. I've found the dummy loads to be critical. I have 3
> dummy loads, all supposedly 50 Ohms, with different power ratings. All of them
> requiring slight adjustments to the trimmer to zero the bridge. Depending
> uppon which dummy load I used for alignment, the effect is better or worse.
> 
> 2. Stray RF. I seem to have such problems, I have seen the K2 loose contact
> with the KAT100 (ATU vanishing, Ant A/B switch going Not-Inst, until
> power-cycle). The latter went away after applying proper grounding to
> both the K2 and the EC2 with the KAT and the KPA (I run the KPA in the EC2
> together with the KAT)....