[Elecraft] The next generation KAT500

[Dennis Moore]

I could see the usefulness of this in initial 
design/installation/adjustment of the physical components, but once your 
antennas are static what would be the point, except to monitor if 
something is starting to go amiss?

Dennis NJ6G

On 7/1/2021 10:09, Al Lorona wrote:
> The recent thread on small and inexpensive vector network analyzers made me wonder if and when someone will make either a manual or automatic antenna tuner with something like one of those VNAs used as a front panel display. With the VNA in Smith Chart format, how cool would it be to tune the tuner and watch the antenna impedance move toward the center of the Smith Chart? The calibration coefficients of the VNA could be set at the factory and stored in EEPROM since they wouldn't change much over the life of the tuner other than some temperature and aging effects (but even the cal vs. temperature could be pre-measured at the factory).
>
> To my knowledge all commercially available tuners simply display the measured SWR as a single number; providing a Smith Chart (or rectangular graph if you wish) swept over frequency would be a quantum leap in the information presented to the user.
>
> Maybe if and when Elecraft decides to design the next generation of the KAT500, or maybe this has already been done and I don't know it?
>
> Al  W6LX/4