[Elecraft] Internal Antenna Tuner and SPE Expert Amplifier Questions

[k6xt]

No indication which SPE amp. It makes a difference because IIRC the 1K 
tuner can't be bypassed. The 2K can. I use the 2K-FA. There's no need to 
use the K3 tuner with the 2K as its input SWR is satisfactorily low. 30W 
from K3 drives 2K to the legal limit. Off, the 2K tuner is switched out 
of the ckt. In that configuration if your coax needs tuner help you'd 
have to use the internal K3 tuner, or an external box.

If the external box can handle output of the SPE amp I'd connect it 
between amp and antenna. Given a choice I'd want the K3 internal tuner 
for convenience if nothing else. It remembers its settings per band so 
your task is only to switch it on or off as needed.

FYI the 2K-FA in standby makes little - if any - fan noise. Not much 
penalty to have it on whenever the K3 is on. There's a provision for the 
2K-FA to receive an "I've just been turned on/off" signal from the K3 
that also turns on, and off, the 2K-FA. Don't know about the 1K.

73 Art K6XT~~
Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.
ARRL, GMCC, CW OPS, SDDXC, NAQCC
ARRL TA

On 2013-12-10 10:00, elecraft-request at mailman.qth.net wrote:
> Re: [Elecraft] Internal Antenna Tuner and SPE Expert Amplifier.eml
>
> Subject:
> Re: [Elecraft] Internal Antenna Tuner and SPE Expert Amplifier Questions
> From:
> WILLIS COOKE <wrcooke at yahoo.com>
> Date:
> 2013-12-09 14:51
>
> To:
> "pastormg2 at verizon.net" <pastormg2 at verizon.net>, 
> "elecraft at mailman.qth.net" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
>
>
> I just finished reading the SPE instruction manual.  They say that the input match of the SPE Expert is good enough that they recommend turning the internal tuner of the driving transceiver OFF.  The recommend that you do not cascade a tuner such as the Palstar on the output of the SPE.  They do not mention a manual tuner at the antenna, but I would think it to be OK as that is what a Gamma or T match on a beam would be, as well as other matching devices.  I think that the intent is to use the SPE tuner even if you are running the K3 barefoot but I have not yet completed my installation and put my SPE Expert in service.
>   
> Willis 'Cookie' Cooke
> K5EWJ & Trustee N5BPS, USS Cavalla, USS Stewart
>
>
> ________________________________
>   From:"pastormg2 at verizon.net"  <pastormg2 at verizon.net>
> To:elecraft at mailman.qth.net  
> Sent: Monday, December 9, 2013 7:19 AM
> Subject: [Elecraft] Internal Antenna Tuner and SPE Expert Amplifier Questions
>   
>
> Good Morning,
> It's Mark Griffin KB3Z. I was looking at an SPE Expert amplifier and I see it has an internal antenna tuner which can handle SWR's of up to 4:0. But, I was wondering if I connected the output of my K3 to the input of the amplifier and then the antenna to the output of the amplifier, If I used the K3 internal antenna tuner to decrease the SWR to a reasonable level would this work? I don't currently have the internal antenna tuner in the K3. It is perhaps a bad question to ask, but I am currently using a Palstar AT2K as my antenna tuner. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.  Mark Griffin, KB3Z