[Elecraft] KX1 ATU?

[Don Wilhelm]

Tom,

A Buddie Pole - homemade or otherwise - should tune near resonance on 
the selected band with the coil taps.  If it is horizontal, then make 
both sides the same.  Check the end of the coax that attaches to the 
transceiver with your antenna analyzer - if it is far off resonance, it 
may be out of range for the KX1 tuner.

The KX1 tuner is optimized to tune int the no-feeder antenna shown on 
page 9 of the KXAT1 manual.  The L/C ranges are limited - Inductance 0 
to 4.7 uH in 7 steps and capacitance 0 to 470 in 7 steps.  If an L 
network with series L and shunt C within those ranges cannot form a 
match then the load is outside the range of the tuner.

I suspect your homemade buddy pole is out of range and a balun will not 
change that.  Tune it up with an antenna analyzer and try again.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 1/7/2012 2:48 PM, Tom Crites wrote:
> My KX1 (with tuner) tunes great to a random wire or my G5RV but I can't get
> better than about 6.1 into my home made Buddie Pole (coax feed). I'm
> assuming I need a balun? Maybe like Elecraft mini 1:1 or 4:1 unit.
> -TAC, KC8SES
>