Colin:

The turbo-tuner helps me tune the screw-driver to resonance by stopping the 
antenna on its upward or downward ttravel when resonance is reached.

I could tune the antenna manually with the up-down switch that is provided, 
but have no way of knowing where exactly I am.  That's why the turbo-tuner 
is helpful.  It stops the antenna when a 1.5 to 1 or less SWR is reached.

And, yes, I do occasionally use the screw-driver on 80 meters, and have a 
102-inch whip for that purpose.

Not a perfect system to be sure, but it gets me out on 20, 40, and 80. 
Still am having trouble tuning the antenna on 10 and 15 meters, but I think 
that's because it's interacting with something on the RV frame.

Will try more grounding to deal with that problem.

73 from Tom Behler:  KB8TYJ



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2007 4:22 PM
Subject: Re: ts480 question


> You probably don't want to use two tuners.
> For various reasons, but your turbo tuner should tune the screw driver to 
> a
> flat match.
> You lose power through the radios internal tuner, and through an external
> tuner, so adding the internal tuner will just limit your out going rf that
> much more.
> And since your mobile with a small antenna, the more rf you can get out to
> the antenna the better.
> I thought the screw driver was self tuning from 2M to 40M?
> if so then why the need for  a tuner? are you wanting to work 80M as well?
> 73
> Colin, V A6BKX
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "T Behler" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, December 14, 2007 11:26 AM
> Subject: ts480 question
>
>
>> Hi, all.
>>
>> Well, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my TS480, and just thought 
>> of
> a
>> question I could use some help with.
>>
>> I'll do my best to verbalize this question in a way that hopefully will
> make
>> sense.
>>
>> As you may recall, I'm going to use the TS480 as my main HF rig in our
> motor
>> home.  I have a Predator screw-driver-type antenna on the back of the
> motor
>> home, and I use something called a Turbo-tuner, made by N2VZ Enterprise 
>> to
>> tune the screw-driver for resonance on my chosen operating frequency.
>>
>> The Turbo-tuner is interfaced with the Ts480 via two cables--one is an
> RS232
>> cable which goes to the front of the radio, and the other is a cable that
>> connects to the AT port on the back of the rig.
>>
>> I am wondering if connecting the turbo-tuner in this way will
> automatically
>> disable the auto-tuner in the TS480.  Or, can the auto-tuner still be 
>> used
>> to further "fine tune" the antenna once it has been tuned by the
>> turbo-tuner.
>>
>> Thanks, and 73 from Tom Behler:  KB8TYJ
>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
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> 12/14/2007 11:29 AM
>>
>>
>
>