[Elecraft] KAT500

[Fred Jensen]

On 5/26/2015 5:50 AM, Larry Snyder wrote:

> I have a KAT500 with a vertical on ANT 1 and a Hex on ANT 3.
>
> I go to 20 meters with Auto flashing an put the radio in AM and the KAT500
> tunes and finds a good SWR - all is fine.  Then I play around with other
> frequencies and then come back and for some reason the KAT500 appears to not
> remember the tuning parameters and then retunes again for the same frequency
> on the same antenna.   Why is this??  This happens frequently (i.e.: not
> remembering the settings and going into retune).

If the MAN or AUTO LED is flashing, the KAT500 will tune as soon as 
enough RF is applied [~20 W].  Not sure I follow your explanation but 
... I run my KAT500 in MAN all the time and it never "forgets."  I 
originally taught it by stepping through the segments of the bands and 
getting a match.  I occasionally need to retune [like when it's been 
raining, which doesn't happen much out here in California these days], 
but basically it always knows.

Not sure how "AM" got into this ... if I want the KAT to retune, I tap 
the KAT TUNE button, the MAN LED flashes and I hold XMIT on the K3.  The 
K3 goes to tune power, the KAT tunes, and when it's done, I tap XMIT.
>
> Also, the SWR meter on the K3 is always blank (i.e.: no bars) while on the
> K3 and KPA500 I see the SWR at 1.5??

I don't follow that.  The KAT500 SWR LED's display the SWR as seen by 
the KPA500 [after matching] as does the KPA500 too.  It's the SWR on the 
jumper cable from the KPA output to the KAT input.  The K3 displays the 
SWR looking into the KPA500, an impedance that should be essentially 
50+j0 ohms for a 1:1 SWR.  I don't see any SWR bars on my K3 either.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 50th Running of the Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2015
- www.cqp.org