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- YT-450
- Operation Manual
LDG YT-450 Operation Manual
Summary of YT-450
Page 1
Yt-450 operations manual manual rev a page 1 ldg yt-450 100-watt automatic tuner for yaesu ft-450 and ft-950 transceivers ldg electronics 1445 parran road st. Leonard md 20685-2903 usa phone: 410-586-2177 fax: 410-586-8475 ldg@ldgelectronics.Com www.Ldgelectronics.Com.
Page 2: Table Of Contents
Page 2 table of contents introduction 3 jumpstart, or “real hams don’t read manuals!” 3 specifications 4 an important word about power levels 5 important safety warning 5 getting to know your yt-450 6 front panel 6 rear panel 7 installation 8 compatible transceivers 8 interface cable 8 ft-450 instal...
Page 3
Page 3 introduction ldg pioneered the automatic, wide-range switched-l tuner in 1995. From its laboratories in st. Leonard, maryland, ldg continues to define the state of the art in this field with innovative automatic tuners and related products for every amateur need. Congratulations on selecting ...
Page 4
Page 4 with a minimal amount of power, and the yt-450 begins a tuning cycle. At the end of the tuning cycle, the original mode and power level is restored. Wait for the tuning cycle to end; you’re now ready to operate! Specifications • 1 to 125 watts ssb and cw peak power, 100 watts on 6 meters, and...
Page 5
Page 5 an important word about power levels the yt-450 is rated at 125 watts maximum power input at most. Many ham transmitters and transceivers, and virtually all amplifiers, output well over 125 watts. Power levels that significantly exceed specifications will definitely damage or destroy your yt-...
Page 6
Page 6 getting to know your yt-450 your yt-450 is a quality, precision instrument that will give you many years of outstanding service; take a few minutes to get to know it. The yt-450 is designed specifically for use with the ft-450 and ft-950 radios. Tuning is performed when the tune button is pus...
Page 7
Page 7 rear panel the rear panel of the yt-450 features six connectors. Ant connector: connect a 50-ohm coax antenna feedline to this standard so-239 connector. Gnd connector (wing nut): connect to antenna system ground. Tx connector: connect a 50-ohm coax jumper cable from this standard so-239 conn...
Page 8
Page 8 installation the yt-450 tuner is designed for indoor operation only; it is not water resistant. If you use it outdoors (field day, for example), you must protect it from the rain. The yt-450 is designed for use with coax-fed antennas. If use with longwires or ladder-line-fed antennas is desir...
Page 9
Page 9 ft-450 installation: connect the antenna jack on the ft-450 to the tx jack on the back of the yt-450, using a 50 ohm coax cable rated 125 watts or greater. Connect the 8-pin mini-din connector on the supplied radio interface cable to the jack marked “tuner” on the ft-450. Connect the adjacent...
Page 10
Page 10 rotate the dsp/sel knob one click clockwise until “catrate” is showing. Push in on the dsp/sel knob. Rotate the dsp/sel knob until “38400” is showing. Push in on the dsp/sel knob one final time. Now push and hold the “f” button to return to normal operation. Ft-950 installation connect the a...
Page 11
Page 11 rotate the select knob until the menu “cat bps” is showing. You may have to rotate for a while; the ft-950 has a lot of menu options. With “cat bps” showing on the screen, rotate the clar/vfo-b knob fully clockwise until “384h” is showing. Rotate the select knob one click clockwise until “ca...
Page 12
Page 12 a full tuning cycle “starts from scratch” and begins a fixed tuning sequence where the yt- 450 rapidly tries varying combinations of inductance and capacitance values, and then zeroes-in on the best match possible. When the tuning cycle is complete, if an acceptable match was found, the indu...
Page 13
Page 13 may be useful if you wish to compare antenna performance with and without the benefit of the tuner’s matching network. Initiate a memory tune cycle: to initiate a memory tuning cycle, press and hold the tune button on the front of the yt-450 until the status led lights up. A memory tuning cy...
Page 14
Page 14 force a full tune cycle: sometimes, if you are transmitting on a previously tuned frequency, but something has slightly changed in your antenna system (maybe the antenna was re-oriented, for example), performing a memory recall tune will find a stored match that is acceptable, but is not as ...
Page 15
Page 15 status led the status led is used to indicate both modes of operation, tuning status, and error codes. The following table lists the led status codes and their meaning. Led indication meaning status led on. Tuner is tuning. Status led goes out, then blinks once. Tuner has completed a tuning ...
Page 16
Page 16 tuning on the 60 meter band the yt-450 tunes in am mode, but, in the united states, the fcc requires that only ssb transmissions can be made in the 60 meter band. To that end, the ft-450 and ft-950 radios will not switch to am mode during tuning, but will remain in ssb mode. If no audio sign...
Page 17
Page 17 the advantage of this configuration is that two separate antennas can be used, without requiring retuning when switching between them. This is especially useful if a tx/rx split is set up, where tx is on one antenna and rx is on the other. Just be sure to tune both antennas prior to working ...
Page 18
Page 18 beyond the scope of this manual to present a tutorial on this subject 1 , but a little background will help in understanding what the yt-450 is doing, and how it does it. In simple dc circuits, the wire resists current flow, converting some of it into heat. The relationship between voltage, ...
Page 19
Page 19 the ratio of transmitted to reflected energy is called the “standing wave ratio”, or swr. An swr of 1 (sometimes written 1:1) indicates a perfect match. As more energy is reflected, the swr increases to 2, 3, or higher. As a general rule, modern solid state transmitters must operate with an ...
Page 20
Page 20 the ldg yt-450 in 1995, ldg electronics pioneered a new type of automatic antenna tuner. The ldg design uses banks of fixed capacitors and inductors, switched in and out of the circuit by relays under microprocessor control. An additional relay switches between high and low impedance ranges....
Page 21
Page 21 a word about tuning etiquette be sure to use a vacant frequency when tuning. With today’s crowded ham bands, this is often difficult. However, causing interference to other hams should be avoided as much as possible. The yt-450’s very short tuning cycle minimizes the impact of tuning transmi...
Page 22
Page 22 out of warranty service if a product fails after the warranty period, ldg wants to help you get it fixed. Send the product to us for repair any time you like. We will determine what needs to be done and based on your instructions, either contact you with an estimate or fix it and contact you...