[Elecraft] RE: KX1 Ideas

[Steven Pituch]

Hi Simon,
I will tell y'all what I do, but I think that many will think me not a
purist and disagree. 

I think Wayne gave a description of all the Elecraft tuners relative to each
other.  I think the KAT100 is best, and from what I recall from Wayne
probably then the KAT2, then the KAT1, then the T1, then the KXAT1.

Its not that one is _BETTER_ than the other, but based on size, etc, some
have more elements in them and thus more switching choices.  The KXAT1 being
so small has fewer choices and less range than say the KAT100.  However that
doesn't mean the KAT100 is perfect although its one of the best ATUs on the
market.  I find for example that even something as basic as tuning a 40
meter dipole on 20 meters can be difficult for the KAT100.  A dipole is just
not easy to tune on odd harmonics.  Yes, there are tricks like shortening
the feed line, using a 4:1 balun, shorting out the two wires, adding
inductances or capacitances, etc, but that can be a pain to remember,
especially when you have a lot of band combinations, and are in the field.
I did that once for field day: "let me see, 80 meters, how much ladder line
do I add?"  So this is what I do.

For QRP, using the KAT2, I have an small manual tuner, I think its called a
Norcal tuner.  Anyway it is very reliable and I put it between the antenna
and K2.  I have a list of manual tuner settings that were figured out
beforehand that either give me 1:1 or reduce the SWR enough so that the KAT2
when used in series will always give me a 1:1 SWR.  The advantage is that
once I tune up on a band I can just hit the K2 tune button every 10 kHz or
so and get a 1:1 SWR across the band.

I have done the same thing with my KAT100 using an MFJ 949E.  I can't really
use 20 meters without it, and I am not willing to go out in a hurricane and
add an eigth wave to my feedline to get the antenna to tune.  Using the
manual tuner is doing essentially what all the other tricks also do: they
all adjust the impedence of the antenna system down to where the KXAT1 will
work so it is a valid method.  Its just that all the adjustments and tricks
have been jammed into a nice little box.

I learned this years ago when I had a KNWD TS850SAT.  The darn tuner was not
hooked up in receive, just in transmit so in order to hear anything I needed
the manual tuner in line just to hear some signals.

In your case there are some very nice little tuners out there that you can
use with the KXAT1. 

I will be giving a K2 seminar tommorrow nite at the club meeting and a
friend is bringing her KX1, so I will finally be able to touch one.

Regards,
Steve, W2MY
Corpus Christi


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