Hey Billy,
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I've seen you blurt this out a few times now in response.
Anyone who has an LA-1K likely knows this. RF Sensing is one of the premier features of the amp.? Most modern amps, for that matter, do this.? Side note, for quite some time, like you I too relied on the sensing feature and didn't operate with the band cable.
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I think perhaps you haven't discovered the joys of why the band cable makes the amp even easier to work with.
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For example;
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I have an FTDX101mp, LA-1K and HF-Auto.
I use the HF-Auto software on my PC to control the HF-Auto.? This allows the HF-Auto to interpolate and auto-tune the antenna while tracking against CAT control, for example using DX Lab's DX Commander.? ?This means I can change bands (or not) and spin the dial, and without transmitting, the tuner auto-tracks and auto-re-tunes.? This means at any time, my antenna is tuned, on any band I select.? It will also automatically switch antennas as appropriate (one antenna for 40/80, one for 20/15/10, in my case)
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If the LA-1K doesn't also track the band, you get into a little trouble in this scenario, as the amp is not tracking band changes as you go.? This means you still have to go through the prolonged tune-up process every time you switch bands.? When you switch bands you have to hit the band control button, select the right band, and then do the rest, or you have to transmit.? With the band cable in place, you don't have to do that.
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With the band cable, the LA-1K has a few behaviors depending how you have it configured.? You can configure it in direct keying mode, in which case when you switch bands on the radio, it switches automatically, and switches from OPERATE to STAND-BY mode.? This is how I'm set up.? This way, if I switch bands, I have the opportunity to check my tune and make sure the stars are aligned before I key up at full power.? If you're not in direct-keying mode, which some people do, the benefit is that you don't have to do anything and you're ready to transmit even switching bands.? (Some people argue this is a good way to accidentally blow things up and not be tuned, because you're 100% banking on everything else working.? Which isn't always the case, in my scenario, sometimes the tuner software is disconnected and you don't know it, for example.)
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I hope this helps.
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73s
David
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On Wed, Jan 29, 2025 at 03:55 PM, Billy Parkinson wrote:
Joe,
?The LA-1K does not need any special cable to follow band changes, it is RF sensing and will follow the radio with a short blip of RF. No need to over complicate the set up.?
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--
David
AF6HO
