11
Operation
Enabling the tuner:
In the Orion
TX
setup menu, check the "
Internal Tuner
" setting. If it is set to "
disabled
",
change it to "
enabled
". You only have to do this once, the first time you use the tuner. However,
you will have to repeat this setting if you ever perform a hard reset on the radio.
Normal operation:
Operation of your OT-11P tuner is controlled by the Orion's
TUNE
button. To tune, simply set
the radio to the desired operating frequency, then press
and release
the
TUNE
button on the
radio's control panel. A memory tuning cycle will begin; stored tuning parameters will be used if
available. If no stored parameters are available, the tuner will automatically begin a full tuning
cycle. The radio will transmit a carrier of about 20 watts, and the tuner will cycle. You may hear
the relays switching in and out; they make a fairly loud buzzing noise. The tuning cycle will
automatically end in a few seconds. The radio will unkey, with power set back to the normal
level. The word "
tuned
" will appear on the display, and the achieved SWR (usually less than
1.5) will be momentarily displayed.
As you use your OT-11P it will automatically memorize tuning parameters for up to 200 of your
favorite frequencies and bands. When you re-tune on or near that frequency again, your OT-11P
will restore these parameters almost instantly, much faster than a full tuning cycle. Your OT-11P
literally "learns" as you use it.
Bypass mode:
To bypass the tuner and operate direct the antenna without matching, simply push the
TUNE
button again. The "
tuned
" indication will disappear, and the tuner will be temporarily disabled.
To tune again, just press
TUNE
button.
If you change bands on your Orion, the radio will issue a bypass command to the tuner. To tune
on the new band, simply press and release the
TUNE
button and the tuner will retune for that
band.
Forcing a full tune:
You can, if you wish, force the tuner to run a full tuning cycle even when there are tuner
parameters stored for that operating frequency. Press
and hold
the
TUNE
button for the duration
of the tune. You can tell the tune cycle is over when the relays stop clicking. If you release the
TUNE
button in the middle of a full tune, the next tune will be a full tune cycle.
Each time you power up your Orion, the OT-11P will automatically reset the last-used tuning
parameters, so you don't have to retune each time. Memory operation is fully automatic, and
requires no input from you.
Disabling the tuner:
If you wish to disable the tuner altogether, set the "
Internal Tuner
" setting to "
disabled"
in the
Orion setup menu. Thereafter, pressing the
TUNE
button will not begin a tuning cycle. To enable
the tuner again, change the "
Internal Tuner
" setting back to "
enabled
".
