[Elecraft] K3 - Numeric SWR Display

[Tom Hammond]

Hi Charlie:

>Since I don't plan on hanging off the side of the tower to operate my
>station, isn't it more prudent to tune the entire "system", flaws, feedline
>and all if my main concern is what SWR my equipment, in my shack, sees?

'Tuning' things so the rig sees what it wants is not always the best...
since things could be REALLY BAD at the antenna end, but you'd never
know it at the radio end.

You wan the BEST MATCH available AT THE ANTENNA END so you'll get maximum
(most efficient) RF power transfer from the feedline to the antenna. Once
you get this, you can worry about performing and additional matching at the
TX end.

Using a transmatch, you can make darn near any level of mismatch 'appear'
to be a 1:1 SWR at the transmitter, but if the match AT THE ANTENNA is not
acceptable, you won't be getting the most efficient transfer of RF to the
antenna... e.g. you'll be heating your feedline with the RF that was to go
into the antenna... a place where it'll do little good.

FIRST - Ensure that the feedline-to-antenna match is appropriate for good
power transfer.

THEN - Ensure that the match between your feedline and the transmitter is
appropriate for good power transfer from the transmitter to the feedline
and ultimately to the antenna.

73,

Tom Hammond   N0SS