Home

AT-AUTO(tm) Operating Manual

1. To Coax Fed Antenna To 12VDC Supply RS 232 Serial Cable RX ANTI ANT2 Yaesu Transceiver Figure 4 8 Yaesu Transceiver to AT AUTO m Connection www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 37 4 3 9 CX AUTO m Setup Operation with Icom Rigs Most Icom radios include a CI V serial data interface that the AT AUTO m may utilize to obtain frequency information from the radio When the AT AUTO m is properly connected and configured to operate with the CX AUTO m coaxial antenna switch the AT AUTO tm is capable of automatically selecting any 1 of 8 coaxial outputs based upon the frequency band of operation The user may also manually select any of these outputs from the AT AUTO tm front panel Figure 4 9 depicts the correct electrical connection between a CX AUTO m an AT AUTO m and an Icom CI V equipped radio Under normal operation the Icom radio will provide frequency information to the AT AUTO m via the radio s CI V port and the AT AUTO tm will utilize that frequency information to instantly switch bands recall proper L and C match settings as well as select the desired antenna automatically based upon the particular user s configuration settings Make the electrical connections as shown in Figure 4 9 and then follow the setup proce dures described in the CX AUTO m manual Then configure the AT AUTO m firmware for proper Icom radio operation as described in the Icom Rig Setup section on pag
2. 22 consumes 3 5 A whenever the stepper motors are in motion This is anytime during Auto matic tuning or while the user is repositioning L or C during Manual or Bypass operation When the motors are stationary the AT AUTO m current consumption is 350 mA Warning Avoid using switching power supplies with the AT AUTO The current drawn by the AT AUTO during motor movement fluctuates rapidly causing many switching power supplies to produce excessive voltage overshoots resulting in hardware damage to the AT AUTO For this reason we most strongly recommend using a linear power supply with the AT AUTO 4 3 2 Vintage Rig Setup Transceivers lacking CAT CI V capability are considered Vintage rigs and include such classics the Kenwood TS 830 Drake TRA everything Collins and anything Heathkit Setup of the AT AUTO m for vintage rig operation is quite simple Make the electrical connections as shown in Figure 4 1 and then set the radio type to Vintage Rig as described in the Configure Radio section on page 50 Note If using the AT AUTO m QRO Keyline the transmit control line must be routed through the QRO Keyline connectors on the back of the AT AUTO sn See AT AUTO m QRO Keyline section on page 42 to configure the QRO Keyline www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 23 AT AUTO Rear Panel QRO Keyline TRANSCEIVER To Balanced OUTPUT COAX DATA INPUT Antenna AUX CIV PORTS O o O To Coax Fed Antenna
3. 32 Omni VII Transceiver to AT AUTO m Connection 34 Yaesu Transceiver to AT AUTO 4 Connection 36 CX AUTO tm to AT AUTO tm electrical connections when operating Icom leanscenvers vagale 38 CX AUTO tm to AT AUTO m electrical connections when operating with out CI V equipped Transceivers e 40 Dual CX AUTO m to AT AUTO tm electrical connections for operating with multiple radios and multiple antennas 41 QRO Keyline lt a gard cli de a a RARA 43 QRO Keyline Connections Other Connections Omitted for Clarity 43 Automatic Mode with QRO Keyline Enabled 44 LCD Display Service Menu Exit Prompt 45 Service Menu Options and Flowchart 46 Service Menu Option Display SWR oo bends be ee es 47 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 6 4 6 5 6 6 6 7 6 8 6 9 6 10 6 11 6 12 6 13 6 14 6 15 6 16 6 17 6 18 6 19 6 20 6 21 6 22 6 23 6 24 6 25 6 26 6 27 6 28 6 29 6 30 8 1 8 2 10 1 12 1 vii Service Menu Option Adjust A D Inputs 47 Service Menu Option Erase Match Memory 47 Service Menu Option Adjust Serial I O 48 Service Menu Option Baud Rate amp Stop Bit Options 48 Service Menu Option Configure Radio 50 Service Menu Option Rig Types a
4. Through to Coax 5 Icom CI V Transceive from Any Icom AT AUTO tm CI V Address 0xE0 Rig CI V Address 0x64 6 Startup Mode Automatic 7 Auto Tune Initiate Tuning Autonomously Autotune Start SWR 1 2 1 Autotune Stop SWR 1 05 1 8 QRO Keyline Bypass Mode QRO Enable Yes Manual Mode QRO Enable Yes Manual Mode QRO When Tuning No Automatic Mode QRO Enable When SWR lt 1 5 1 Automatic Mode QRO When Tuning No www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 67 9 Tx Rx Frequency Split 160m 80m etc Enable No 160m Split Frequency 1850 kHz 80m Split Frequency 3800 kHz 40m Split Frequency 7150 kHz 30m Split Frequency 10120 kHz 20m Split Frequency 14175 kHz 15m Split Frequency 21200 kHz 10m Split Frequency 28500 kHz 6m Split Frequency 50110 kHz 10 Multi Rig Switching Enabled No Input COAX Switch Address NONE Rig 0 Type Vintage Rig Rig 1 Type Vintage Rig Rig 2 Type Vintage Rig Rig 3 Type Vintage Rig Rig 4 Type Vintage Rig Rig 5 Type Vintage Rig Rig 6 Type Vintage Rig Rig 7 Type Vintage Rig www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 68 6 2 14 Setup Multi Rig Figure 6 28 Service Menu Option Setup Multi Rig The AT AUTO tm is able to control a CX AUTO configured as an input switch to enable up to any 1 of 8 radios to be used with the AT AUTO m This feature is intended for those stations with multiple transceivers After configuring the various rig types See Figure 6 29
5. software from our website at www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 71 http www Kessler EngineeringLLC com The software is located in the Down loads section 4 Unzip the software and place it in a folder on you PC desktop or hard drive 5 Connect your AT AUTO m to your PC s RS 232 serial port with the Kessler Engineering supplied Firmware Upload Cable See Figure 8 1 on page 78 6 Turn On your Kessler Engineering AT AUTO tm 7 Make sure your PC is connected to the Internet 8 Locate the Firmware Uploader software and double click on the icon to start the software PIC ringUploader e xe 9 The program will start and you should see the following screen ic Kessler Engineering Uploader oi x www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 72 10 Click on the Check new version button to check availability of uploadable firmware for your AT AUTO m Afterward you should see something similar to the following screen indicating that firmware is available and for you to select the desired version Pic Kessler Engineering Uploader LL I Download Firmware 11 Click the arrow in the lt please select gt block and you will be presented with all a selection of available firmware versions Fc Kessler Engineering Uploader please select Newest Version 2 12 3 Previous Version 2 11 Older Version 2 10 Oldest Version 1 03 12 Click on the desired firmware version
6. PROIII changes to the frequency of the IC 7800 Answer What you are describing is selective CI V addressing by the AT AUTO tm and has been included in the AT AUTO m firmware since Version 2 0 Please see the Icom CI V Configuration section on page 57 for specific instructions Why doesn t Fine Tune work with my Collins S Line The AT AUTO was working just fine with my IC 7000 but there is a problem with the Fine Tune feature when I use the AT AUTO qm with my Collins S Line Basically when using it with the Collins station pressing the Mode Tune button when in Automatic Mode produces an error with the AT AUTO m complaining about a no power abort Is this a problem with the AT AUTO m Answer When using the AT AUTO with any radio that lacks CAT CI V capability the AT AUTO should be configured for Vintage Rig via the configuration menu Please reconfigure the AT AUTO sm for Vintage Rig and this will solve this problem 16 4 General Usage Questions How should I setup the Peak Hold metering for the AT AUTO m to work automatically Answer The AT AUTO m control circuitry does not use any of the Peak Hold metering All circuitry used by the AT AUTO m for manual automatic tuning is independent of the Peak Hold metering circuitry The Peak Hold circuitry and the SWR meter are included as an operator convenience only during manual tuning operation and are not used by the AT AUT
7. Radio Model Baud Elecraft K2 K3 9600 Flex Radio SDR 1000 9600 Flex Radio FLEX 5000 9600 Icom IC 735 1200 Icom Most Models 9600 Kenwood Most Models 9600 4800 TenTec Omni VII amp Jupiter 57 600 Yaesu FT 450 9600 Yaesu F T 890 4800 Yaesu FT 920 4800 Yaesu FT 950 4800 Yaesu F T 980 4800 Yaesu F T 990 4800 Yaesu FT 1000 4800 Yaesu FT 2000 4800 Yaesu F T 9000 4800 Protocol 8 N 1 8 N 1 8 N 1 8 N 1 8 N 1 8 N 1 8 N 2 8 N 1 8 N 1 8 N 2 8 N 2 8 N 1 8 N 1 8 N 2 8 N 2 8 N 1 8 N 1 Notes Uses Kenwood Protocols Uses Kenwood Protocols Uses Kenwood Protocols Radio Hardwired to 1200 Baud See Note 1 Common Default Setting See Note 2 See Note 2 Radio Default is 4800 Baud Radio Default is 4800 Baud Radio Default is 4800 Baud Radio Default is 4800 Baud Note 1 Will work with any of the Icom radio s Baud rates Radio and AT AUTO sm Baud must be set to same speed 9600 Baud is a good compromise especially if sharing the CI V bus with multiple data devices Note 2 Various Baud and number of stop bit settings are available on several radio models via user menus Radio and Tuner Baud and number of stop bits must match www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 50 6 2 5 Configure Radio Figure 6 8 Service Menu Option Configure Radio Once this option is selected the AT AUTO m will display the currently selected rig type The supported rig types are shown in Figure 6 9 Rotate the Tune
8. displayed power may be greater If the PEAK HOLD button is depressed the maximum PEP measured will be held on the meter display for approximately two seconds This feature is provided to make it easier to observe the actual peak output power For CW signals the peak power is synonymous with average power Therefore a trans mitter s single tone CW signal should yield the same displayed power level regardless of whether the meter is set to display the average or peak power switch selection set to AVG or PEAK respectively Note The PEAK AVG switch must be depressed in order for the PEAK HOLD feature to function properly www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 87 Calibration The meter was calibrated at the Kessler Engineering factory However it may be calibrated with the following procedure 1 Connect the AT AUTO gm coaxial output to another calibrated Wattmeter of known accuracy 2 Terminate the output of the calibrated Wattmeter into a 50 Q dummy load 3 Set the AT AUTO qm to Bypass mode 4 Deselect the PEAK HOLD feature 5 Turn On the meter LAMP to supply DC power to the meter circuitry 6 Calibrate the low range AVG forward power display a Set the AT AUTO 1 Wattmeter to the 300 W power range b Set the AT AUTO 1m Wattmeter to read AVG power c Connect the output of an HF transmitter to the AT AUTO im RF input d Apply an approximate 100 W CW carrier to the AT AUTO 4 e Adju
9. the user may select a particular radio by depressing the Output pushbutton for 2 Seconds The various Setup Multi Rig options are shown in Figure 6 29 No gt EXIT gt Yes Vintage Rig Icom CIV 04 7F None EXIT 0x00 0x01 0x02 0x03 Vintage Rig Icom CIV 04 7F es i Vintage Rig Icom CIV 04 7F Vintage Rig Icom CIV 04 7F y Vintage Rig Icom CIV 04 7F Vintage Rig Icom CIV 04 7F Vintage Rig Icom CIV 04 7F Vintage Rig Icom CIV 04 7F Figure 6 29 Configure QRO Keyline Submenu Options After depressing the Output button for 2 Seconds the AT AUTO will display a radio selection menu See Figure 6 30 showing the currently selected radio radio type Vintage Rig or Icom CIV and the currently selected radio s CI V address when applicable Rotate the Tune Select knob to select the intended radio As the Tune Select www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 69 knob is rotated the CX AUTO m that has been hardware configured to handle input rig switching will route RF to from the displayed radio Once the desired radio is displayed momentarily press the Tune Select knob Figure 6 30 Radio Selection Menu Bach CX AUTO 1 in use as well as every other device radio etc attached to the CI V bus MUST each have their own unique unshared CI V address All radios to be used in the Multi Rig setup must either
10. 29 Icom Rig amp Tokyo Hy Power HL 1 5KFX with AT AUTO m Connections for using an Icom radio with a Tokyo Hy Power HL 1 5KFX and an AT AUTO tm are shown in Figure 4 5 The HL 1 5KFX and the AT AUTO 4 will receive frequency information via the CI V bus whenever the radio s frequency changes The radio should be set to CI V Transceive mode see your owner s manual Thoroughly read through the Tokyo Hy Power HL 1 5KFX manual as well as the Icom radio manual particularly the sections regarding CI V sometimes referred to as Remote operation Then read through the AT AUTO m manual The following are suggested steps to setup the AT AUTO m HL 1 5KFX and Icom transceiver 1 10 Insert the Amphenol plug into the TRANSCEIVER DATA INPUT socket on the rear of the AT AUTO m and twist the attachment ring until finger tight Insert the male 3 5 mm plug into the Remote jack on the back of the Icom radio Insert the 4 pin white Molex plug into the corresponding receptacle located on the back of the Icom radio Some radios may not include the 4 pin receptacle IC 7800 for example If using the optional QRO Keyline the transmit control line must be routed through the QRO Keyline connectors on the back of the AT AUTO tm See AT AUTO 4 QRO Keyline section on page 42 to configure the QRO Keyline Set the radio type to either Icom Normal CI V amp Ext Tuner I O or set to Icom CIV Only No Ext Tuner I O a
11. AT AUTO m will now follow frequency information sent as a result of a query generated by the computer logging program In this case the user should set the AT AUTO tm CFV address to match the CI V address of the computer running the logging program and CI V transceive to Off With the AT AUTO m s CI V query enable jumper removed the AT AUTO m s query attempt will never reach the CI V bus It will only be able to listen for CI V data but will not transmit on the CI V bus The Icom radio should then also be set to data transceive Off Conversely if the computer logging software can be configured to listen only the the AT AUTO may be setup to provide the radio frequency queries Alternatively if using an Icom CI V equipped radio configured for data transceive On the radio will automatically send frequency data anytime its frequency changes All of the other controllers AT AUTO m computer etc should be configured to receive only In this manner data collisions are prevented because the radio is the only device placing data on the serial databus All other devices are passive listeners 11 3 CAT Passive Listening In order for the AT AUTO m to follow frequency changes in CAT equipped radios it must receive frequency data from the radio normally in direct response to the AT AUTO S 1 querying of the radio s frequency The radio s response may also be generated as a result of computer logging software generat
12. Apply an approximate 20 50 W CW carrier to the AT AUTO tm b Adjust the REV HI potentiometer Figure 10 1 so that the AT AUTO m s reflected power indication matches the forward power displayed on the calibrated Wattmeter Calibrate the low range reflected power display a Set the AT AUTO 1 Wattmeter to the 300 W power range b Apply an approximate 10 20 W CW carrier to the AT AUTO m c Adjust the REV LO potentiometer Figure 10 1 so that the AT AUTO m 8 reflected power indication matches the forward power displayed on the calibrated Wattmeter www KesslerEngineeringLLC com Rev Lo Rev HI FOR Lo PEAK HOLD PEAK POWER RANGE ON OFF Figure 10 1 Meter Board Adjustment Locations www KesslerEngineeringLLC com FOR HI 89 90 Operating Tips 11 1 QRO Operation When using a high power amplifier with the AT AUTO sm the AT AUTO im would oc casionally attempt to retune during SSB transmissions This problem was addressed in firmware version 2 0 and testing shows that the problem is greatly mitigated However to prevent this from happening the user may disable Autonomous automatic tuning See Configuration Section or else select Manual mode after the AT AUTO m has successfully completed the automatic tuning attempt 11 2 CI V Passive Listening When the AT AUTO m is configured to support Icom CI V radios and the AT AUTO m is set to CI V Transceive Off it will send frequency query comman
13. Auto Antenna Select Yes or No 3 Bypass During Bandchange Yes or No 4 Auto Select 160m Through or Bypass 5 Auto Select 80m to COAX or BAL 6 Auto Select 60m or Auto Select 40m to COAX 0 7 or BAL 0 3 7 8 Auto Select 30m Auto Select 20m Auto Select 17m Auto Select 15m Auto Select 12m Auto Select 10m Auto Select 6m Note 1 Select the actual CI V address of the CX AUTO m coaxial antenna switch If CX AUTO is Not present select NONE Note 2 Select the actual CI V address of the BL AUTO m balanced antenna switch If the BL AUTO gm is Not present select NONE Note 3 Select No if automatic antenna selection by band is not desired If No is selected the other submenu items will not be available Select Yes if automatic antenna selection by band is desired Note 4 Select Yes if you want the AT AUTO m to temporarily bypass RF while the AT AUTO m is transitioning from band to band If No is selected RF will be routed through the tuning network during bandchanges Note 5 Per band selection RF will route Through or Bypass the tuning Network Note 6 Per selection RF will to Coaxial or Balanced output Note 7 If CX AUTO m present RF will be routed to 1 of 8 coaxial outputs Note 8 If BL AUTO m present RF will routed to 1 of 4 balanced outputs www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 97 6 2 8 Setup Icom CI V Figure 6 14 Service Menu Option Setup Icom CI V This service menu area is only applicable if the AT AUTO m is c
14. L or C was too coarse causing the AT AUTO m to step past good match points Occasionally the AT AUTO would then be unable to find a successful match although subsequent matching attempts manual or automatic would find suitable matches Addressed in revised tuning algorithms www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 105 Software License Agreement The AT AUTO 4 firmware and all derivatives are copyright Kessler Engineering LLC The User is permitted to use the AT AUTO m firmware as part of normal AT AUTO 4 operation but is strictly prohibited from extracting decompiling or otherwise accessing or utilizing any portion of this Copyrighted work To do so will be deemed intentional infringement of Copyright Kessler Engineering LLC takes such Copyright infringement seriously and shall take whatever steps necessary to protect its intellectual property By powering on the AT AUTO m and or uploading firmware to the AT AUTO via the Kessler Engineering website www KesslerEngineeringLLC com you acknowledge and agree to honor Kessler Engineering LLC s Copyright www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 106 Service and Warranty Warranty Kessler Engineering LLC warrants all of our products to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use for a period of one year from the date of purchase During this one year warranty period Kessler Engineering will either repair or replace the product at it s option at the Kess
15. Loss for various SWR LL 115 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com Thank You At Kessler Engineering we endeavor to make your ham radio hobby more enjoyable and trust that our products will bring you many years of faithful service We Thank You for the confidence that you have placed in us and in our products 73 Dr Donald J Kessler Ph D President Kessler Engineering LLC www KesslerEngineeringLLC com Introduction Kessler Engineering is pleased to bring you the AT AUTO An American made fully automatic impedance matching network designed to tune antenna systems from 1 8 MHz to 54 MHz Featuring a robust precision roller inductor with silver plated hardware and a high voltage differential variable capacitor in a classic T Match circuit configuration the AT AUTO tm provides a very broad impedance matching range and includes both unbalanced coaxial and balanced RF outputs Designed to handle a 1500 W continuous carrier and with no gaps in frequency coverage the AT AUTO tm is well suited for Amateur Radio CAP MARS Military and Government HF radio applications Under microprocessor control the AT AUTO m continuously moni tors forward and reflected power and when appropriate automatically adjusts the T Match circuit for optimum performance without requiring operator intervention Although designed for fully automatic operation the AT AUTO m also enables the user to manually tune or adjust match settings
16. O Icom CIV Only No Ext Tuner I O Kenwood Normal CAT amp Tuner I O Kenwood Normal CAT amp Tuner I O Kenwood Normal CAT amp Tuner I O TenTec Omni VII Jupiter TenTec Omni VII Jupiter Yaesu FT 2000 No Ext Tuner I O Yaesu FT 890 No Ext Tuner I O Yaesu FT 920 No Ext Tuner I O Yaesu FT 2000 No Ext Tuner I O Yaesu FT 2000 No Ext Tuner I O Yaesu FT 990 No Ext Tuner I O Yaesu FT 1000 No Ext Tuner I O Yaesu FT 2000 No Ext Tuner I O www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 92 Table 6 3 Supported Radio Capabilities Type Capability Elecraft K2 K3 QSY Following Only Flex Radio SDR 1000 Flex 5000 QSY Following Only Icom Normal QSY Following amp External Tuner Control Icom CI V Only QSY Following Only Kenwood Normal QSY Following amp External Tuner Control Kenwood CAT Only QSY Following Only TenTec QSY Following Only Vintage Rig No QSY Following No External Tuner Control Yaesu QSY Following Only Note If you are using an older style radio without a compatible CAT CI V or external tuner interface you should configure the AT AUTO m to operate with a Vintage Rig default Note Flex Radio SDR 1000 Flex 5000 etc should be configured as Kenwood CAT Only www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 53 6 2 6 Configure RF Bypass Figure 6 10 Service Menu Option Configure Bypass All recent production AT AUTOS tm have the ability t
17. User Prompted is selected the AT AUTO m will provide a warning to the user but will not start auto tuning unless the user consents by momentarily pressing the Tune Select knob www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 61 EXIT Figure 6 19 Setup Auto Tune Submenu Rotate the Tune Select knob until the desired tuning initiation option is displayed and then depress the Tune Select knob Table 6 6 Supported SWR Tuning Thresholds Tune Start Tune Stop SWR gt 1 2 1 SWR lt 1 05 1 SWR gt 1 3 1 SWR lt 1 1 1 SWR gt 1 4 1 SWR lt 1 2 1 SWR gt 1 5 1 SWR lt 1 3 1 SWR gt 1 6 1 SWR lt 1 4 1 SWR gt 1 7 1 SWR lt 1 5 1 SWR gt 1 8 1 SWR lt 1 6 1 SWR gt 1 9 1 SWR lt 1 7 1 SWR gt 2 0 1 SWR lt 1 8 1 SWR gt 2 5 1 SWR lt 1 9 1 SWR lt 2 5 1 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 62 6 2 11 Configure QRO Keyline Figure 6 20 Service Menu Option Configure QRO Keyline This service menu area is only applicable if the AT AUTO m QRO Keyline hardware is installed and the user intends to use an external RF power amplifier with the AT AUTO im Note Configuration changes made to and use of the QRO Keyline have absolutely No affect on overall tuner operation The various Configure QRO Keyline options are shown in Figure 6 21 and are summarized in Table 6 7 Yes No No Yes When SWR lt 1 5 1 Yes No 1 6 1 1 7 1 1 8 1 1 9 1 2 0 1 No Yes When SWR lt 1 5 1 Yes No 1 6 1 1 7 1 1 8 1 1 9 1
18. and subsequent sections The various settings are all selected and controlled from the front panel Tune Select knob Different menus are accessed by turning the rotary Tune Select knob and options are selected or enabled disabled by momentarily pressing the Tune Select knob Follow these steps to access the service menu 1 Turn ON the AT AUTO Um 2 Place the AT AUTO in Automatic mode 3 Press and hold the Mode button for 10 seconds and then release The AT AUTO m will display Figure 6 1 LCD Display Service Menu Exit Prompt www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 46 The user configurable service menu options are shown in Figure 6 2 page 46 To access the various sub menus merely rotate the Tune Select knob in either direction When the desired sub menu item is displayed momentarily depress the Tune Select knob Whenever Exit is displayed momentarily pressing the Tune Select knob will exit that particular menu Some sub menus will exit automatically after running through all of the user options Miceli a Se ce sep komCIv Comme RE Ousput Contu Bypass Coni Radio Ls Sap Mode soup Ao Tano _ Configure ORO WRN reg Spi Figure 6 2 Service Menu Options and Flowchart www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 47 6 2 1 Display SWR Figure 6 3 Service Menu Option Display SWR Note Intended for factory use only during calibration of the Analog to Digital converters necessary for RF Power det
19. and you will then be prompted to download the selected firmware www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 73 c Kessler Engineering Uploader ici x 13 Click on the Download firmware tab Once the firmware is downloaded select the com port that the AT AUTO m is connected to 14 Click on the Update Firmware and the bootloader will begin searching for the AT AUTO tim www KesslerEngineeringLLC com www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 74 75 16 Once the process completes ric Kessler Engineering Uploader Iof x T Check new versions 2 Newest Version 2 12 y 3 Download Firmware device on coma y i Update Firmware Success ss st CS S ea The AT AUTO m should automatically reset itself re home L and C and then mo mentarily display the firmware version that is now installed 17 Your firmware is now updated and you should exit the bootloader program Note If the stepper motors were be unplugged from the AT AUTO control board prior to initiating the upload process switch the AT AUTO m Off reconnect the stepper motors and then switch the AT AUTO m back On again and let the homing process complete Hardware Requirements for Firmware Updating The PC serial port is often labeled COMI COM2 etc Some newer computers no longer come with RS 232 serial ports included but USB to RS 232 serial adapters are available If your computer does no
20. be configured as Vintage Rig or Icom CIV If the radio to be used does not have a CI V port configure it as a Vintage Rig If the radio is an Icom with CI V port be sure to configure it as Icom CIV and ensure that the radio s actual CI V address is used Whenever multiple Icom CI V radios are present on the same CI V bus we recommend turning each radio s CI V Transceive feature Off The CI V Transceive feature is usually controlled by a setting in the respective radio s user menus During Multi Rig operation if the radio in use is a Vintage Rig all automated fre quency band changes are accomplished by counting the RF frequency from the selected Vintage Rig However when the selected radio is an Icom CIV radio all automatic frequency band changes are accomplished by querying that particular Icom radio at 1Hz intervals utilizing the selected Icom radio s specific CI V address Note 1 When Multi Rig switching is enabled External Tuner I O control from any Icom rig is disabled Note 2 Multi Rig operation is automatically disabled whenever the Configure Radio firmware setup page 50 is selected www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 70 Firmware Update Guide Your Kessler Engineering AT AUTO m features field upgradeable firmware that can be updated from anywhere you have a PC with an Internet connection and an RS 232 serial port Follow these steps to upload your AT AUTO m with the lat
21. commence tuning when appropriate Manual mode is selected by momentarily depressing the Mode pushbutton A subsequent activation of the Mode pushbutton selects Bypass mode whereby the RF bypasses the tuning network While in Bypass mode momentarily pressing the Mode switch again returns the AT AUTO m to Automatic mode Momentarily depressing the Output button enables selection of either the coaxial or the balanced outputs Depending upon the mode of operation the action currently taking place the user selected firmware options and the type of radio attached interfaced with the AT AUTO m the three primary controls Mode Output and Tune Select rotary encoder pushbutton will implement various AT AUTO m features Generally each of these controls provide a different function depending upon the length of time that the particular button is depressed Tables 2 1 3 1 and 3 2 on pages 15 18 and 20 lists the control function provided by each of these three controls when operating in Automatic Manual or Bypass mode respectively For operation in the Automatic mode please follow these steps 1 Connect the AT AUTO m input to the transceiver with a 50 Q coaxial cable 2 Connect the antenna to the AT AUTOgm output Coax or Ladder Line 3 Connect the supplied DC Power Cable to a 12 VDC power source capable of supplying 4 A to the ALAUTO gg www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 11 4 Turn On the AT AUTO m It will display the installe
22. m the LCD did not always display correct information The LCD operation during remote control operation has been corrected Version 2 09 AT AUTO tm firmware version 2 09 includes these changes corrections 1 QRO keyline was sometimes unpredictable when in automatic mode if the firmware was configured with QRO Enable Yes and QRO While Tuning No Version 2 09 corrected this 2 When configured to automatically bypass a specific band if several band changes were made in rapid succession automatic band bypassing was sometimes erratic and unpredictable This problem has been corrected in version 2 09 Version 2 07 AT AUTO tm firmware version 2 07 includes this change correction 1 A bug was found that affected the initial recall of match settings when switching the RF outputs This problem only manifested when the AT AUTO tn had received frequency information via the CAT CI V interface and had subsequently recalled and set the L and C to the appropriate match settings for the selected output the coax www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 102 output for example If the user then switched the AT AUTO m to balanced output for example the AT AUTO m would not recall and reposition L or C for the balanced output unless either the frequency was subsequently changed or unless an RF carrier was produced and the AT AUTO m subsequently detected a mismatch This bug has been corrected Now whenever the RF output is changed the
23. of L and are complete the AT AUTO m again signals the transceiver to produce the 10W CW carrier If the SWR is still excessive automatic tuning begins The moment a good match is found the AT AUTO m signals the transceiver to cease transmitting and the AT AUTO m automatically stores the match settings When using Smart QS Y and External Tuner Handshake modes together the entire au tomatic tuning process is greatly streamlined As the user returns to previously matched frequency antenna combinations the AT AUTO precisely recalls and returns to those matched settings without requiring an RF carrier and often without requiring subsequent re tuning Note External Tuner Handshake is implemented for Icom and Kenwood radios only Fine Tuning There will be occasions when the SWR is well below the Tune Start SWR threshold but the operator may wish to improve the match This may occur when the operator decides to QSY away from the previously matched frequency but remain in the same band Rather than repositioning L and C positions from memory all that is required is for the AT AUTO m to perform fine adjustments of L and C from their present positions Fine Tuning is commanded by momentarily pressing the Tune Select rotary knob when in Automatic mode If the AT AUTO has been configured for External Tuner Handshake with the transceiver the entire fine tune process will complete automatically without further intervention pr
24. on page 48 Most Icom radios use a default of 9600 baud and the AT AUTO is also set to 9600 baud by factory default Set the Icom radio to 9600 baud Set the Icom radio to CI V Transceive On Confirm that the AT AUTO and IC PW1 are able to follow frequency changes on the Icom transceiver www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 27 AT AUTO Rear Panel INPUTCOAX QRO Keyline 1 d OUTPUT COAX TRANSCEIVER rn BALANCED ne a 7 2 DC Power Cable PSA RATA FUSE POWER IN e GROUND To Coax Fed Antenna To 12VDC Supply I Cabl Icom Supplied Remote Cable i Input 1 Icom Transceiver Ant 2 Antl C2 Remote Icom Supplied Cable Figure 4 3 Icom Transceiver with IC PW1 to AT AUTO m Connection www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 28 AT AUTO Rear Panel Os INPUTCOAX QRO Keyli e E E TRANSCEWER OUTPUT COAX DATAANPUT BALANCED aur AUX CIV PORTS A N To Balanced Antenna DC Power Cable RS 232 DATA Coax INPUT FUSE POWER IN O Q GROUND To 12VDC Supply Icom Cable To Coax Fed Antenna Coax ie Icom Supplied Remote Cable ACC Remote Ant2 Ant 1 O Q C2 Remote Icom Supplied Cable Modified Break Pin3 amp Route Through GRO Keyline Figure 4 4 Icom Transceiver with IC PW1 to AT AUTO sn Connection and QRO Keyline Control www KesslerEngineeringLLC com
25. operator inter vention This is presently implemented for Icom radios with CI V interface and for Elecraft K 2 K 3 Flex Radio SDR 1000 FLEX 5000 TenTec Omni VII Jupiter and many Kenwood and Yaesu radios with CAT interfaces External Tuner Handshake For those Icom and Kenwood radios that provide for control of external tuners the AT AUTO im is designed to utilize the transceiver s external tuner interface This is normally via a button on the transceiver labeled TUNER During Automatic mode operation whenever the radio s TUNER button is depressed the radio signals the AT AUTO m the external www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 14 tuner which then automatically coordinates with the transceiver to produce a CW carrier for tuning The net effect is that the amount of time that the transceiver is required to produce a carrier for tuning is greatly reduced thereby minimizing potential for QRM Here is how it works When the operator presses the TUNER button on the transceiver the transceiver signals the AT AUTO tm that tuning is requested The AT AUTO m then signals the transceiver to produce a 10W CW FM carrier at which time the AT AUTO m samples the SWR and counts the frequency This process takes approximately gt second If the SWR exceeds the Tune Start SWR threshold the AT AUTO m then recalls appropriate settings for the Capacitor and Inductor from memory and positions them accordingly Once the positioning
26. output the command from the PC would be OxFE OxFE 0xE0 0x3A 0x08 0x10 0xFD The AT AUTO tm will immediately switch to the Balanced RF output and acknowledge the command by sending OxFE OxFE 0x3A 0xE0 OxFB 0xFD 9 1 2 Sub Command Structure and Data Syntax Generally most commands include sub command data bytes For example when command ing a Capacitor position the position is encoded into the command string Sub command bytes are always encoded as Binary Coded Decimal BCD Failure to encode them in BCD format will corrupt the command decoding and the command will fail The sub command data frequency C or L position etc encoded in BCD format is transmitted LSB least significant byte first For example to command C to position of 274 the position sub command bytes would be 0x74 and 0x02 The command string would therefore be OxFE OxFE 0xE0 0x3A 0x09 0x74 0x02 0xFD www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 83 The QSY command involves sending frequency information to the AT AUTO q The AT AUTO tm will recall match settings for that frequency and automatically position Cand L to their corresponding match positions For example to QSY the AT AU TO tn to 28 725 168 MHz the command string would be OxFE OxFE 0xE0 0x3A 0x05 0x68 0x51 0x72 0x28 0x00 OxF D Table 9 1 Remote Control Command Set Command Command String Header the following string Trailer QSY 0x05 BCDO BCD1 BCD2 BCD3 BCD4 Read Status 0x0
27. over the RS 232 port and receive data from the CI V bus but is unable to transmit data over the CI V bus This is generally immaterial because when an Icom radio is setup for CI V data transceive operation it will automatically send frequency data over the CI V bus and does not require the AT AUTO m to transmit data over the CI V bus or otherwise query the Icom radio However if the Icom radio is configured with CI V data transceive Off then the AT AUTO m must actively query the radio and the CI V Tx Enable jumper must be Closed www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 93 Jumper Access Remove DC power from the AT AUTO sn Then remove the screws along the left and right sides of the AT AUTO m to remove the top cover The controller circuit board is located immediately behind the Liquid Crystal Display LCD Observe anti static precautions when working on near the controller circuit board D 0 D D ANA CI V Tx e e Reset Enable E NOMA OOUOUUUUUOUUO Figure 12 1 Jumper Locations www KesslerEngineeringLLC com Table 12 1 Jumper Settings Operation Reset Enable CI V Transceive from Any Icom Don t Care CI V Transceive from Specific Icom Don t Care Smart QSY with CI V Transceive OFF Open Smart QSY via CAT Closed Smart QSY Via CAT Open Firmware Update Closed Remote Control via CAT Open Remote Control via CI V Open Default Closed 94 CI V Tx Enable Don t Care Don t Care Closed O
28. that the AT AUTO enters upon initial power up User may opt to have the AT AUTO tm always startup in either the Automatic Manual Bypass or the mode last in use when the AT AUTO m was turned off Automatic Antenna amp Bypass Selection User may specify which output to automati cally select Coax Balanced based upon band of operation as well as whether the RF is to pass through or bypass the tuning network This feature requires a supported CAT CLV equipped radio Bypass during Band Change AT AUTO m may be configured to automatically by pass the tuner while the AT AUTO m is changing bands When enabled if QSYing from one band to another 40m to 160m for example the AT AUTO 4 will route the antenna directly to the radio RF does not pass through the tuning network until the L and C have been repositioned to the band of operation 160m in this example This feature requires a supported CAT CI V equipped radio Enhanced Icom CI V transceive operation The normal default AT AUTO tn CI V data transceive scheme is to constantly follow all frequency data sent via the CI V bus from any CI V equipped Icom radio The user may however configure the AT AUTO tm to follow only CI V transceive frequency data from a specific radio based www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 10 100 upon the radio s CI V address Furthermore the AT AUTO m can be configured to completely ignore CI V transceive data and to
29. to Kenwood CAT Only No Ext Tuner I O as described in the Configure Radio section on page 50 4 Configure the AT AUTO m serial I O as described in the Configure AT AUT Om Serial Interface section on page 48 The AT AUTO m and the Kenwood must both be set to the same baud rate and the same number of stop bits 5 Confirm that the AT AUTO m is able to follow frequency changes on the Kenwood transceiver www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 32 AT AUTO Rear Panel O INPUT COAX QRO Keyline O TRANSCEIVER To Balanced OUTPUT COAX DATA INPUT oPpalance BALANCED Antenna AUX CIV PORTS OUT o o DC Power Cable RS 232 DATA INPUT FUSE POWER IN GROUND To Coax Fed Antenna To 12VDC Supply Serial Cable Interface Cable A ANT2 ANTI Kenwood Transceiver Figure 4 6 Kenwood Transceiver to AT AUTO m Connection www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 33 4 3 7 TenTec Omni VII Jupiter Setup The AT AUTO m is able to receive frequency information available via CAT RS 232 when interfaced with either a TenTec Omni VII or TenTec Jupiter radio The RS 232 port is labled Serial on the lower rear panel on the Omni VII Note The Omni Vii radio includes multiple antenna connections We recommend that the AT AUTO tm be connected to ANT 1 A typical setup involving a Omni VII is shown in Figure 4 7 Jupiter setup will be very similar The following are suggested steps t
30. user simply configures the firmware with the specific radio types to be used then may select the radio to be used via the front panel Tune Select and Output controls Version 2 13 AT AUTO m firmware version 2 13 includes the following features 1 Yaesu FT 890 Support The AT AUTO m is able to follow frequency information provided by the FT 890 s serial data port www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 96 2 Restore to Defaults The user can restore all firmware configuration settings to factory defaults without needing to upload new firmware and without erasing match memory settings 3 Enhanced Vintage Rig opertion The AT AUTO m now uses counted RF frequency when operating with Vintage Rigs to enable automatic antenna selection and control the CX AUTO tm 8 output automatic coaxial antenna switch Version 2 12 AT AUTO firmware version 2 12 includes the following changes 1 Output Selection The default operation of the Output button will now cause the AT AUTO im to toggle between the Coaxial and the Balanced output Prior to this the user had to make the actual selection using the Tune Select knob This change makes switching from Coaxial to Balanced and Balanced to Coaxial outputs more convenient 2 CX AUTO im Coaxial output selection When configured to operate with the CX AUTO tm 8 output automatic coaxial switch pressing the Output button will pro vide the user with a prompt t
31. 0 91 92 13 Firmware Revision Summary of Changes 95 13 1 New Firmware Features Changes LL 95 132 Bu COPEC sg sosur s le PALA RA e a 101 14 Software License Agreement 105 15 Service and Warranty 106 16 Frequently Asked Questions 107 16 1 Serial Port Related Questions serie 107 16 2 Memory Related Questions 00000 eee ee ee 108 16 3 Radio Interfacing Questions ooa a dd dG a Pe na OH 109 16 4 General Usage Questions LL 110 16 5 Firmware Specific Questions LL 116 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com vi List of Figures 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 3 1 3 2 4 1 4 2 4 3 4 4 4 5 4 6 4 7 4 8 4 9 4 10 4 11 5 1 5 2 5 3 6 1 6 2 6 3 Front Panel View 2 6 4 ek oe a Sa Pe LE 3 Top View Cover Removed o e 5 Rear Panel View a 7 F n tional black Diagrami e s s s soe sana soe bob oo n e AO 8 Example Manual Mode Display oaa ess 24464 64464644424 17 Example Bypass Mode Display ooa aa e ea ee es 19 Vintage Transceiver Amplifier to AT AUTO m Connection 23 Icom Transceiver to AT AUTO 6 Connection 24 Icom Transceiver with IC PW1 to AT AUTO tm Connection 27 Icom Transceiver with IC PW1 to AT AUTO m Connection and QRO Key hine Control piperita 28 Icom Transceiver with Tokyo Hy Power HL 1 5KFX to AT AUTO m Con MECHA ebe o oe be Boe oh e e enni 30 Kenwood Transceiver to AT AUTOgm Connection
32. 2 0 1 EXIT Figure 6 21 Configure QRO Keyline Submenu Options www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 63 Table 6 7 Configure QRO Keyline Submenu Options Submenu Option Note Bypass Mode QRO Enable Yes No 1 Manual Mode QRO Enable Yes No SWR Threshold 1 2 Manual Mode QRO When Tuning Yes No 3 Automatic Mode QRO Enable Yes No SWR Threshold 1 2 Automatic Mode QRO When Tuning Yes No 3 Note 1 Yes QRO Keyline is Always enabled regardless of SWR level No QRO Keyline is Never enabled The Amplifier will Never be keyed Note 2 When SWR lt 1 5 1 QRO Keyline will Not be enabled until the mea sured SWR is below user selected SWR threshold User selectable SWR thresholds are 1 5 1 1 6 1 1 7 1 1 8 1 1 9 1 or 2 0 1 Note 3 No QRO Keyline is Always disabled while tuning Yes QRO Keyline may be enabled while tuning www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 6 2 12 Tx Rx Freq Split 64 Figure 6 22 Service Menu Option Tx Rx Frequency Split The AT AUTO m is capable of following frequency information provided by the ra dio s CAT CI V port Under normal circumstances the AT AUTO m will follow ALL frequency changes and reposition L and C accordingly However when utilizing separate and distinct transmit and receive frequency windows it is impractical and undesired for the AT AUTO m to reposition L or C whenever the radio switches back and forth between transmit to receive The AT AUTO m can be configured
33. 2 Accessing the Service Menu 2 Gal Display SWR beaks ee pala Se od OEE See EE Ope a 62 0 Adjust A D Inputs lt i rec 62225 628 4 woe doe a 6 2 3 Erase Match Memo lao Gace mea ee Ge ae ae ee i 6 2 4 Adj st AAA owe ke Spa sa koy b kipe Bo 6 2 0 Comite Radios gt se 34 e ceas SARE 6 2 6 Configure RF Bypass salga i A 6 2 7 Bi AA s ss seran ea Aaa a 6 2 8 Setup com CEV 2 14 s seu al ala d ed ea a 0 2 9 Set Startup Mod s creed ie ae 6 2 10 Setup Auto T n o s s sse odes e a OS 6 2 11 Configure QRO Keyline uu dde e an na 6212 Tea Kreg Sp 6 os ae Rea RPO ee Ree ao 6213 Set bo Defaults oc sy aw be eli ie Ba SS 6 2 14 Setup Multi Rig iaia OE Ee ee ee Ra 7 Firmware Update Guide 8 Rear Panel Pinouts and Interface Cables 8 1 External Tuner Handshake gg Gs pia eb bee eb gna SE eS 8 2 Radio Computer Serial Data Interface 8 3 Radio Computer Serial Data Y Interface o 9 Remote Control 9 1 General Descriptiofi cdi AAA dla 9 1 1 Example Command Strings 2 42d a a 9 1 2 Sub Command Structure and Data Syntax 10 Analog Power Meter 11 Operating Tips 11 1 QRO Operation sr e aanse SS E SR na 11 2 CI V Passive Listening sisas a 11 3 CAT Passive Listening gia caga wa cores eca ior e ae i 12 Internal Jumper Settings www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 45 45 45 47 47 47 48 50 53 54 57 60 60 62 64 66 68 70 76 76 76 79 81 81 82 82 86 90 90 9
34. 6 0x05 Read Power 0x06 0x06 Set Automatic Mode 0x07 0x00 Set Manual Mode 0x07 0x01 Set Bypass Mode 0x07 0x02 Select Coax 0x08 0x00 0x07 Select Balanced 0x08 0x10 0x13 Home L amp C 0x0B Set C 0 397 0x09 BCD Lo BCD Hi Set L 0 13 120 0x0A BCD Lo BCD Hi Fine Tune 0x0C Select Radio 0x0D 0x00 0x07 Note The position displayed in the LCD is the actual inductor position divided by 16 Valid range of inductor position is 0 13 120 Shown on the LCD as 0 820 The AT AUTO im will respond to a Read Status command with the following string OxFE OxFE 0x3A 0xE0 0x06 0x05 Output Mode Motor L Position C Position Status 0xFD Definitions of the information returned after a Read Status command are contained in Table 9 2 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 84 Table 9 2 AT AUTO m Response to Read Status Command Byte Value Bit Definitions Output 0x00 Through to Coax Selected Output 0x10 Through to Balanced 0x80 Bypass to Coax 0x90 Bypass to Balanced Mode 0x00 Automatic Mode Active Mode 0x01 Manual Mode 0x02 Bypass Mode Motor Bit 7 Set if Cis commanded to a specific position Stepper Motors Bit 6 Set if C is turning Bit 5 Always Clear No Meaning Bit 4 Set if L is commanded to a specific position Bit 3 Set if L is turning Bit 2 Always Clear No Meaning Bit 1 Set if C movement was is Clockwise Bit 0 Set if L movement was is Clockwise Inductor Position 3 Byte
35. 89 Jumper Locations ssa s sk Dew ee ESE MESSRS EE Po 93 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com vili List of Tables 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 2 1 3 1 3 2 6 1 6 2 6 3 6 4 6 5 6 6 6 7 8 1 9 1 9 2 9 3 12 1 16 1 16 2 16 3 Front Panel Controls as shown in Figure 1 1 4 Internal Components as shown in Figure 1 2 aoaaa aa a 6 Rear Panel Components as shown in Figure 1 3 7 SPECUICALMONS bu oe be hitler AA ea 9 Automatic Mode Control Functions o 660446684424 15 Manual Mode Control Functions aces 4 se aule e e a eS 18 Bypass Mode Control Functions o aa a 20 Suggested Serial I O Settings LL 49 AT AUTO tm Compatible CAT CI V Radios 51 Supported Radio Capabilities lt 2 0 20 2 0 Re ee ED 52 Configure RF Output Options e o 56 Setup Icom CEV Submenu Options sebas ss o ea a o 58 Supported SWR Tuning Thresholds o 61 Configure QRO Keyline Submenu Options 63 Rear Panel Connector Descriptions ooa a a a 77 Remote Control Command Set ius i pA RO Re REDE ARA 83 AT AUTO m Response to Read Status Command 84 AT AUTO m Response to Read Power Command 85 JUMPper Settings dica e a dd e REE BS 94 Fe dli ne Match Loss s ioa oe kG oa ea oe omede Bb a eH do Bas 113 100 Feedline Match Loss for 1 0 1 SWR 114 100 Feedline Match
36. AT AUTO tm will count the transmitted RF frequency recall proper L and C match settings determine the band of operation and then select the desired antenna automatically based upon the particular user s configuration settings Make the electrical connections as shown in Figure 4 10 and then follow the set the setup procedures described in the CX AUTO sn manual and setup of the AT AUTO m and CX AUTO im for operation by following the procedures described in the Vintage Rig Setup section on page 22 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com To Antennas User s Choice 40 AT AUTO Rear Panel INPUTCOAX QRO Keyline O TRANSCEIVER To Balanced BALANCED OUTPUT COAX DATA INPUT Antenna OUT AUX CIV PORTS pendor Supplied 9 o O DC Power Cable RS IZ DATA INPUT FUSE POWER IN o GROUND To 12VDC Supply CI V Cable A RF Output O CI V CIV Vintage Rig To DC Power Supply DC Power Input CX AUTO or Wall Wart Figure 4 10 CX AUTO m to AT AUTO m electrical connections when operating without CI V equipped Transceivers www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 41 Operation with Multiple Rigs With the added features included in AT AUTO m firmware version 2 14 the user may also use a CX AUTO m coaxial antenna switch to switch between multiple radios via the AT AUTO tn front panel controls The radios used may consist of any transceiver make model including icom CI V equipped transceivers The r
37. AT AU TO 4 will immediately reposition L and C for the active RF output Version 2 06 AT AUTO im firmware version 2 06 includes this change correction 1 A bug was found that occasionally affected storage of match settings after fine tune had been commanded Under some very specific circumstances the revised match setting was either not updated in memory or else an incorrect setting was occasionally stored The fine tune bug affected all previous firmware versions Version 2 05 contains this bug fix but no other changes Version 2 03 AT AUTO tm firmware version 2 03 includes this change correction 1 A bug introduced in version 2 02 effectively disabled frequency following via the CAT port of Kenwood and some Yaesu radios Version 2 03 fixed this bug restoring normal CAT operation with the affected radio types No other changes were made in version 2 03 Version 2 02 AT AUTO tm firmware version 2 02 includes these changes corrections 1 Delayed CI V command execution bug in version 2 01 In version 2 01 CI V bus col lision detection was incorporated by providing a fixed delay between decoding of the command and execution of the command After the delay if the CI V bus jamming sequence 0xFC had not detected then the command was executed However the very last command was not being executed until the subsequent data string had decoded causing the the AT AUTO 4 to be one frequency change behind This was pa
38. AT AUTO m Operating Manual Firmware Version 2 14 RANGE LAMP 3000 ON HF STEPPER ANTENNA TUNER Kessler Engineering LLC P O Box 341543 Beavercreek Ohio 20 October 2011 Copyright 2010 Kessler Engineering LLC Beavercreek Ohio Firmware Copyright 2005 Contents 1 Introduction 2 Automatic Mode ZI Quickstart Guide 4664046 6 E so EA EA 2 2 Detailed Operation gt 46 cada Ge ky De A E AA 3 Manual Mode dl Quickstart Guide 6 0 coras Oe dotua fia a a 3 2 Detailed Operation 2 2 oe ed ed dle EE I 3 3 Bypass Mode 25 cn SA A Dee hd 4 Installation 4l Un pacien AAA AD Loti azien 4 3 Electrical Connection and SetUP Ag D Power cria oa ed ch dle 442 Vintage Rig Sep soso eeose pela A A 43 3 Flex Se pi e na e ara ae 4 34 cont Rig oe hr oe be eee oe ei 4 3 5 Icom Rig With HF Amplifier Setup 4646645004604 5 4 440 Kenwood Rig SEP pa sec ae eee eee cee hoe e TREE RG a 4 3 7 TenTec Omni Vil Jupiter Setup ener de cer dwt baka 4 3 8 Yaesu Rig Setup a sos lena Cee a 4 3 9 CA AUTO my Setup gt es ro Cate rd bE edge a a 5 AT AUTO m QRO Keyline 5 1 Retrofitting to Older AT AUTOSm cerrara 5 2 Electrical Connection and Setup ii iii a es 5 3 Operaatio sc e seos a e E e a A www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 111 10 10 11 16 16 16 19 21 21 21 21 21 22 23 24 25 31 33 35 37 6 Firmware Configuration 6 1 General Description y Vos iena fa lea ad 6
39. AT AUTO m Feeder Loss Power at Antenna RG 58 1 36 1 1 20 1 41 3 W 58 7 W RG 58 10 0 1 2 90 1 74 2 W 25 8 W RG 8 1 27 1 1 20 1 25 5 W 74 5 W RG 8 10 0 1 4 18 1 39 8 W 60 2 W Open Wire 1 2071 1 20 1 2 3 W 97 7 W Open Wire 10 0 1 8 98 1 10 4 W 89 6 W Why don t I see this same effect with my Icom AH 4 tuner OK I think I followed all of that However I don t see this same effect when I use my Icom AH 4 automatic tuner I tune it at low power using the Icom TUNER button but it does not automatically re tune when I switch to high power and the SWR is always around 1 5 1 Why Answer The AT AUTO and the AH 4 are very different tuners Among the signifi cant differences is the fact that the AH 4 like the AH 3 AH 2 and most of the other mobile random wire tuners does not drive a feedline such as a coaxial cable or open wire line that in turn feeds an antenna It therefore is not affected by the match loss of the coaxial cable feeding the AH 4 Because the random wire the antenna attaches directly to the AH 4 it is able to sample the swr directly at the antennas feed point The AT AUTO m samples SWR at some distance from the antenna feed point which is affected by the match loss of the feedline However using low loss feeders will mitigate this effect The AH 4 is also NOT an autonomous antenna tuner the AT AUTO m is The AT AUTO m constantly moni tors SWR and automatically re tunes if necessary The AH 4 only tunes when comman
40. BALANCED DC Power Cable RSAPATA FUSE POWER IN O GROUND To 12VDC Supply Ground to TX 3 Amp Control Vintage Generic Transceiver Generic HF Amplifier Figure 4 1 Vintage Transceiver Amplifier to AT AUTO m Connection 4 3 3 Flex Radio Setup The Flex Radios implement the Kenwood protocol According to the good folks over at Flex Radio please follow these steps to configure a Flex Radio to operate in Smart QSY fashion with the AT AUTO m 1 Load and configure the DDUtil software program per the instructions on the DDUtil website http k5fr com ddutilwiki index php title Main Page Connect the AT AUTO m to a physical com port using a straight through serial cable Identify the com port number using Device Manager in Windows Remove the Reset Enable jumper shown in Figure 12 1 on page 93 Set DDUtil Passive Listen to that physical com port number Set the AT AUTO m to Kenwood CAT Only No Ext Tuner I O Set the AT AUTO serial baud to 9600 8 N 1 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 24 4 3 4 Icom Rig Setup Icom radios often include a CI V serial interface that the AT AUTOg m may utilize to obtain frequency information from the radio This interface is often labeled Remote on Icom radios Most newer Icom radios except IC 7800 also include a provision for controlling an external tuner via a button on the radio s front panel labeled TUNER This interface connects to the ex
41. C L control If L Active Causes L to turn continuously If C Active Causes C to home to 000 If L Active Causes L to home to 000 If C Active No effect Increase Decrease relative C L position Toggles RF Output Coax Balanced When configured for Output CX AUTO m Initiates Antenna Selection Menu Toggles 10 W carrier for manual tuning Icom Radios with Tuner I O only When configured for Input CX AUTO m Initiates Radio Selection Menu No effect lt 1 second 2 3 Seconds gt 10 seconds www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 19 3 3 Bypass Mode Bypass mode is provided for those circumstances when the operator may not wish to route RF through the AT AUTO S m matching network such as when using a StepIR type of antenna or other resonant antenna systems Bypass mode operation of the AT AUTO m is nearly identical with the Manual mode described previously Bypass mode in selected by momentarily pressing the Mode pushbutton until the AT AUTO im display shows Bypass Mode See Figure 3 2 The AT AUTO tm Bypass mode enables the user to completely bypass RF power around the AT AUTO m RF matching network while permitting the user to manipulate L and C While in Bypass mode external tuner control provided by some Icom and Kenwood radios is not utilized During Bypass mode operation the user provides control inputs to the AT AUTO gm mi croprocessor via the Tune Select rotary knob pushbutton which then actua
42. Kenwood to AT AUTO _ Icom CI V Remote Jack Circuitry built into Kenwood handshake cable AT AUTO AT AUTO Perso DB9 Male DB9 Male DB9 Female IDB9 Female lesoeed i 5s Coane e 7118 6 _ 09 Radio CAT Port PC Serial Port AT AUTO to CAT Cable Firmware Upload Cable for Kenwood amp Yaesu Figure 8 1 Interface Cable Diagrams 1 2V N C AT AUTO Gi 00000 00006 3 42 l DB9 Male AT AUTO to CAT Cable for Elecraft K2 K3 Radio CAT Port AT AUTO DB9 Male A ooo 99 Dl www KesslerEngineeringLLC com Radio CAT Port AT AUTO to CAT Cable for TenTec Omni VII etc DB9 Male 79 8 3 Radio Computer Serial Data Y Interface The RS 232 protocol used by many CAT transceivers is only designed to connect two serial data devices together One master device the AT AUTO m and one slave device the HF transceiver Each device has a dedicated data transmit line which is connected to the other devices data receive line Each serial data line can only have one data transmitting device The AT AUTO m and HF transceivers work well togethe
43. O wm during the process of automatic tuning How does the AT AUTO differ from other automatic tuners available to the amateur radio community Answer This is the ONLY fully automatic antenna tuner purposefully designed and built to conservatively handle a continuous 1500 W CW carrier Most other automatic tuners are a mere collection of fixed inductors and capacitors that are switched in out by relay and as such are generally limited to 600W PEP or less The AT AUTO m uses the same high quality roller inductor and split stator capacitor used in our highly acclaimed manual tuners but they now are adjusted by stepper motors under microprocessor control www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 111 Is this a Ham Band only tuner Will this work on the MARS frequencies Answer The AT AUTO m will match antennas operating in the 1 8 54 MHz range There are match memories dedicated to the entire match range of the tuner Non volatile memories for MARS frequencies as well as other Federal Civil frequencies are incorporated into the AT AUTO m firmware Why does the AT AUTO take up to 30 seconds to tune Answer The actual tune time of the AT AUTO m is very fast 1 3 second tuning time is very typical The 30 seconds quoted is due to the transit time it takes for the AT AUTO m to reposition the roller inductor from one extreme to another such as QSYing from 160m to 10m The actual tuning starts once the inductor and capacitor have bee
44. Select knob until the desired rig type is displayed then momentarily press the Tune Select knob III i Figure 6 9 Service Menu Option Rig Types When the AT AUTO m is properly configured and correctly connected to a compatible CAT CI V equipped radio the AT AUTO will immediately follow any frequency change in the radio and then automatically preset C amp L based upon match settings for the new frequency The AT AUTO 1 can also be controlled by those radios that provide for external tuner handshaking and control In order to enable either of these features the AT AUTO tm must know what type of radio it is connected to as well as the CAT CI V serial data rate Table 6 2 lists CAT CI V radios currently supported by the AT AUTO firmware The supported radio capabilities are shown in Table 6 3 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com Make Elecraft Flex Radio Icom Kenwood TenTec Yaesu 51 Table 6 2 AT AUTO 1 Compatible CAT CI V Radios Model K2 K3 SDR 1000 FLEX 5000 IC 735 IC 706 IC 7000 etc IC 7700 7800 TS 480 TS 570 TS 2000 Omni VII Jupiter FT 450 FT 890 FT 920 FT 950 FT 980 FT 990 FT 1000 etc FT 2000 FT 5000 FT 9000 etc Select Kenwood CAT Only No Ext Tuner I O Kenwood CAT Only No Ext Tuner I O Kenwood CAT Only No Ext Tuner I O Kenwood CAT Only No Ext Tuner I O Icom CIV Only No Ext Tuner I O Icom Normal CIV amp Ext Tuner I
45. TO m processor reset must remain unconnected or the Reset Enable jumper must be Open See Figure 12 1 on page 93 Warning When interfacing the AT AUTO tm with an Elecraft radio via the radios I O port Pins 7 amp 8 must on the remain unconnected or internal damage to the radio will likely occur Table 8 1 Rear Panel Connector Descriptions Outline Name Pinout Pin 1 No Connection Pin 2 12 VDC 3 5 A max while tuning Power Pin 3 DC Ground Pin 1 TTL I O Pin 2 TTL I O Pin 3 No Internal Connection Pin 4 Signal Ground O Transceiver Data Pin 5 Icom CI V Bus I O Open Collector Pin 1 No Connection Pin 2 Serial Data Output From AT AUTO m Pin 3 Serial Data Input To AT AUTO 4 Pin 4 No Connection RS 232 CAT Pin 5 Signal Ground Pin 6 No Connection Pin 7 AT AUTO t Processor Reset Pin 8 No Connection Pin 9 No Connection Note Voltages are RS 232 compliant and are NOT TTL compatible If the intended radio uses TTL signal levels a Level Converter is required Consult your owner s manual prior to connecting to this port www KesslerEngineeringLLC com Transceiver Auxiliary Data Input CI V Jacks e Icom Tuner Plug 43 0 AN Os 1 vo AT AUTO DC Power Input Ground O cu Au 9 Icom to AT AUTO ala Kenwood Transceiver AT Plug Data Input e k 2 BIO gt
46. a a col ee ee ee ai 50 Service Menu Option Configure Bypass 53 Configure RF Bypass Options 52 ess e 64 oEK5 53 Service Menu Option Configure RF Output 54 Configure RF Output User Options 2 4 64 e552 8 4 4896 54 ee 55 Service Menu Option Setup Icom CIV LL 57 Setup Icom CEV Sub Menus gi PO ASL Ae 57 Service Menu Option Set Startup Mode 60 Set Startup Mode Submenu Options ooo a a 60 Service Menu Option Setup Auto Tune 60 Setup Autos Tune Submenu ici a ee ee a ea 61 Service Menu Option Configure QRO Keyline 62 Configure QRO Keyline Submenu Options 62 Service Menu Option Tx Rx Frequency Split 64 Tx Rx Frequency Split Enable Disable by Band 64 Toggling Tx Rx Window Direction via Mode Pushbutton 65 Adjusting Tx Rx Frequency Boundary via Tune Select Knob 65 Tx Rx Window Direction and Frequency Controls 65 Service Menu Option Set to Defaults 66 Service Menu Option Setup Multi Rig o 68 Configure QRO Keyline Submenu Options 68 Radio Selection Menu i esa daa eS a a ee ee 69 Interface Cable Diagrams 2 lt 2 i see eee ge e A 78 Radio Computer Serial Data Y Interface Cable Diagrams 80 Meter Board Adjustment Locations 0 0 0 00002 pee
47. adios used need not be CI V equipped Figure 4 11 shows the AT AUTO m connected to two CX AUTO qm coaxial antenna switches one for input rig selection and one for automatic antenna selection Make the electrical connections as shown in 4 11 and configure the AT AUTOwW per the instructions found in the Setup Multi Rig section on page 68 When using the multi rig setup the AT AUTO will utilize CI V frequency information whenever an Icom CI V equipped radio is selected and when a non CI V equipped radio is selected will automatically revert to counting the RF frequency to determine band and frequency AT AUTO Rear Panel INPUT COAX QRO Keyline TRANSCEIVER DATA INPUT AUX CIV PORTS O D a RS 232 DATA INPUT FUSE POWER IN o GROUND To Balanced OUTPUT COAX BALANCED Antenna OUT Icom External Tuner Interface To Antennas User s Choice Non CI V Transceive Non CI V Transceive Non CI V Transceive ACC2 Remote Figure 4 11 Dual CX AUTO m to AT AUTO m electrical connections for operating with multiple radios and multiple antennas www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 42 AT AUTO tm QRO Keyline The AT AUTO m may automatically permit inhibit keying of an HF amplifier Use of the QRO Keyline hardware is entirely optional and completely independent of the automatic tuning process It does not otherwise change or alter t
48. ata is sent by the HF transceiver The Yaesu FT 990 and FT 1000 are known to cause erratic frequency following by the AT AUTO tm When using a Y serial data cable Users report success with the FT 2000 and Kenwood radios www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 81 Remote Control Warning Damage to the AT AUTO m may result if the AT AUTO 1 microprocessor is reset or held in reset by the RTS handshake control from the user s PC RS 232 port To prevent such damage ensure the Reset Enable jumper see page 94 is open 9 1 General Description The AT AUTO m is remotely controllable from a computer serial port or via the Icom CI V bus and the AT AUTO m command syntax has been designed to be compatible with the Icom protocols The AT AUTO m has a specific CI V address default 0xE0 hexadecimal The AT AUTO im will ignore any commands not addressed specifically to it Additionally all com mands should originate from a specific CI V address that is different from the AT AUTO m CI V address Any of the AT AUTO S m commands may be sent to the AT AUTO 4 re gardless of its current operating mode Automatic Manual or Bypass In order to enable remote control operation the AT AUTO m must be configured to operate with either a Vintage Rig or with an Icom radio configured as Icom Normal CI V amp Tuner I O or Icom CI V Only If the radio that the AT AUTO 4 is connected to does not have a
49. ce the time needed to find the match www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 98 3 QRO keyline control The AT AUTO m firmware now includes provision to en able disable the keying of an external HF RF power amplifier based upon user selectable SWR levels The AT AUTO m xr includes additional hardware necessary to imple ment QRO keyline control Additionally the external amplifier can be prevented from being keyed while the AT AUTO m xz is tuning Automatic or Manual mode Retrofitting this capability to existing AT AUTO m s is possible but requires hard ware replacement modification by Kessler Engineering Contact Kessler Engineering for pricing and availability Version 2 05 AT AUTO tm firmware version 2 05 includes the following new feature 1 Kenwood and Yaesu serial data header decoding This improves the operation of the AT AUTO tm when used with a Y cable configuration when controlling the radio with a computer This only works with Yaesu radios that provide headers that identify the type of information contained in the serial data string The Yaesu FT 1000 for example does not provide this information and thus Y cable operation with the FT 1000 is still problematic Version 2 04 AT AUTO im firmware version 2 04 includes the following new features 1 Continuous display of the selected RF output balanced coax while in Automatic mode 2 Elimination of the ability of the user to rotate the roller inductor
50. ch this may be done is to operate the tuner in manual mode and manually adjust the tuner for a suitable match Then switch the tuner to automatic mode and command a fine tune by momentarily pressing the Mode Tune rotary knob The tuner will attempt to fine tune but finding the good match will instead store your match settings How do I control which memory is recalled and used Answer You really can t The AT AUTO m manages all of the memories automatically www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 109 based upon operating frequency and which output is selected 16 3 Radio Interfacing Questions Why doesn t the AT AUTO work in Smart QS Y and External Tuner Handshake modes with other radios Answer We designed the AT AUTO m to interface with ALL radios that incorporated a CAT CI V interface and or included an external tuner interface Version 2 0 firmware provided Icom Kenwood and limited Yaesu support Support for other radios continues to be expanded and included in newer firmware versions The AT AUTO m hardware should be capable of supporting most radios The decision to support Icom radios first was made because the Icom interfaces are well documented and standardized across the entire Icom transceiver product line However we now also support an increasing variety of radios including Elecraft Flex newer Kenwood several TenTec and many Yaesu radios etc Will the AT AUTO automatically follow frequency changes i
51. d firmware version for 2 seconds and then enter the Automatic default mode 5 Select the desired tuner output balanced coax by momentarily pressing the Output button Some firmware versions require that the Tune Select knob be rotated until the desired output is displayed then momentarily depressing the Tune Select knob 6 Set the transceiver to the intended operating frequency 7 Generate a 10 100 W CW FM carrier on the intended operating frequency Note The AT AUTO m will measure the SWR and if necessary count the RF carrier frequency preset the inductor and capacitor to positions appropriate for the band of operation and then begin automatic tuning The presetting operation may take up to 30 seconds when switching from very low to very high or from very high to very low frequency bands such as QSYing from 160m to 10m 8 Follow the prompts on the AT AUTO m display Note When the tuner displays PLS TX 10 W CW you should continuously transmit the FM CW carrier until tuning is completed Once tuning is complete stop transmitting the carrier The position of the inductor and capacitor are automatically stored for future retrieval when returning to the same operating frequency Warning Wait at least 2 seconds after the last movement of the Inductor or Capacitor while their new positions are updated and saved in the microprocessor before removing DC power or turning Off the AT AUTO m Firmware version 2 01 and subsequent
52. d power sensed is 0 95W the observed SWR is 1 21 1 which now exceeds the hysteresis threshold needed for automatic tuning initiation Conversely if the Reflected power sensed is only 0 85W the observed SWR is 1 19 1 Therefore a variation in Reflected power of 0 05W is all that is required to vary the observed SWR and may initiate automatic tuning Losses in cables or connectors will easily exceed this threshold If a 100W carrier is used for tuning instead 9W of observed Reflected power will result in a 1 20 1 SWR Likewise 9 5W of observed Reflected power yields an observed SWR of 1 21 1 The difference now is that it requires an approximate 3 Watt increase in Reflected power to achieve an SWR that exceeds the automatic tuning threshold Therefore when tuning at 10W a 0 05W change in observed Reflected power may be all that is required to vary the observed SWR from 1 20 1 to 1 21 1 exceeding threshold and triggering automatic tuning However when tuning at 100W a iW change in observed Reflected power may be required to vary the SWR around the hysteresis threshold level The AT AUTO m is capable of quantifying observed power levels ranging from approxi mately 5 1500W with a resolution of approximately 0 1W When tuning with a 10W carrier this resolution is slightly coarse for differentiating 0 05W variations in observed Reflected power but is well suited for resolving 3W variations in observed Reflected power when tun ing with a 100 W ca
53. ded and then only tunes to reduce SWR to 1 5 1 The AT AUTO m strives for a much better match of 1 05 1 but a match of 1 2 1 or better is automatically considered a success The 1 05 1 SWR criteria is much more challenging to achieve but is readily achievable with the AT AUTO m firmware and variable capacitor and roller inductor The AH 4 uses lumped capacitance and inductor values which often do not yield sufficiently fine resolution of ca pacitance and inductance necessary to provide the precise tuning match achieved with the AT AUTO tm www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 116 16 5 Firmware Specific Questions Does the latest version of the firmware only work with the AT AUTOs m that have the QRO Keyline hardware Someone posted a message on one of the user reflectors saying that earlier versions of the AT AUTO m are not upgradeable Is this true Answer No By design ALL versions of AT AUTO m firmware work with ALL ver sions of the AT AUTO m All AT AUTOs m are indeed firmware upgradeable by the user free of charge Firmware version 2 07 and subsequent include an ability to control some optional hardware to disable enable keying of an external HF power amplifier This and all subsequent firmware versions remain fully compatible with every hardware version of the AT AUTO m If your AT AUTO m does not include the optional QRO Keyline hardware you should merely leave QRO Keyline disabled in the firmware Where can I g
54. ds to the Icom transceiver every second The Icom transceiver should respond by sending its frequency data back to the AT AUTO Um Whenever multiple controllers attempt to control query the same transceiver data collisions are much more likely to occur These data collisions may corrupt the frequency data that was sent over the CI V bus and could sometimes result in erratic erroneous AT AUTO im frequency following Although this was an infrequent problem with early gener ation AT AUTO Wm firmware the AT AUTO m firmware has since been greatly improved to better detect and ignore data collisions In the very unlikely event that data collisions are causing erratic AT AUTO m frequency following errors you may try the following The solution is to ensure that only one device AT AUTO m or computer logging software etc is permitted to query the radio for frequency information while the AT AUTO tn computer software and any other controller on the data bus merely listen for the radio s response to the singular frequency queries www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 91 For example if the user has a computer logging program which accesses the CI V bus and queries the radio at regular intervals the user may reduce the likelihood of CI V data bus collisions by preventing the AT AUTO m from querying the radio and preventing the radio from autonomously placing uncommanded data on the CI V bus set data transceive to Off The
55. e operation Then read through the AT AUTO manual The following are suggested steps to setup the AT AUTO tm IC PWI1 and Icom transceiver 1 Insert the Amphenol plug into the TRANSCEIVER DATA INPUT socket on the rear of the AT AUTO qm and twist the attachment ring until finger tight 2 Insert the male 3 5 mm plug into the Remote jack on the back of the Icom radio www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 10 26 Insert the 4 pin white Molex plug into the corresponding receptacle located on the back of the Icom radio Some radios may not include the 4 pin receptacle IC 7800 for example If using the optional QRO Keyline the Icom supplied cable must be modified The transmit control line ACC1 Pin3 must be routed through the QRO Keyline connectors on the back of the AT AUTO m See QRO Keyline section on page 42 to configure the QRO Keyline Set the radio type to either Icom Normal CI V amp Ext Tuner I O or set to Icom CIV Only No Ext Tuner I O as described in the Configure Radio section on page 50 Setup the AT AUTO m to CIV Transceive From Select Icom and set the radio s CI V address as described in the Setup Icom CI V section on page 57 The IC PW1 default CI V address is 0x55 and the AT AUTO m s default CI V address is 0xE0 neither of which should require changing Configure the AT AUTO 4m serial I O to 9600 baud as described in the Configure AT AUTO m Serial Interface section
56. e 24 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 38 AT AUTO Rear Panel INPUTCOAX QRO Keyline O TRANSCEIVER To Balanced OUTPUT COAX DATA INPUT BALANCED f Antenna AUX CIV PORTS Vendor Supplied 9 o DC Power Cable To 12VDC Supply Vendor Supplied Icom Cable CI V Cable To Antennas User s Choice Icom TranscAver O O To DC Power Supply ACC2 Remote DC Power Input CX AUTO or Wall Wart O CI V CIV Icom External Tuner Interface Figure 4 9 CX AUTO m to AT AUTO gm electrical connections when operating Icom Transceivers www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 39 Operation with Vintage and other Non CI V Equipped Rigs In those instances when using non CI V equipped radios Drake Collins etc or non CI V compatible radios such as Yaesu Kenwood etc the AT AUTO m may be configured to determine frequency and band information by counting the transmitted RF frequency requires AT AUTO m firmware version 2 13 or later When so configured and properly connected to a CX AUTO m coaxial antenna switch the AT AUTO m is capable of auto matically selecting any 1 of 8 coaxial outputs based upon the frequency band of operation The user may also manually select any of these outputs from the AT AUTO m front panel Figure 4 10 depicts the correct electrical connection between a CX AUTO m an AT AUTO m and a generic non CI V equipped radio Under normal operation the
57. ection and determination of SWR To exit momentarily depress the Mode switch 6 2 2 Adjust A D Inputs Figure 6 4 Service Menu Option Adjust A D Inputs Note Intended for factory use only during calibration of the Analog to Digital converters necessary for RF Power detection and determination of SWR To exit momentarily depress the Mode switch 6 2 3 Erase Match Memory Figure 6 5 Service Menu Option Erase Match Memory This option will erase all user match settings and restore the memories to factory defaults Select this option and momentarily depress the Tune Select knob www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 48 6 2 4 Adjust Serial I O Figure 6 6 Service Menu Option Adjust Serial I O When this option is selected the AT AUTO m will display the currently selected data rate and number of stop bits 1 or 2 Supported data rates are shown in Figure 6 7 and suggested data rates and types known to work with various radios are shown in Table 6 1 All serial data bytes are 8 bits long no parity and either one or two stop bits 8 N 1 or 8 N 2 Most radios use one stop bit but some Yaesu radios utilize 2 stop bits Rotate the Tune Select knob until the desired baud rate and number of stop bits is displayed Then momentarily press the Tune Select knob Figure 6 7 Service Menu Option Baud Rate amp Stop Bit Options www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 49 Table 6 1 Suggested Serial I O Settings
58. ed Routes RF through AT AUTO n If not auto bypassed Toggles output to COAX Balanced If configured for Output CX AUTO tm Initiates Antenna Selection Mer If configured for Input CX AUTO m Initiates Radio Selection Menu No effect lt 1 second 2 3 Seconds gt 10 seconds www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 16 Manual Mode 3 1 Quickstart Guide While in Automatic mode Manual mode is selected by momentarily depressing the Mode pushbutton A subsequent momentary activation of the Mode pushbutton selects Bypass mode 1 Follow steps 1 7 described above in Automatic mode Page 10 2 Select Manual Mode by momentarily depressing the Mode switch Note The display will show Manual mode as well as indicate the position of the capacitor the currently selected antenna and the position of the inductor in 2nd line of the AT AUTO m display 3 Generate a 10 100 W CW FM carrier 4 Adjust Capacitor and Inductor by turning Tune Select knob while observing the SWR The respective C and L positions are shown on the LCD Switch between Ca pacitor and Inductor control by momentarily depressing the Tune Select knob Warning Wait at least 2 seconds after the last movement of the Inductor or Capacitor before removing DC power or turning Off the AT AUTO im Firmware version 2 01 and subsequent will automatically re home L and C if the memory write was interrupted 3 2 Detailed Operation Manual mode is selected by
59. er losses within the feed line and feed line connectors the linearity of the RF sampling network and the bit resolution of the analog to digital converters used to quantify the Forward and Reflected power samples The AT AUTO m firmware includes an SWR hysteresis feature That is it measures the Forward and Reflected power and if the SWR is less than 1 2 1 default then it does not automatically tune However if the SWR is determined to be greater than 1 2 1 then automatic tuning is initiated During the automatic tuning process the AT AUTO n attempts to improve the SWR to 1 05 1 As soon as an SWR of 1 05 1 or better is achieved the tuning is halted and the match settings are stored If 1 05 1 or better is NOT achieved the tuning process continues until it times out At that time if the SWR is still greater than 1 05 1 but less than 1 20 1 the automatic tuning process is deemed successful and the match settings are stored The AT AUTO m provides the user with an visual indication of which criterion was met by displaying either SWR lt 1 05 1 default or SWR lt 1 2 1 default or Match Not Found The SWR is calculated using the following equation Prwa Pref SWR Prud ua Pref www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 113 Given a Forward power of 10W as provided when using the TUNER button on the radio an SWR of 1 20 1 is observed if 0 90W of Reflected power is sensed at the SWR bridge If the Reflecte
60. erface The AT AUTO tm interfaces with a computer s serial port in order upload new firmware and in order to enable PC remote control of the AT AUTO tm The AT AUTO qm also incorporates unique operating enhancements that are only available when properly interfaced to a firmware supported CI V CAT capable transceiver The AT AUTO m is directly compatible with most popular transceivers via it s CI V Icom interface and RS 232 interface Kenwood Yaesu TenTec amp Elecraft rigs The AT AUTO tm is NOT directly compatible with CAT radios that use TTL data levels In this case the owner will need to supply an RS 232 to TTL level converter Connecting the AT AUTO S m RS 232 serial output to a radio that expects TTL voltage levels will very likely damage the radio Kessler Engineering is not liable for damage caused by improper tuner to radio interfacing www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 77 Kessler Engineering supplies interface cables that are suitable for use with either Icom transceivers most Kenwood some Yaesu several TenTec and Elecraft transceivers The information supplied in this section is provided to enable AT AUTO n owners to construct their own interface cables Rear panel connector pinouts are provided in Table 8 1 on page 77 and Figure 8 1 page 78 provides illustrations of the serial date interfacing cabling Warning When interfacing the AT AUTO m with CAT capable radios via the RS 232 port Pin 7 AT AU
61. eringLLC com 44 5 3 Operation The QRO Keyline control automatically enables or disables keying of an HF amplifier based upon user selectable criteria Whenever the QRO Keyline is enabled an asterisk will be displayed in the upper right corner of the LCD as shown in Figure 5 3 The asterisk provides HF STEPPER ANTENNA TUNER Figure 5 3 Automatic Mode with QRO Keyline Enabled confirmation to the user that the QRO Keyline is enabled asterisk displayed or disabled no asterisk displayed Note The configuration operation of the QRO Keyline has absolutely NO effect on either the Automatic Manual or Bypass operating modes Note If the is not shown in the display then the QRO Keyline is Open and the radio will not be able to key the amplifier www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 45 Firmware Configuration 6 1 General Description The AT AUTO m firmware permits tailoring the AT AUTO sq behavior to better suit the users specific requirements The user may configure the AT AUTO firmware via the AT AUTO s m service menu which is accessed from the AT AUTO m front panel controls This section of the users manual provides detailed descriptions of the available firmware features as well as instructions for customizing the AT AUTO gm behavior 6 2 Accessing the Service Menu User selectable firmware options are accessed through the AT AUTO firmware service menus These menus and sub menus are described in this
62. esently only Icom radios support this feature and the new match settings will be stored in the AT AUTO memory If External Tuner Handshake is not established the AT AUTO m will prompt the oper ator to produce a steady carrier as explained above and the fine tuning process will proceed Note Fine Tune should only be initiated if the AT AUTO m has already performed an automatic tune in the present operating band When Fine Tune is commanded the AT AUTO tm will use the present L and C positions as the starting point for the fine tuning process If L and C are at grossly inappropriate positions for the current band of operation www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 15 commanding Fine Tune will likely result in inability of the AT AUTO m to find a suitable match Table 2 1 Automatic Mode Control Functions Mode Pushbutton Short Duration Press Medium Duration Press Long Duration Press Tune Select Knob Short Duration Press Medium Duration Press Long Duration Press Turn CW or CCW Output Pushbutton Short Duration Press Medium Duration Press Long Duration Press Duration Definition Short Medium Long If Tuning In Progress Aborts automatic tuning attempt If Tuner Idle Selects Manual mode No effect Selects AT AUTO m Configuration Menu If Tuner Idle Commands Fine Tune If Prompted Give user consent to attempt automatic tuning No effect No effect No effect If band was auto bypass
63. est firmware version or to revert back to a previous firmware version Warning The AT AUTO m microprocessor has been programmed with a firmware bootloader either Version I or Version II AT AUTOs m shipped prior to October 2009 were programmed with the Version I bootloader After October 2009 all AT AUTOs m were supplied with the Version II bootloader While either bootloader is fully compatible with all versions of AT AUTO firmware etc special precautions should be observed when uploading firmware if using the Version I bootloader If you have an AT AUTO m produced prior to October 2009 Version I bootloader the stepper motors should be unplugged from the AT AUTO m control board prior to initiating the upload process Failure to do so may cause damage to the control board motor driver ICs The AT AUTO gm microprocessor chip may be returned to Kessler Engineering for re programming with the Version II bootloader to prevent this problem in the future Once the microprocessor is reprogrammed with the Version II bootloader the user need not disconnect the stepper motors when uploading AT AUTO m firmware Contact Kessler Engineering for specifics 1 Ensure AT AUTO s internal hardware jumpers are configured correctly See Table 12 1 on page 94 2 Completely disconnect the Transceiver Data and any CI V connections at the rear of the AT AUTO 3 Download Kessler Engineering Firmware Uploader
64. et a copy of the firmware source code I am a software engineer and have experience with the Atmel type processor used in the AT AUTO im I would like to add some of my own refinements to the AT AUTO 1 Where can I get a copy of the source code Answer The license agreement you accepted when you purchased the AT AUTO m prevents you from accessing revising reverse engineering sharing etc the AT AUTO m firmware The Copyrighted AT AUTO m firmware is wholly owned intellectual property of Kessler Engineering LLC It represents a significant investment and we must protect it accordingly Our legal department has taken legal action in the past to protect it and will do so again when necessary You should realize that considerable time and expense has gone into its development Competitors may very likely attempt to bring similar products to the market and in so doing attempt to circumvent much of the development costs by coping or otherwise reverse engineering our firmware We therefore regret that we are unable to divulge any of the firmware specifics Why should I update to the newer AT AUTO firmware Answer You might not need to but you will probably want to When I started design on the AT AUTO Wm I intended that the firmware would an evolutionary process I am attempting to provide a high quality effective QRO automatic antenna tuner I knew from the onset that while I had invested considerable time into the develop
65. example 4 Configure the radio type as described in the Configure Radio section on page 50 The radio type should be set to Icom Normal CI V amp Ext Tuner I O or set to Icom CIV Only No Ext Tuner I O if using a radio without external tuner control such as an IC 7800 5 Configure the desired CI V operation as described in the Setup Icom CI V section on page 57 6 Configure the serial I O baud rate as described in the Configure AT AUTO m Serial Interface section on page 48 Most Icom radios use a default of 9600 baud and the AT AUTO m is also set to 9600 baud by default from the factory 4 3 5 Icom Rig With HF Amplifier Setup Some amplifiers such as the Icom IC PWI1 and the Tokyo Hy Power HL 1 5KFX amplifiers are designed to automatically obtain band frequency information from CAT CI V equipped radios Consult the respective owners manuals for your respective amplifier Icom Rig amp IC PW1 with AT AUTO q Connections for using an Icom radio and Icom IC PW1 with the AT AUTO m are shown in Figure 4 3 See Figure 4 4 if intending to use the AT AUTO QRO Keyline feature The IC PW1 and the AT AUTO m will receive frequency information via the CI V bus whenever the radio s frequency changes The radio should be set to CI V Transceive mode see your owner s manual Thoroughly read through the Icom IC PW1 manual as well as the Icom radio manual particularly the sections regarding CI V sometimes referred to as Remot
66. forward and reflected power needles Main Display provides AT AUTO m status and user prompts Output toggles between Coax or Balanced outputs Tune Select Tuning network settings and configuration options Mode user selection of operating mode and setup menu access Lamp controls power to the Peak and Peak Hold meter circuitry and illumination of the Power SWR meter Range selection of 3000 Watt in or 300 W out meter scale Peak displays peak forward power in or average forward power out Peak Hold holds and displays the highest peak forward power in Note Operating mode determines the actual control function See the respective operating mode descriptions for actual control function and usage www KesslerEngineeringLLC com tua i Figure 1 2 Top View Cover Removed www KesslerEngineeringLLC com Table 1 2 Internal Components as shown in Figure 1 2 Reference S0JID0aOANONA Description RF input and RF directional coupler RF bypass relay RF output selection relay Unbalanced Coax RF output 4 1 current balun Balanced RF output 340 14 340 pF split stator capacitor 26 uH roller inductor Stepper motor Master power switch Cross needle power and SWR meter AT AUTO processor and display Split stator capacitor gap detector Roller inductor gap detector Roller inductor travel limit switch www KesslerEngineeringLLC com Figure 1 3 Rear Panel View Table 1 3 Rear Panel Components as sh
67. he operation of the AT AUTO tm The user may configure the AT AUTO 4 to automatically prevent the amplifier from being keyed if the SWR exceeds a user selectable level or while the AT AUTO Qm is tuning This may be particularly advantageous when using the AT AUTO m with HF amplifiers that feature SWR protection circuitry If the user neglected to unkey the amplifier while the AT AUTO m is tuning the amplifier s self protection circuitry would likely disable the amplifier necessitating a reset of the amplifier itself The QRO Keyline hardware enables the AT AUTO m to unkey the amplifier if a pre determined SWR threshold is exceeded or prior to initiating automatic tuning and then to re enable keying of the amplifier after automatic tuning is completed 5 1 Retrofitting to Older AT AUTOSs m The optional QRO Keyline hardware was not incorporated into the AT AUTO m until 2008 but may be retrofitted into the earlier model AT AUTOs m at the owner s expense The retrofit involves replacement of the original processor board installation of an additional cable harness fitting two RCA phono connectors to the back panel and re calibration of the A D converters The retrofit is only available through Kessler Engineering in Beaver creek Ohio Owners wishing to have the QRO Keyline retrofitted should contact Kessler Engineering directly for pricing and scheduling 5 2 Electrical Connection and Setup Figure 5 1 shows a simplified illus
68. ing the radio query command The user may fabricate a serial Y cable whereby the AT AUTO im 8 serial data transmit line is omitted but where the serial data line from the radio is shared between the computer and the AT AUTO Mm The AT AUTO m and the computer will both be able to receive the radio s frequency data transmitted as a result of the computer generated query command www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 92 Internal Jumper Settings The AT AUTO qm has two user selectable hardware jumpers The default jumper settings are appropriate for most AT AUTO m applications Some circumstances may require alter nate jumper settings The jumpers are located on the AT AUTO m controller circuit board and their relative locations are indicated in Figure 12 1 on page 93 Jumper settings are listed in Table 12 1 on page 94 Reset Enable The AT AUTO m incorporates a microprocessor reset via RTS signal from a computer serial port The software used by the computer to upload firmware to the AT AUTO m micro processor requires the ability to reset the AT AUTO m microprocessor Warning Remote control programs that routinely assert the RTS line will cause damage to the AT AUTO tm if the Reset Enable jumper is in place Remove the Reset Enable jumper anytime the RS 232 port is to be used for remote control CI V Tx Enable In it s default jumper configuration the AT AUTO m is able to transmit and receive data
69. it direction transmit low high by momentar ily depressing the Mode button while Figure 6 25 shows how the Tx Rx frequency boundary may be adjusted by rotating the Tune Select knob Figure 6 24 Toggling Tx Rx Window Direction via Mode Pushbutton Figure 6 25 Adjusting Tx Rx Frequency Boundary via Tune Select Knob Primary Tx Rx split frequency configuration controls are shown in Figure 6 26 Tune Select Mode lt gt Split Direction Tx Rx Window L Frequency J Figure 6 26 Tx Rx Window Direction and Frequency Controls www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 66 6 2 13 Set to Defaults Figure 6 27 Service Menu Option Set to Defaults When leaving the Kessler Engineering factory and whenever the user uploads new firmware the AT AUTO m firmware will be reset to the default settings listed below The user is encouraged to explore and configure the AT AUTO m operation to fit their particular re quirements However the Set to Defaults feature was added to enable the user to rapidly restore the unit back to a known default configuration Returning the AT AUTO m to default settings does not erase previously stored match settings 1 Serial I O 9600 Baud 8 Bit No Parity 1 Stop Bit 2 Radio Icom Normal CI V amp Ext Tuner I O 3 Bypass Circuitry Installed Yes 4 Auto Antenna Select No Smart Coax Switch None Smart Bal Switch None Bypass During Bandchange Yes Auto Select 160m 80m etc
70. l movement cross needle with Peak Peak Hold power and frequency compensated coupler 2X16 LCD alpha numeric display Variable 340pF 14pF 340pF 5KV Differential 26 uH 12 ga wire wound on steatite ceramic core silver plated shaft amp hardware 2 Position 300 3000 W manually switched S0239 Teflon connector S0239 Teflon connector Dual high voltage Nylon66 terminal posts 3 Pin Amphenol connector Standard 3 mm mono jacks 5 Pin Amphenol connector DB 9 Female 5mm X 20mm 4A 125VAC fast blo 2 RCA Phono Jacks 1 8 54 MHz 1800 W PEP SSB 1500 W single tone continuous 15 1500 2 160 6m 4 1 current balun 1 30 seconds Microprocessor controlled stepper motor driven differential T impedance matching network 12 5 Wide 6 25 High 17 Deep including terminals 17 Lbs Chassis and top cover are 090 ga aluminum gold iridite Front panel powder coated and epoxy screened www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 10 Automatic Mode 2 1 Quickstart Guide The primary tuner controls are the Mode Output and Tune Select momentary pushbut tons The Tune Select is also a rotary encoder used for selection of menu items and control of the inductor and capacitor while in Manual or Bypass mode When switched On the AT AUTO tm switches to the antenna that had been in use when the AT AUTO was last switched Off and then default starts up in the Automatic mode Here the AT AUTO tn constantly monitors SWR and will
71. ler Engineering facility in Beavercreek Ohio This warranty will be void if the product has been repaired or altered by anyone other than the staff at Kessler Engineering This warranty does not apply to products damaged due to improper installation or abuse misuse Repair Policy Please contact our service department for return authorization and shipping instructions prior to sending any product for service or repair All items shipped to Kessler Engineer ing must be packed appropriately and insured against damage Kessler Engineering is not responsible for merchandise damaged in shipment Be sure to include a note describing the problem in detail and include your contact information phone number and e mail Return Policy All returns must receive prior authorization Returned items must also include a copy of the original sales receipt and be returned with the original box manuals and accessories Returns must be received within 7 days of purchase and are subject to a restocking fee Shipping expenses are not refundable www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 107 Frequently Asked Questions 16 1 Serial Port Related Questions Why is there a serial port on the AT AUTO Does this mean that I can remotely control it What is the control protocol Answer Remote control operation has been included since Version 2 0 and subsequent firmware versions See Remote Control section on page 81 for details Will the AT AUTO wo
72. m 99 The AT AUTO m default mode of operation with Vintage Rigs and Icom radios is to receive and decode CI V frequency broadcast data from any CI V equipped Icom radio s op erating in the data transceive mode The AT AUTO m listens for frequency information sent over the CI V serial data bus and then positions the inductor and capacitor to settings appropriate to the operating frequency The CI V data transceive operation is completely passive on the part of the AT AUTO m Refer to your applicable Icom radio manual for further details on CI V data transceive operation When connected to the CI V bus the AT AUTO m responds to frequency changes made on any Icom radio attached to the CI V bus If there are multiple Icom radios setup for data transceive operation and attached to the CI V bus the AT AUTO m will respond to any frequency changes made on any of the radios It is possible to limit the AT AUTO m response to just a single Icom radio in data transceive mode by setting the AT AUTO m to follow CI V data from a specific radio address only The AT AUTO can also be setup to query a specific Icom radio based upon the radio s CI V address If the user turns the CI V transceive to OFF the AT AUTO tm will no longer listen or respond to any CI V frequency data generated from a CI V data transceive operation Instead the AT AUTO m will query the specific radio based upon the radio CI V address at approximatel
73. matic tuning is proceeding the AT AUTO m displays the changing C and L positions and indicates that automatic tuning is taking place Upon finding a good match the AT AUTO m displays the matched SWR and immediately stores the match settings in non volatile memory The automatic tuning is an iterative process which alternates adjustment of the L or C until the process either times out approximately 20 seconds or an SWR at or below the Tune Stop SWR default 1 05 1 is obtained If the resulting match is at or below the Tune Stop SWR the AT AUTO sm displays Good Match SWR lt 1 05 1 However if the tuning times out because it was not able to find a match at or below the Tune Stop SWR but the resulting match was below the Tune Start SWR the AT AUTO m will display Good Match SWR lt 1 2 1 Note Whenever a successful match is found the precise L and C settings are www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 13 stored into memory and the AT AU TO indicates that it is storing the match settings If the CW carrier is interrupted before tuning is complete the AT AUTO m will imme diately cease tuning and provide an error message indicating that the carrier was lost and that tuning was aborted The user may also terminate the tuning process by momentarily pressing the Mode button In order for the tuning process to be successful as L and C positions are adjusted the corresponding variations in SWR m
74. ment of our firmware there would likely be improvements and enhanced features that I would want to make available to customers Additionally if problems were later discovered and as www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 117 improved algorithms are designed I wanted the customer to be able to take advantage of these improvements at no additional cost This is the reason I included the ability to upload the firmware to the AT AUTO m The design of the AT AUTO m permits continual improvement to the AT AUTO oper ation by adding new firmware features The AT AUTO m is an evolutionary product with sufficient firmware flexibility to permit continued product improvement Furthermore since introducing the AT AUTO m users have requested several features that I simply did not anticipate but was very happy that to meet those requests through improvements in the firmware If building a QRO fully automatic tuner were simple others would have done so already www KesslerEngineeringLLC com
75. momentarily pressing the Mode pushbutton until the AT AUTO im display shows Manual Mode See Figure 3 1 Precise manual control of the matching network is achieved via the front panel controls and by observing the cross needle SWR meter The Tune Select knob is the primary manual tuning control www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 17 The operator manipulates the Tune Select rotary encoder pushbutton to provide po sitioning commands to the AT AUTO m microprocessor which then drives the stepper motors and positions the inductor L and capacitor C There is no heavy lifting on the part of the operator The microprocessor monitors the position of the roller inductor and automatically limits the range of inductor movement The position of the capacitor inductor and the selected output are constantly displayed to the user such as shown in Figure 3 1 External Tuner Handshake The AT AUTO m is able to signal some Icom and Kenwood transceivers to produce a CW carrier for tuning When the operator presses the TUNER button on the transceiver this action is conveyed via the tuner handshaking lines to the AT AUTO m which then controls the transceiver forcing it to produce a low power nominal 10W FM or CW carrier that the operator may then use to manually tune with Note External Tuner Handshake is implemented for Icom and Kenwood radios only When so interfaced with such an Icom or Kenwood radio the user may momentarily press
76. mote Coax Figure 4 5 Icom Transceiver with Tokyo Hy Power HL 1 5KFX to AT AUTO m Connection www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 31 4 3 6 Kenwood Rig Setup Recent generation Kenwood radios include a serial interface that the AT AUTO m may utilize to obtain frequency information from the radio This RS 232 interface is often la beled COM on Kenwood radios Additionally some newer Kenwood radios also include a provision for controlling an external tuner via a button on the radio s front panel labeled TUNER This interface connects to the external tuner the AT AUTO via a 6 pin Molex style connector labeled AT which is located on the radio s back panel Note If the Kenwood radio includes multiple antenna connections any external tuner should be connected to the connector labeled Ant 1 Consult owner s manual for your specific radio A typical setup involving a Kenwood radio is shown in Figure 4 6 The following are suggested steps to setup the AT AUTO m to interface with a Kenwood transceiver 1 Insert the Amphenol plug into the TRANSCEIVER DATA INPUT socket on the rear of the AT AUTO m and twist the attachment ring until finger tight 2 Insert the 6 pin white plastic plug into the corresponding receptacle labeled AT located on the back of the Kenwood radio Some Kenwood radios may not include the AT connector 3 Set the radio type to either Kenwood Normal CAT amp Tuner I O or set
77. n the IC 735 Q I want to use my Icom IC 735 with the AT AUTO 4 I know that the IC 735 uses a 4 byte CI V frequency protocol whereas newer Icom radios use a 5 byte CI V frequency protocol Will the AT AUTO automatically follow frequency changes in the IC 735 Do I need change the firmware setup Answer You are correct the earlier Icom radios used 4 byte frequency data but newer Icom radios pass 5 bytes of frequency data over the CI V bus The AT AUTO m works just fine with both the 4 and 5 byte frequency protocols However the IC 735 is hardware configured to operate at 1200 baud whereas most newer Icom radios support a broad range of data rates To make the AT AUTO m automatically follow IC 735 QSY operations the AT AUTO im must be configured for 1200 baud and should be setup for Icom CI V Only operation See the Configuration section on page 57 for details How can I make the AT AUTO follow a specific Icom radio in a multi radio setup I have a contest station consisting of multiple Icom IC 756PROIII and IC 7800 radios These radios are networked via the Icom CI V bus and under software control from a PC I have an AT AUTO tm working perfectly with one of the PROIII radios However the AT AUTO tm follows all frequency commands sent from the PC to any of the other radios For example www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 110 when I command the IC 7800 to QSY the AT AUTO m which is actually connected to a
78. n 2 10 improves the responsiveness of the QRO keyline b The QRO keyline would open for frequency changes within a particular band but would erroneously remain enabled when changing from band to band This problem has been corrected in version 2 10 2 Changed the Remote Control data returned by the AT AUTO during Read Sta tus and Read Power commands to include the Command and Sub Command iden tifiers Version 2 08 AT AUTO 4 firmware version 2 08 includes the following new features 1 Ten Tec Omni VII and Jupiter CAT support The AT AUTO m firmware now includes the ability to follow frequency changes in the Onmi VII and Jupiter radios via the radio s CAT port 2 Control of external Coaxial and Balanced antenna switches The AT AUTO m will permit selection of any one of eight Coaxial outputs as well any one of four Balanced antenna outputs The external Coaxial switch and external Balanced switch are recent AT AUTO im accessories Contact Kessler Engineering for pricing and availability Version 2 07 AT AUTO 4 firmware version 2 07 includes the following new features 1 Yaesu FT 920 support The AT AUTO sm firmware now includes the ability to follow frequency changes in the F T 920 via the radio s CAT port 2 Revised tuning algorithm The AT AUTO m firmware includes a minor change in the automatic tuning algorithm which improves the likelihood of finding a successful match as well as redu
79. n Icom CI V bus select Vintage Rig If using an Icom radio that lacks the external tuner handshake interface the 4 pin Molex connector select Icom CI V Only Otherwise select Icom Normal CI V Tuner I O Additionally ensure that the AT AUTO s tm internal hardware jumpers are configured appropriately See Table 12 1 on page 94 All CI V commands are preceded by two identical header bytes 0xFE and then followed by one trailer end of command byte which is always 0xFD AIl commands are therefore of this format commas added for clarity only OxFE OxFE To Address From Address Command Command Sub Byte s OxFD The www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 82 AT AUTO command set is shown in Table 9 1 on page 83 Note When controlling the AT AUTO the CI V From Address MUST NOT be identical to the radio s CI V The AT AUTO m WILL ignore any commands sent to it from the radio anytime the From Address matches the radio s CI V address 9 1 1 Example Command Strings The controlling PC may be assigned any CI V address For these examples assume that the controlling PC in assigned a CI V address of 0x3A To command the AT AUTO m to switch to Manual mode the PC must send the fol lowing command string OxFE OxFE 0xE0 0x3A 0x07 0x01 0xFD The AT AUTO m will switch to Manual mode and acknowledge the command by sending OxFE OxFE 0x3A 0xE0 0xFB 0xFD Likewise to remotely select the Balanced RF
80. n pre positioned for the frequency band of operation When operating in Smart QS Y mode the AT AUTO n automatically recalls its matched settings from non volatile memory and subsequent tuning is likely not necessary Why does the AT AUTO retune at high power when it found a match at low power After I QSY if the SWR is bad the AT AUTO m gets a low power carrier from my Icom radio to tune against The tuning process seems to work fine but occasionally when I subsequently transmit the AT AUTO gm starts re tuning Why does it do this if it found a match at low power Answer The output of the RF bridge rolls off non linearly at very low power levels This is the reason that the AT AUTO m sometimes retunes upon application of QRO although a good match was previously found at QRP levels The tuning algorithm is intentionally extremely conservative attempting to match to 1 05 1 or better At 10 W input to a load matched to 1 2 1 or better SWR the reflected power levels are indeed very low and approach the hardware s limit to detect these power levels However when QRO is applied the reflective power may be sufficiently increased even at extremely good SWR and detected by the AT AUTO m This is most often manifested when the AT AUTO m is coupled to an radio that is configured to utilize the radios external tuner interface and rely upon the radio to produce a steady 10W carrier From experience it turns out that this power level may va
81. nd require a level converter to work with the AT AUTO tm This RS 232 interface is often labeled CAT on Yaesu radios Check your radio owner s manual to determine the specifics of the radio s serial port Note If the Yaesu radio includes multiple antenna connections the external tuner should be connected to the connector labeled either Ant 1 or Ant A Consult owner s manual for your specific radio A typical setup involving a Yaesu radio outfitted with an RS 232 serial port is shown in Figure 4 8 The following are suggested steps to setup the AT AUTO m to interface with a Yaesu transceiver 1 Select the radio type that best corresponds to your specific model of Yaesu radio The available menu choices are shown in the Configure Radio section on page 50 Please consult Table 6 2 on page 51 for additional information 2 Configure the AT AUTO m serial I O as described in the Configure AT AUTO m Serial Interface section on page 48 The AT AUTO m and the Yaesu radio must both be set to the same baud rate Some Yaesu radios use 2 Stop bits while others use 1 Stop bit 3 Confirm that the AT AUTO tm is able to follow frequency changes on the Yaesu transceiver www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 36 AT AUTO Rear Panel O INPUT COAX QRO Keyline O TRANSCEIVER To Balanced OUTPUT COAX DATA INPUT oPpalance BALANCED Antenna AUX CIV PORTS OUT o o O DC Power Cable RS 232 DATA INPUT FUSE POWER IN
82. ne Tuning Bug manifested whenever fine tune commanded with out prior automatic tuning in the band of operation Under these conditions the AT AUTO mn would motor the inductor to the maximum inductance and stop Runaway Inductor Occasionally during automatic tuning the Inductor would motor to maximum L and stop Runaway Capacitor Occasionally during automatic tuning the Capacitor would re peatedly turn to position 397 then continue to approximately 004 and repeat sequence indefinitely LCD Blanking LCD would momentarily blank during auto tune initiation Uncommanded Unintentional retuning while in SSB mode During SWR Power sam pling AT AUTO would detect reflected power prior to detection of forward power causing AT AUTO 1 to interpret this as excessive SWR and initiate retuning www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 104 7 Failure to recognize excessive SWR Under some circumstances with very excessive SWR AT AUTO m would report Good Match and fail to initiate automatic tuning despite the very obvious via the analog meter antenna mismatch 8 Frequency Error Under conditions of very high SWR AT AUTO m would occa sionally be unable to discern the operating frequency from the RF sample Firmware and hardware changes have considerably improved this problem Problems might still occur albeit rarely 9 Autotuning Past Low SWR Points During automatic tuning the positioning of
83. o bypass the tuner s impedance matching network and to directly couple the RF input to the RF output The first generation AT AUTOs m lacked the hardware necessary to provide this capability Unless you own an older version of the AT AUTO m which lacks RF bypass capability leave this option set to the factory default bypass circuitry installed AT AUTOs m without RF bypass hardware MUST should be set to No bypass circuitry not installed to ensure proper operation Ite Yes gt tne No Figure 6 11 Configure RF Bypass Options www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 54 6 2 7 Configure RF Output Figure 6 12 Service Menu Option Configure RF Output The AT AUTO 1 may be configured to automatically select based upon operating fre quency either the coaxial or balanced RF output and to route the RF through or to bypass the tuning network Additionally if the Kessler Engineering CX AUTO m external Coaxial or BL AUTO m external Balanced antenna switches are attached the AT AUTO m can also automatically select any 1 of 8 coaxial outputs and or 1 of 4 balanced outputs These external antenna switches are controlled by the AT AUTO m via CI V or RS 422 data bus During bandchanges the AT AUTO m may also temporarily bypass the RF matching network while the inductor and capacitor are being repositioned for the new operating band When this option is enabled the bypass relay will be energized RF bypasses the RF matching netw
84. o select the desired RF output Whenever the user rotates the Tune Select knob to a new selection that selection is immediately sent to the CX AUTO m and is made active To exit from the antenna selection the user must depress the Tune Select knob Version 2 11 AT AUTO im firmware version 2 11 includes the following new features 1 Split frequency operation The AT AUTO m is capable of following frequency infor mation via the radio s CAT CI V port and automatically positioning the L and C However during split frequency operation it is impractical if the AT AUTO m Te positions L and C whenever switching from the transmit to receive frequency The firmware is now configurable to enable the AT AUTO m to ignore serial frequency data for the receive frequency window while responding to frequency changes in the transmit window 2 Remote control Fine Tune command Fine Tune command re initiates tuning but uses the present L and C settings Commanding Fine Tune while in Automatic mode will cause the established L and C match settings to be stored in non volatile memory This feature may also be utilized to store user derived match settings www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 97 Version 2 10 AT AUTO m firmware version 2 10 includes these changes 1 Corrections to the operation of the QRO Keyline a The QRO keyline required many SWR samples before the keyline would be re enabled Versio
85. o setup the AT AUTO m to interface with a TenTec Omni VII or Jupiter transceiver 1 Set the radio type to TenTec Omni VII Jupiter as described in the Configure Radio section on page 50 2 Configure the AT AUTO serial I O port to 57600 baud 8 data bits no parity 1 stop bit 57600 8 N 1 as described in the Configure AT AUTO Serial Interface section on page 48 The TenTec radios are setup for 57600 baud serial data and the AT AUTO m must be set to match the radio s data rate and number of stop bits 3 Confirm that the AT AUTO m is able to follow frequency changes on the TenTec transceiver www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 34 AT AUTO Rear Panel To Amplifier PTT INPUTCOAX QRO Keyline O TRANSCEIVER DATA INPUT AUX CIV PORTS O o o To Balanced OUTPUT COAX BALANCED Antenna OUT DC Power Cable RS 232 DATA INPUT POWER IN To Coax Fed Antenna To 12VDC Coax Supply RS 232 Serial Cable TX EN TX OUT O SPARE SPARE DC OUT SERIAL Omni VII Transceiver Figure 4 7 Omni VII Transceiver to AT AUTO m Connection www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 35 4 3 8 Yaesu Rig Setup Many Yaesu radios include a serial interface that the AT AUTOq may utilize to obtain frequency information from the radio On most newer generation Yaesu radios this is gen erally an RS 232 interface but some Yaesu radios have serial I O ports that are TTL a
86. onnected to a CI V equipped Icom radio or if intending to remotely control the AT AUTO m If not then this section should be ignored The various Setup Icom CI V options are shown in Figure 6 15 and are summarized in Table 6 5 OFF From Select Icom 04 7F 80 EF i Figure 6 15 Setup Icom CI V Sub Menus www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 58 Table 6 5 Setup Icom CI V Submenu Options Submenu Option Note Exit Return to Main Setup Menu Transceive Off From Any Icom From Select Icom 1 Address Radio AT AUTO 3 Note 1 OFF AT AUTO m transmits frequency query commands to the attached Icom radio as determined by the Icom radio s specific CI V address and only accepts frequency information from this specific Icom radio From Select Icom AT AUTO m passively listens for frequency data from a specific radio only as determined by the Icom radio s CI V address From Any Icom AT AUTO im passively listens for frequency data from any Icom radio regardless of the radio s specific CI V address Note 2 Use this option to select the CI V address of the attached Icom radio Valid radio CI V addresses may range of 0x04 to 0x7F Note 3 Use this option to select the CI V address of the AT AUTO Any ad dress within the range of 0x80 to OxEF may be selected Default is 0xE0 Note All devices connected to the CI V bus MUST be assigned unique CI V ad dresses www KesslerEngineeringLLC co
87. ork while changing from band to band and will automatically de energize when the inductor and capacitor are finished being repositioned for the new band If the user has selected a particular band for automatic bypassing either to the Coax or Balanced outputs the inductor and capacitor will not be repositioned while operating in this band Automatic antenna and RF bypass through selection utilizes serial frequency data available from the radio s CAT CI V data port and by counting RF frequency when using Vintage rigs The various Configure RF Output options are shown in Figure 6 13 and are summarized in Table 6 4 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 59 sug mega ct nie sn EA Trough Bypass to Trough Bypass to Trough Bypass to Trough Bypass ti Trough Bypass to COAX0 COAX7 BAL0 BAL3 COAX0 COAX7 BALO BAL3 COAX0 COAX7 BALO BAL3 COAX0 COAX7 BALO BAL3 COAX0 COAXV BALO BAL3 ahi COAXY gt Meus CORK Trough Bypass to Trough Bypass to Trough Bypass to Trough Bypass to Trough Bypass t COAX0 COAX7 BAL0 BAL3 COAX0 COAX7 BAL0 BAL3 COAX0 COAX7 BALO BAL3 COAX0 COAX7 BAL0 BAL3 COAX0 COAX7 BALO BAL3 e Trough Bypass to COAX0 COAX7 BAL0 BAL3 Figure 6 13 Configure RF Output User Options www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 56 Table 6 4 Configure RF Output Options Submenu Option Note Smart COAX Switch NONE 0xB0 0xB1 0xB2 or 0xB3 1 Smart Balance Switch NONE 0xB4 0xB5 0xB6 or 0xB7 2
88. own in Figure 1 3 Reference Description Balanced RF output Unbalanced Coax RF output RF input Auxiliary CI V jacks Transceiver Data Input Icom CI V and external tuner I O Kenwood external tuner I O RS 232 I O port For firmware upgrades and CAT radio interface 5mm X 20mm 4A 125VAC fast blow fuse 12 VDC input 3 5 A peak while tuning QRO Keyline Input Output AT AUTO im xz only NANA o NOO Note Requires specific cable configuration See Table 8 1 page 77 for details www KesslerEngineeringLLC com Stepper Motor 4 1 Current Balun RF Coupler RF Input O O O Balanced Output e sd o a E O O a 7 Unbalanced Output 3 IS Meter Si 2 a El 5 Ss 5 a A e a m4 3 a 5 Stepper Motor lt _ 3 4 3 0000 Tor Controller Figure 1 4 Functional Block Diagram www KesslerEngineeringLLC com Metering Display Front Panel Controls Capacitor Inductor Power Range Switch Real Panel Connectors Input Coax Output Coax Balanced Out 12 VDC Input Aux CIV Ports Transceiver Data Input RS 232 Data Input Fuse Holder QRO Keyline Input Output General Specifications Frequency Range Power Handling Impedance Range Balanced Output Tuning Time Tuning Method Dimensions Weight Materials Table 1 4 Specifications Dua
89. past the 000 position thereby removing the likelihood that the roller inductor will be driven past the 000 position and strike the physical stop Version 2 01 AT AUTO im firmware version 2 01 includes the following new features 1 Automatic L and C homing During installation of firmware version 2 01 and newer the AT AUTO qm will home L and C and then preset C to 250 2 Land C synchronization tracking If the user switched the AT AUTO Off before L or C position information was successfully written to non volatile memory then the www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 99 AT AUTO m will automatically home L and Cwhen the AT AUTO m is next turned On After completion of the homing operation C will automatically be repositioned to 250 Version 2 00 AT AUTO im firmware version 2 00 includes the following new features 1 Kenwood CAT support Provides QSY following of Kenwood CAT enabled radios by polling frequency information via the Kenwood CAT serial data port Tested with TS 570D Yaesu CAT support Provides QSY following of the FT 2000 as described above for Kenwood Tested with FT 990 and FT 2000 Kenwood Tuner Interface Enables automatic tuning initiation via the TUNER button and AT interface present on some Kenwood HF radios Tested with TS 570D User Selectable Startup Mode of Operation User may select via firmware configura tion menu the startup mode
90. pen Open Open Open Closed Open Note Reset Enable jumper may be Closed if using the AT AUTO to CAT cable illustrated in Figure 8 1 on page 78 Warning Reset Enable must be Open if hardware flow control line RTS is present in the CAT cable If unsure remove the jumper from Reset Enable Repeated assertion of RTS by PC software may cause permanent damage www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 95 Firmware Revision Summary of Changes The AT AUTO m was first released with Firmware version 1 01 Firmware versions 1 02 through 1 10 consisted mainly of minor bug fixes and some other minor firmware enhance ments Firmware version 1 10 was the last firmware update prior to version 2 0 Version 2 0 is significantly different from versions 1 01 1 10 incorporating new operating features and refinements along with a considerable number of minor not so minor and semi critical bug fixes Kessler Engineering LLC encourages all AT AUTO m owners to update their AT AUTOs m with the latest firmware which as of this writing is version 2 14 13 1 New Firmware Features Changes Version 2 14 AT AUTO wm firmware version 2 14 includes the following feature 1 Multiple Input Rig Switching With Version 2 14 Firmware the user may now add a CX AUTO 4 automatic coaxial antenna switch to the input side of the AT AUTO tm to enable the operator to quickly select of any 1 of 8 radios to be used with the AT AUTO m The
91. poll a specific Icom radio Remote Control Operation The AT AUTO m may be remotely controlled via the Icom CI V bus The AT AUTO tm CI V address is user selectable and remote control operation permits the user to a Set specific L and C positions b Position L amp C by sending frequency data to the AT AUTO m c Select tuner output Coax Balanced d Select operating mode Automatic Manual Bypass e Read L amp C positions as well as forward and reflected power f Home L amp C Autonomous Non Autonomous Tuning Initiation The AT AUTO m s normal de fault behavior while in Automatic mode is to constantly monitor Forward and Re flected power calculate and monitor SWR Then whenever SWR exceeds a set thresh old default 1 2 1 SWR the AT AUTO m autonomously initiates tuning The user may now configure the AT AUTO m for Non Autonomous tuning initiation When so configured the AT AUTO m continues to monitor Forward amp Reflected power and to calculate and monitor the SWR However whenever the SWR exceeds a pre set threshold default 1 2 1 SWR instead of initiating automatic tuning the AT AUTO im displays a warning to the user Whenever this warning is displayed the user may consent to automatic tuning initiation by momentarily press the rotary Tune Select knob Momentarily pressing the Tune Select knob signals the user s consent to initiate automatic tuning This feat
92. r Input CX AUTO tm Initiates Radio Selection Menu No effect lt 1 second 2 3 Seconds gt 10 seconds www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 21 Installation 4 1 Unpacking Carefully remove the AT AUTO m from the shipping carton and inspect it for damage If any damage is apparent notify the transportation carrier or dealer immediately We recommend keeping the packing carton for moving storing or reshipping 4 2 Location Select a location for the AT AUTO m that allows ready access to the various connectors and with unrestricted airflow for cooling WARNING Balanced antennas will produce high RF voltages at the output post connectors DO NOT TOUCH the balanced output connections while transmitting RF burns may result WARNING Do not use more than 1500 Watts average single tone through the tuner and refrain from using high power with the tuner until it has been tuned at the frequency of operation with a low power 10 100 Watt carrier 4 3 Electrical Connection and Setup The AT AUTO m should always be connected between the antenna system and the station transmitter For installations that also include an HF amplifier the AT AUTO m should be connected between the HF amplifier and the antenna system 4 3 1 DC Power Kessler Engineering supplies a DC power cable for use with the AT AUTO m The DC power supply used should be capable of supplying 4 Amps at 12VDC The AT AUTO m www KesslerEngineeringLLC com
93. r via the RS 232 serial interface However logging and control software have become very popular and in many shacks the HF transceiver simply must be connected to the PC via the RS 232 serial interface The Y serial data cable should enable the AT AUTO m to listen only to the serial data sent from an HF transceiver to the PC So long as the PC sends the appropriate frequency query command to the HF transceiver and the AT AUTO m is able to receive and decode the frequency data information sent by the HF receiver back to the PC frequency following by the AT AUTO wm should still work as intended Figure 8 2 on page 80 is provided so that the user may implement the Y data cable interface and attempt to enable AT AUTO frequency following in those instances when the HF radio must be connected to the shack PC www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 80 AT AUTO DB9 Male PC Se ou e DB9 Female E ao Radio Se 0 oo DB9 Female of eee I o Figure 8 2 Radio Computer Serial Data Y Interface Cable Diagrams Note Although some users report success with the Y serial data cable Kessler Engi neering makes no claim that it will work for your particular application Note Some radios do NOT provide data headers in their serial data strings which causes erratic frequency following whenever non frequency serial d
94. requency segment It then automatically reposi tions L and C to the recalled match settings and indicates to the user that this is taking place The initial positioning process may take up to 30 seconds for example when repositioning L from a setting appropriate for the low end of the 160m band to something appropriate for the 10m band During this L and C repositioning process the RF carrier is not required and in order to minimize potential QRM the AT AUTO m indicates that the carrier is not required by displaying Prepositioning L amp C Please QRT Once the inductor and capacitor have been repositioned the AT AUTO m prompts the user to provide a steady carrier and will wait indefinitely until either a carrier is applied or the user aborts the automatic tuning The user should apply a steady 10 W minimum RF carrier FM or CW SSB or modulated AM are NOT appropriate Note After recalling the end users previously stored match settings it is very likely indeed expected that the subsequent SWR will be very low and subsequent tuning will rarely be required If the recalled L and C settings were for a previously derived match it is indeed very likely that the preset L and C settings will provide a good match and the SWR will be less than the Tune Start threshold default 1 2 1 and no tuning will be required However if the resultant SWR exceeds the 1 2 1 threshold the AT AUTO m will commence automatic tuning While auto
95. rk with my Collins KWMI1 and others without a computer interface Answer Yes The AT AUTO 4 is a fully automatic antenna tuner It works fine with all HF radios It includes the CI V CAT and external tuner interface circuitry merely as an operating convenience but they are NOT necessary for automatic tuner operation Why does the AT AUTO have an RS 232 port instead of a USB port Answer The AT AUTO m interfaces with an HF radio and with your computer via a conventional RS 232 port Most modern HF radios that have CAT capability do so via an RS 232 serial port an exception Icom uses a simple single line bidirectional open collector serial interface Using an USB port instead of an RS 232 port in the AT AUTO m would have meant that our customers would need to purchase a USB RS232 converter in order to achieve the CAT interface capability that the AT AUTO m already provides The CAT RS 232 interface is only used to provide low data rate frequency information and remote control commands to the AT AUTO m Depending upon the radio this data stream may be less than 20 bytes Clearly the expense and complexity of USB is unwarranted www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 108 16 2 Memory Related Questions How can I clear the AT AUTO n memories Our local club was conducting an emergency communications drill I brought my AT AUTO im to the simulated emergency location and want to use the clubs G5RV antenna but a lot of the memorie
96. rrier While the AT AUTO m power resolution at low power may seem limited the most detrimental factor is the overall feedline loss and the actual SWR at the antenna feed point From the ARRL Handbook the matched losses for several feed lines are Table 16 1 The matched loss is the expected power loss due to the resistive and dielectric Table 16 1 Feedline Match Losses Feeder Type Loss per 100 RG 58 2 25 dB RG 8 1 25 dB Open Wire 0 1 dB losses with the feedline when the feedline is terminated in its characteristic impedance For an RG 58 type coaxial cable if that cable is terminated into a perfect 50Q load then for every 100 of feedline 2 25dB of power loss is expected These losses increase significantly if there exists a significant mismatch between the feed www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 114 line and the intended load The matched loss in dB is Pry Loss 10Log Pref For a 100 length RG 58 coaxial cable terminated into a 50 Q load the expected loss is approximately 40 when operating at 30 MHz If the input power is 10W only 5 9W will be supplied to the 50 2 load Conversely for a 100 length of Ladder Line when terminated in its characteristic impedance the expected loss is only 2 3 A similar length of RG 8 coaxial cable driving a 50 Q load will dissipate as heat approximately 24 of the transmitter power Table 16 2 100 Feedline Match Loss for 1 0 1 SWR Feeder Type Loss dB Po
97. rticu larly noticeable when changing bands using the Icom radio s band buttons and was not observed when turning the VFO knob CI V data decoding and frequency following is now corrected This problem did not affect CAT operation with non Icom radios www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 103 Version 2 01 AT AUTO tm firmware version 2 01 includes these changes corrections k Change to the remote control positioning command Correct operation required a third position byte 0x00 or else the command failed Positioning command is now in accordance with the description provided in the operating manual See Table 9 1 CI V bus collision detection In earlier firmware releases the AT AUTO m would sometimes spontaneously QSY based upon collision corrupted CI V bus data which manifested as an illogical erroneous QSY frequency Likewise other bus collisions would occasionally cause erroneous unintended AT AUTO m remote control com mand execution Version 2 00 The following is a partial summary of bugs found in previous firmware versions in no particular order of significance and corrected with AT AUTO im firmware version 2 0 I Configuration Data EEPROM write Bug forced configuration and data settings to be continuously written to EEPROM at a 1 Hz rate Data should only have been written to EEPROM if the data had changed This was a hidden bug now fixed and was not apparent to user Non Initialized Fi
98. ry from radio to radio with some radios producing a stronger carrier fine 15 W while others less 6 7W problematic www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 112 The tuner sometimes retunes after autotuning using the radio s TUNER button Why My AT AUTO m seems to work fine if I tune in high power and then operate However if I tune using the Tuner button on the Icom radio the AT AUTO m quite often wants to re tune once I switch to high power operation It does this about 30 of the time when using the coax fed loop but rarely does this when using a similar loop which is fed directly with ladder line Why does it do that Is there something wrong with my AT AUTO m Answer Tuning at low power has a couple of advantages It reduces QRM and it places less stress on the transmitter while a match is being sought It is also convenient when using an Icom or Kenwood radio you merely press the rigs TUNER button and it all happens automatically However if there are losses in the antenna system greater than the resolution of the Forward Reflected power sampling then tuning might need to be re accomplished when subsequently operating at higher power output levels Why is tuning different depending upon whether using coax fed or balanced fed antennas OK But Why And why does it seem to be different depending upon whether it is a coax fed or balanced fed antenna Answer Several factors contribute to this behavior including the pow
99. s contain match settings for my 160m dipole at home Answer The AT AUTO m firmware includes over 500 non volatile memories The memory is split evenly with 250 memories each for the balanced and coaxial outputs The memory can be reset to the factory defaults by entering the configuration menu and then scrolling to the Erase Match Mem option and pressing the Tune Select rotary knob What happens when I select Erase Match Mem How do the memories work Answer Selecting Erase Match Mem erases all of the users match settings that were stored in the AT AUTO s non volatile memory and restores all 500 memories to original factory defaults The factory defaults are mere starting points for tuning operation based upon operating frequency Each memory default when coax output is selected is for a nominal 50 load Likewise the balanced output default is for a nominal 200 2 load Based upon frequency and selected output if the SWR exceeds an approximate 1 2 1 threshold the AT AUTO m recalls from memory the respective inductor and capacitor settings and presets them accord ingly Then if the SWR is still excessive and if subsequent tuning occurs and a successful match is found that memory s default settings are overwritten with the actual match set tings Can I manually edit the memory settings Answer Short answer No Long answer Yes but only indirectly The manner in whi
100. s described in the Configure Radio section on page 50 Setup the AT AUTO m to CIV Transceive From Select Icom and also set the radio s CI V address to 0x5C as described in the Setup Icom CI V section on page 57 The default AT AUTO m CI V address is 0xE0 which should require changing Configure the AT AUTO serial I O to 9600 baud as described in the Configure AT AUTO m Serial Interface section on page 48 Most Icom radios use a default of 9600 baud and the AT AUTO m is also set to 9600 baud by default from the factory Set the Icom radio to 9600 baud Consult the radio user s manual and set the Icom radio CI V address to 0x5C and CI V Transceive to On and CI V with IC 731 to Off Confirm that the AT AUTO m and HL 1 5KFX are able to follow frequency changes on the Icom transceiver www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 30 Note If the HL 1 5KFX is connected to the CI V bus and the amplifier is turned Off all CI V communications will fail Therefore the HL 1 5KFX must be powered On in order for the Icom radio s frequency information to reach the AT AUTO tm AT AUTO Rear Panel TRANSCEIVER To Balanced BALANCED OUTPUT COAX DATA INPUT Antenna DC Power Cable RS 232 DATA INPUT POWER IN O GROUND To Coax Fed Antenna To 12VD Coax Supply Icom Cable Coax THP HL 1 5KFX CI V Cable Icom Transceiver O ACC2 Re
101. s in BCD format Example 8 926 0x26 0x89 0x00 Capacitor Position 2 Bytes in BCD format Example 257 0x57 0x02 Status 0x00 Stepper motors commanded to stop 0x01 Automatic mode idle 0x02 Automatic tuning in progress 0x03 Match not found 0x04 Match found SWR lt Tune Stop SWR saving match settings 0x05 Match found SWR lt Tune Start SWR saving match settings 0x06 Automatic mode QSY in progress 0x07 Automatic tuning aborted timed out Note The position displayed in the LCD is the actual inductor position divided by 16 Valid range of inductor position is 0 13 120 Shown on the LCD as 0 820 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 85 The AT AUTO m uses four 10 bit hardware analog to digital converters Two of the A D converters are used to provide high SWR resolution when operating at low RF input power levels Likewise the remaining two A D converters are used when using high RF input power levels when the low power A D converters would likely be saturated If specific SWR information is required the user s particular computer application may calculate SWR from the A D converters The output of the A D converters is relative and not absolute If specific power calibration is required this may also be accomplished with custom user application software The AT AUTO m Read Power command returns the conversion results for all four A D converters in the following format OxFE 0xFE 0x3A 0xE0 0x06 0
102. st the FOR LO potentiometer Figure 10 1 page 89 so that the AT AUTO im s forward power indication matches that shown on the calibrated Wattmeter 7 Calibrate the low range PEAK forward power display a Set the AT AUTO 4 Wattmeter to read PEAK power b Apply an approximate 100 W CW carrier to the AT AUTO Wm c Adjust the PEAK LO potentiometer Figure 10 1 so that the AT AUTO m s forward power indication matches that shown on the calibrated Wattmeter 8 Calibrate the high range PEAK forward power display a Set the AT AUTO 1 Wattmeter to the 3000 W power range b Apply an approximate 500 1000 W CW carrier to the AT AUTO tm c Adjust the PEAK HI potentiometer Figure 10 1 so that the AT AUTO m s forward power indication matches that shown on the calibrated Wattmeter www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 10 11 La 88 Calibrate the high range AVG forward power display a Set the AT AUTO 1 Wattmeter to read AVG power b Apply an approximate 500 1000 W CW carrier to the AT AUTO tn c Adjust the FOR HI potentiometer Figure 10 1 so that the AT AUTO m s forward power indication matches that shown on the calibrated Wattmeter Reverse the AT AUTO m coaxial input and output connect transmitter output to AT AUTO tm coaxial output connect AT AUTO m coaxial input to calibrated Wattmeter which terminates into a 50 2 dummy load Calibrate the high range reflected power display a
103. t have a serial port these adapters may be purchased relatively inexpensively from your local computer hardware supplier Note The AT AUTO m firmware updating works best when directly connected to a genuine RS 232 serial port Some of the USB to RS 232 converts have proven problematic and may be unsuitable for firmware updating However the quality of USB to RS 232 serial converters in general seems to have improved and you might not encounter problems The serial cable used for the firmware update must include the RTS Request to Send handshake line The Kessler Engineering supplied serial cable is intended for this purpose www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 76 Rear Panel Pinouts and Interface Cables 8 1 External Tuner Handshake The AT AUTO m is capable of controlling the low power constant carrier generation ca pability built into some Icom and Kenwood radios This External Tuner Handshake re quires connection of the AT AUTO m with either the Icom s tuner interface or the Kenwood s AT interface Do NOT attempt AT AUTO m radio interfacing via the Data Handshake connector with non Icom or non Kenwood radios Kenwood radios re quire additional external circuitry built into the Kessler Engineering supplied interface ca ble in order for the handshake feature to operate Figure 8 1 on page 78 illustrates the handshaking cables used for Icom and Kenwood radios 8 2 Radio Computer Serial Data Int
104. ternal tuner the AT AUTO im via a 4 pin Molex style connector located on the radio s back panel Note If the Icom radio includes multiple antenna connections the external tuner should be connected to the connector labeled Ant 1 Consult owner s manual for your specific Icom radio A typical setup involving an Icom radio is shown in Figure 4 2 AT AUTO Rear Panel INPUT COAX QRO Keyline TRANSCEIVER To Balanced OA OUTPUT COAX DATA INPUT Antenna AUX CIV PORTS O o DC Power Cable RS 233 DATA FUSE POWER IN o GROUND To Coax Fed Antenna To 12VDC Supply Icom Cable Icom Transceiver O ACC2 Remote Icom External Tuner Interface Figure 4 2 Icom Transceiver to AT AUTO m Connection The Kessler Engineering supplied Icom cable includes a male 3 5 mm monaural plug CI V and a 4 pin male Molex style plug tuner control amp handshaking on one end and an Amphenol style 5 pin female plug www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 25 1 Insert the Amphenol plug into the TRANSCEIVER DATA INPUT socket on the rear of the AT AUTO m and twist the attachment ring until finger tight 2 Insert the male 3 5 mm plug into the Remote jack on the back of the Icom radio 3 Insert the 4 pin white plastic plug into the corresponding receptacle located on the back of the Icom radio This receptacle is often not labeled on the radio and some radios do not include the 4 pin receptacle IC 7800 for
105. tes the stepper motors and repositions the inductor and capacitor The position of the capacitor inductor and the selected output are constantly displayed to the user such as shown in Figure 3 2 Figure 3 2 Example Bypass Mode Display Note While in Bypass mode repositioning L or C will have NO effect on observed SWR Note Bypass mode and bypass capability are only possible if the RF bypass hardware is installed in the AT AUTO im 1st generation AT AUTOs m lacked bypass capability All current production AT AUTOSs m support Bypass mode Table 3 2 page 20 lists the control functions available while operating in Bypass mode www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 20 Table 3 2 Bypass Mode Control Functions Mode Pushbutton Short Duration Press Medium Duration Press Long Duration Press Tune Select Knob Short Duration Press Medium Duration Press Long Duration Press Clockwise Counter Clockwise Rotation Output Pushbutton Short Duration Press Medium Duration Press Long Duration Press Duration Definition Short Medium Long Selects Automatic mode No effect No effect Toggles C L control If L Active Causes L to turn continuously If C Active Causes C to home to 000 If L Active Causes L to home to 000 If C Active No effect Increase Decrease Capacitance or Inductance Toggles RF Output Coax Balanced When configured for Output CX AUTO m Initiates Antenna Selection Menu When configured fo
106. the radios TUNER button when initiating manual tuning The radio s TUNER button signals the AT AUTO m that a steady low power carrier is requested The AT AUTO tm then forces the radio to generate a low level RF carrier typically 10 W FM The user then tunes the AT AUTO m by repositioning the L and C and observing the variation in SWR on the cross needle meter When tuning is complete the carrier may be stopped by pressing the radio s TUNER button or by pressing the AT AUTO m Output button for 2 3 seconds If interfaced with an Icom radio with external tuner control pressing the AT AUTO Output button for 2 3 seconds will toggle the Icom radio s low power carrier On Off The transceiver TUNER button or the AT AUTO m Output button may be used to toggle the steady carrier on or off as needed Figure 3 1 Example Manual Mode Display Table 3 1 page 18 lists the control function provided by each of these three controls when operating in Manual mode www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 18 Table 3 1 Manual Mode Control Functions Mode Pushbutton Short Duration Press Medium Duration Press Long Duration Press Tune Select Knob Short Duration Press Medium Duration Press Long Duration Press Clockwise counter clockwise Rotation Output Pushbutton Short Duration Press Medium Duration Press Long Duration Press Duration Definition Short Medium Long Selects Bypass mode No effect No effect Toggles
107. to ignore frequency changes within the receive frequency window yet to automatically call up match settings whenever the ra dio s transmit frequency changes Split frequency operation is enabled or disabled for each band as shown in Figure 6 23 Split frequency is normally disabled default Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No V EXIT Yes No Yes No Figure 6 23 Tx Rx Frequency Split Enable Disable by Band www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 65 Split Tx Rx frequency operation may be enabled for any amateur band except 60m The Tx Rx frequency boundary is user adjustable Once split frequency operation is enabled for a particular band the user may adjust the precise Tx Rx frequency boundary as well as the Tx Rx orientation transmit high receive low or transmit low receive high For example assuming that split frequency operation had been enabled on the 160m band upon exiting the subroutine shown in Figure 6 23 the user would have the option of selecting the transmit direction transmit high or low in the band The split direction may be toggled by momentarily depressing the Mode button Likewise the actual Tx Rx frequency boundary is adjusted by rotating the Tune Select knob Once the desired split direction and Tx Rx frequency boundary is established momentarily depress the Tune Select knob Figure 6 24 illustrates toggling the transm
108. tration of the QRO Keyline hardware The Keyline in terface consists of a normally open SPST relay which is controlled by the AT AUTO S m microprocessor www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 43 Keyline In Out i Keyline In Out Amp Keyline Input gt Y Radio Keyline Output AT AUTO Microprocessor Figure 5 1 QRO Keyline Please Ensure that the radio can properly key and un key the amplifier B efore attempting to interface to the QRO Keyline The QRO Keyline s relay contacts connect directly to the two QRO Keyline phono jacks located on the rear panel of the AT AUTO m The transmitter s amplifier control keying line is connected to either one of the AT AUTO m QRO Keyline jacks The HF amplifier s transmit control line is then connected to the remaining AT AUTO n QRO Keyline jack as shown in Figure 5 2 The QRO Keyline relay is always Open whenever the AT AUTO sn is Off and as determined by QRO Keyline firmware configuration selected by the user The AT AUTO m firmware must be configured for proper QRO Keyline operation Please see page 62 AT AUTO Rear Panel QRO Keyline TRANSCEIVER DATA INPUT AUX CIV PORTS O o o O OUTPUT COAX BALANCED OUT RS RATA FUSE POWER IN o GROUND O RF Input RF Output Ground to TX Amp Control G Vintage Generic Transceiver Generic HF Amplifier Figure 5 2 QRO Keyline Connections Other Connections Omitted for Clarity www KesslerEngine
109. ure was added to provide a means to completely prevent automatic re tuning especially when using an HF amplifier Selectable SWR Tuning Thresholds While in Automatic mode the AT AUTO m ini tiates automatic tuning whenever the SWR exceeds 1 2 1 default Automatic tuning continues until the SWR is at below 1 05 1 default The user may configure the AT AUTO im to use other SWR thresholds to indicate when tuning should be initiated and at what SWR level automatic tuning should be considered successful The AT AUTO mn s SWR defaults are quite stringent especially since most other auto tuners cease tuning when SWR is less than 1 5 1 By setting higher thresholds a user may opt www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 101 to minimize retuning when operating with antennas experiencing frequent resonance changes Example a long dipole antenna blowing around in a strong wind 13 2 Bug Corrections Version 2 11 AT AUTO im firmware version 2 11 includes these changes corrections 1 QRO keyline Relay chatter During Bypass mode operation while adjusting the L or C the QRO Keyline would momentarily open and close at a very high rate This is now corrected 2 QRO keyline erratic operation During Manual mode with the QRO keyline configured to be permanently enabled QRO keyline Enable Yes the keyline would open whenever high SWR was encountered This problem is now fixed 3 When remotely controlling the AT AUTO
110. ust be discernible by the AT AUTO m controller circuitry If the AT AUTO m is profoundly mis tuned such as attempting to tune on 10m while L and C are set for 160m operation there may be NO discernible variation in SWR as L and C are manipulated and automatic tuning will very likely fail Therefore before commencing automatic tuning the AT AUTO m always presets the L and C for positions appropriate to the frequency band of operation There are 512 memories in the AT AUTO for storing antenna L and C positions and are pre populated with nominal settings There are 256 memories for the balanced output and 256 memories for the coaxial output Warning Wait until the AT AUTO m has finished saving the new match settings and the LCD is again displaying Automatic Mode before removing DC power or turning Off the AT AUTO im Smart QSY The AT AUTO m is designed to operate in a Smart QS Y mode by automatically following frequency changes of those transceivers so equipped with a CI V or CAT serial I O inter face When operating in Smart QSY mode the AT AUTO m continuously determines the transceiver operating frequency via the serial I O interface and then recalls L and C match settings from memory and rapidly presets L and C as appropriate As the transceiver changes from frequency to frequency or from band to band the AT AUTO m automatically follows along and presets L and C without the need for the an RF carrier or other
111. via the uncluttered front panel controls The meter circuitry features Average Peak and Peak amp Hold display of forward and reflected power along with SWR The meter power range 300 W 3000 W is selected by a front panel pushbutton The AT AUTO 1 controls are illustrated in Figure 1 1 and are described in Table 1 1 page 4 An internal view of the AT AUTO and component descriptions are shown in Figure 1 2 page 5 and Table 1 2 page 6 respectively while the rear panel features are shown and described in Figure 1 3 page 7 and Table 1 3 page 7 A functional block diagram of the AT AUTO m is shown in Figure 1 4 on page 8 AT AUTO sm hardware specifications are shown in Table 1 4 on page 9 The AT AUTO firmware is subject to periodic updates As improvements are made and new features are added the user may update the AT AUTO m firmware directly from the Kessler Engineering website See page 70 for more detail www KesslerEngineeringLLC com HF STEPPER ANTENNA TUNER 10 Y 8 7 6 5 4 Figure 1 1 Front Panel View www KesslerEngineeringLLC com Reference IO ol B 8 9 10 Table 1 1 Front Panel Controls as shown in Figure 1 1 Control Name or Function Master Power Switch Controls power to AT AUTO m processor peak hold meter circuitry and the meter lamp Power SWR Meter Dual needle meter displays forward and reflected power in Watts The SWR is displayed on a line beneath the intersection of
112. wer Loss Power at Antenna RG 58 2 25 dB 40 4 59 6 RG 8 1 25 dB 25 0 75 0 Open Wire 0 1 dB 2 3 97 7 When the feedline is NOT terminated in its characteristic impedance some power will be reflected back from the load toward the transmitter increasing the feedline losses The following table serves to illustrate the observed SWR that would be observed by the AT AUTO tm when coupled to various feed lines and when those feedline terminations produce reflections SWR gt 1 0 1 This table assumes 100 feedline length and operation at 30 MHz with 100 W drive power See the ARRL Handbook for a more detailed explanation and associated equations Table 16 3 is intended to illustrate that coaxial cables while very convenient are extremely lossy when operated at high SWR and serve to very effectively mask the magnitude of the actual load SWR To summarize and to answer to the original question of why this happens and why does it seem to vary with different feedline types one must understand that when tuning with very low power levels such as 10 W that the losses in the antenna system due to feedline and connector losses may easily be greater than the power levels required to initiate automatic tuning When using open wire line the losses are indeed minimal and observed and actual SWR are very closely correlated www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 115 Table 16 3 100 Feedline Match Loss for various SWR Feeder SWR at Ant SWR at
113. will automatically re home L and C if the memory write was interrupted 2 2 Detailed Operation When first turned on the AT AUTO momentarily displays the firmware version in the Liquid Crystal Display LCD then automatically selects the RF output that had been in use when the AT AUTO m was last switched off Approximately two seconds later the AT AUTO im will enter Automatic mode unless the default firmware configuration was changed and will begin sampling Forward power Operator intervention is generally not required for normal Automatic mode operation Merely select the intended RF output Balanced or Coaxial apply RF power and observe follow the prompts shown in the LCD While in Automatic Mode the AT AUTO 4 continuously monitors Forward power Whenever approximately 10 W of Forward power has been detected the AT AUTO im calculates the corresponding SWR and responds appropriately www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 12 If the SWR is determined to be less than the Tune Start SWR threshold default 1 2 1 or better the AT AUTO m displays Good Match the relative C and L positions and the selected RF output Should the SWR exceed the Tune Start SWR threshold default 1 2 1 the AT AUTO tm will attempt to improve that match to the Tune Stop SWR threshold default 1 05 1 or better First the AT AUTO 1 counts the RF frequency and then recalls the L and C match settings for that particular f
114. x06 Forward High Reflected High Forward Low Reflected Low 0xFD Definitions of the individual bytes returned from a Read Power command are contained in Table 9 3 Table 9 3 AT AUTO m Response to Read Power Command Power 2 Bytes Each Value Forward Power High 0 1024 Example 374 0x74 0x03 Reflected Power High 0 1024 Example 12 0x12 0x00 Forward Power Low 0 1024 Example 927 0x27 0x09 Reflected Power Low 0 1024 Example 36 0x36 0x00 www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 86 Analog Power Meter The AT AUTO m cross needle Power SWR meter is capable of reading peak envelope power PEP in SSB mode The Wattmeter is provided as an operator convenience and the AT AUTO im controller circuitry is completely independent from the Wattmeter circuitry The Wattmeter also has an operator selectable dual range power level switch 300 W or 3000 W Wattmeter switch settings have no effect on operation of the AT AUTO m Reading Peak Power The LAMP button controls both the SWR meter illumination as well as power to the PEAK and PEAK HOLD circuitry It must be On in order to read peak power De pressing the front panel PEAK button will activate the active peak power circuitry and the meter will display PEP and exhibit fast attack and approximately 1 5 second delay time The displayed PEP will be approximately 95 100 of the SSB signal PEP but may vary depending upon the tonal and inflection characteristics of the user s voice
115. y 1 Hz intervals and only responds to frequency data addressed directly to the AT AU TO 4 from the specific radio Valid Radio CI V addresses are in the range of 0x04 to 0x7F and the AT AUTO m may be assigned an address in the range of 0x80 to OxEF In order for the AT AUTO m to transmit over the CI V bus the internal jumpers on the AT AUTO m controller board must be configured correctly See Table 12 1 on page 94 for details www KesslerEngineeringLLC com 60 6 2 9 Set Startup Mode Figure 6 16 Service Menu Option Set Startup Mode When powered On the AT AUTO im enters Automatic Mode default The user may configure the AT AUTO m to startup in Automatic Manual Bypass or the mode in use when the AT AUTO tn was turned Off Rotate the Tune Select knob until the desired startup mode is displayed then momentarily press the Tune Select knob Figure 6 17 Set Startup Mode Submenu Options 6 2 10 Setup Auto Tune Figure 6 18 Service Menu Option Setup Auto Tune While in Automatic Mode the AT AUTO m monitors forward and reflected power and autonomously commences tuning whenever the SWR exceeds the Tune Start SWR default 1 2 1 and ceases tuning whenever the SWR falls below the Tune Stop SWR default 1 05 1 The Tune Start and Tune Stop SWR thresholds are user selectable as shown in Table 6 6 and the AT AUTO sgm autonomous tuning may be disabled as shown in Figure 6 19 When

AT-AUTO(tm) Operating Manual

Contents

Download Pdf Manuals

Related Search

Related Contents