Operation; Basic Tuning Operation; Operation From The Kenwood Transceiver Front Panel - LDG KT-100 Operation Manual

Grounding the KT-100 tuner will enhance its performance and safety. LDG recommends that
you connect your tuner to a suitable ground; a common ground rod connected to buried radials is
preferred, but a single ground rod, a cold water pipe, or the screw that holds the outlet can
provide a serviceable ground. LDG strongly recommends the use of a properly installed, high
quality lightning arrestor on all antenna cables.

OPERATION

Basic Tuning Operation: The KT-100 is operated either from the AT / TUNE button on the
Kenwood transceiver, or from the front panel TUNE button on the KT-100 itself. Two types of
tuning cycles are available; a memory tuning cycle and a full tuning cycle.
The memory tuning cycle attempts to tune quickly based on having previously tuned on the
present frequency selection. If the tuner previously was successful in tuning on the currently
selected frequency, the settings for that match will be loaded into the tuner relays, and checked to
see that an acceptable SWR match is found.
A full tuning cycle "starts from scratch" and begins a fixed tuning sequence where the KT-
100 rapidly tries varying combinations of inductance and capacitance values, and then zeroes-in
on the best match possible. When the tuning cycle is complete, if an acceptable match was
found, the inductance and capacitance settings are saved in a memory associated with the
selected frequency, so that they may be recalled quickly in the future via a memory tuning cycle.
In this manner, the KT-100 "learns"; the longer you use it, the more closely it adapts itself to
the bands and frequencies you use. Most users will probably use memory tuning most of the
time; it takes advantage of any saved tuning settings, but automatically defaults to a full tuning
cycle if no stored data is available.
In both cases, at the end of the tuning cycle, the carrier is held for 1.5 seconds after tuning is
complete, so that the final SWR may be read on the transceiver's internal SWR meter or another
inline SWR meter, and the front panel LEDs will indicate the status of the tuning cycle.

Operation From the Kenwood Transceiver Front Panel

To initiate a tuning sequence from the Kenwood transceiver, press and hold the AT button on
the radio for one second. The radio will switch to CW mode, reduce power, and begin to transmit
a carrier. The KT-100 will begin a memory tuning sequence as described above. If an acceptable
SWR match is found in the memory tuning cycle, the tuning cycle ends. Otherwise, the KT-100
automatically begins a full tuning cycle in an attempt to find a good match. If the full tuning
cycle is then successful, the match is stored in a memory associated with the selected frequency.
When the tuning cycle is complete, an indicator on the display of the transceiver will show
that the tuner is active. This indicator varies by model; consult the transceiver owner's manual
for details on operation with an external automatic tuner.
To bypass the tuner via the Kenwood transceiver front panel (not available on all Kenwood
models), press the AT button momentarily. The red LED on the KT-100 will blink once to
indicate it is in bypass mode. The tuning indicator on the front panel of the transceiver will also
extinguish.
NOTE: On some models of Kenwood transceiver, an error beep may occur near the end of
the tuning cycle, indicating the tuning cycle is taking a little longer than expected. This is normal
PAGE 8