LDG LDG-Z-100PLUS User manual

Z-100PLUS OPERATIONS MANUAL MANUAL REV B
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LDG Z-100Plus
100-Watt
Automatic Tuner
LDG Electronics
1445 Parran Road
St. Leonard MD 20685-2903 USA
Phone: [phone]
[email protected]
www.ldgelectronics.com

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Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Jumpstart, or “Real hams don’t read manuals!” 3
Specifications 4
An Important Word About Power Levels 4
Important Safety Warning 4
Getting to know your Z-100Plus 5
Front Panel 5
Rear Panel 5
Installation 6
Operation 8
Basic Tuning Operation 8
Toggle Bypass Mode: 8
Initiate a Memory Tune Cycle: 9
Force a Full Tune Cycle: 9
Status Indicators 10
Application Information 10
Mobile Operation 10
MARS/CAP Coverage 11
Icom Interfacing 11
Yaesu Interfacing 11
Theory of Operation 11
The LDG Z-100Plus 13
A Word About Tuning Etiquette 14
Care and Maintenance 14
Technical Support 15
Two-Year Transferrable Warranty 15
Out Of Warranty Service 15
Product Feedback 16

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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 the Z-100Plus 100-watt automatic tuner. The Z-100Plus provides
semi-automatic antenna tuning across the entire HF spectrum plus 6 meters, at power levels up to
125 watts. It will tune dipoles, verticals, Yagis, or virtually any coax-fed antenna. It will match an
amazing range of antennas and impedances, far greater than some other tuners you may have
considered, including the built-in tuners on many radios.
The Z-100Plus may be optionally powered by internal batteries, eliminating the need for an
additional power cable to use the Z-100Plus. Latching relays are used, so the Z-100Plus consumes
no power when not tuning, so batteries only need to be replaced once per year or less.
JUMPSTART, OR “REAL HAMS DON’T READ MANUALS!”
Ok, but at least read this one section before operating the Z-100Plus:
1. Turn off the power to your radio.
2. Connect the antenna jack on the transceiver to the “TX” jack on the Z-100Plus, using a 50-ohm
coax cable jumper.
3. Connect the 50-ohm coax antenna feedline to the “ANT” jack on the Z-100Plus.
4. Power up the transceiver and select the desired operating frequency.
5. Select AM, FM, CW, or PKT mode, and then key down to transmit a carrier
1
.
6. Push and hold the TUNE button on the front of the Z-100Plus for one second (until the Tuning
LED comes on), then release.
7. Wait for the tuning cycle to end (red LED goes out, 1 - 6 seconds) and then un-key.
8. Restore the transceiver to the desired operating mode.
9. You’re ready to transmit!
1
You can tune while transmitting up to 125 watts if your transceiver has a “roll-back” circuit to protect it from high SWR. If it does not
have a roll-back circuit, limit power when tuning to 10 watts.

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SPECIFICATIONS
•0.1 to 125 watts SSB and CW; 50 watts on PSK and digital modes.
•Latching relays for ultra-low power operation.
•2,000 memories for instantaneous frequency and band changing.
•7 to 18 Volts DC, 100 mA. Virtually zero current when not tuning.
•DC power cable included.
•12-volt battery pack included for 8 AA batteries. Batteries not included.
•1.8 to 54.0 MHz continuous frequency coverage. Frequency for memory storage is determined
by internal frequency counter.
•Tunes 6 to 800 ohm loads (16 to 150 on 6M), 16 to 3200 ohms with optional 4:1 Balun.
•For Dipoles, Verticals, Vees, Beams or any Coax Fed Antenna.
•Optional external Baluns allow tuning of random length, long wire or ladder line fed antennas.
Optional interface cables available. See web site for details.
•Dimensions: 6.5”L x 5.5”W x 1.75”H.
•Weight: 1 pound.
AN IMPORTANT WORD ABOUT POWER LEVELS
The Z-100Plus 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 Z-100Plus. If your tuner fails during
overload, it could also damage your transmitter or transceiver. Be sure to observe the specified power
limitations.
IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING
Never install antennas or transmission lines over or near power lines. You can be seriously
injured or killed if any part of the antenna, support or transmission line touches a power
line. Always follow this antenna safety rule: the distance to the nearest power line should be
at least twice the length of the longest antenna, transmission line or support dimension.

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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR Z-100PLUS
Your Z-100Plus is a quality, precision instrument that will give you many years of outstanding
service; take a few minutes to get to know it.
Tuning is performed when the Tune button is pushed on the front of the Z-100Plus and held for
one second. The tuner can be placed in bypass mode by pressing the Tune button momentarily.
Although a DC power jack is supplied on the rear of the Z-100Plus, the Z-100Plus may also be
powered directly from internal AA batteries (not supplied); no separate power supply is needed. The
Z-100Plus automatically powers up at the start of a tuning cycle, and goes into an ultra-low-power
sleep mode when tuning is complete. The latching relays hold the tuned configuration indefinitely,
even when DC power is completely removed. Tuning memories are stored in FLASH memory. The
internal batteries should last for approximately one year under normal operating circumstances;
longer or shorter depending upon how frequently tuning is performed.
The Z-100Plus has 2,000 frequency memories. When tuning on or near a previously tuned
frequency, the Z-100Plus uses “Memory Tune” to recall the previous tuning parameters in a fraction
of a second. If no memorized settings are available, the tuner runs a full tuning cycle, storing the
parameters for memory recall on subsequent tuning cycles on that frequency. In this manner, the Z-
100Plus “learns” as it is used, adapting to the bands and frequencies as it goes.
Front Panel On the front panel there is one pushbutton and two LED indicator lights.
Tune Button: Initiates either a memory tune or a full tune, and also toggles the tuner between
“active” and “bypass” modes.
SWR LED: Lights steady green at the end of a tuning cycle to indicate a good match has been
found.
Tuning LED: Lights during tuning operation will also blink error codes if a good tuning match
is not found.

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Rear Panel
The rear panel of the Z-100Plus features five connectors.
Antenna connector: Connect the 50-ohm coax antenna feedline to this standard SO-239
connector.
GND connector (wing nut): Connect to antenna system ground.
Transmitter connector: Connect a 50-ohm coax jumper cable from this standard SO-239
connector to the ANT jack on the back of the transceiver.
Power jack: 2.5x5.5mm DC coaxial jack. Connect to 7 to 18VDC, center positive.
Radio Interface jack: Connects via a control cable to a compatible transceiver.

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INSTALLATION
The Z-100Plus 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 Z-100Plus is designed for
use with coax-fed antennas. If use with longwires or ladder-line-fed antennas is desired, an external
balun is required. The LDG RBA-4:1 or RBA-1:1 is ideal, depending on the antenna and
transmission line used.
Always turn your radio off before plugging or unplugging anything. The radio may be damaged
if cables are connected or disconnected while the power is on.
Connect the HF antenna jack on the transceiver to the Transmitter jack on the back of the Z-
100Plus, using a 50-ohm coax cable rated 125 watts or greater.
The Z-100Plus can interface directly with several popular transceivers. For Icom radios, it will
enable their “Tune” button to start a tuning cycle and provide power to the tuner.
For Icom radios that are AH-3 or AH-4 compatible, connect the white Molex connector of the
optional IC-PAC or IC-PAC-6 Interface cable into the radio’s tuner port. The power and radio plugs
then connect to the tuner. The tuning process can start by either pressing the tune button on the tuner
or the radio.
For Yaesu FT-897 and 857, use the optional Y-ACC cable and plug the red end marked “Radio”
into the radio’s ACC port. Connect the black end marked “Tuner” into the tuner’s interface jack.
The radio does not supply power to the tuner. The tune button on the tuner is used for starting the
tuning process.
If you are not using an Icom interface cable for powering the tuner, connect the Z-100Plus to a
source of DC power capable of providing 7 –18 volts DC at 300 mA, using the provided coaxial
connector (center positive), or install 8 AA batteries in included battery pack. If your radio is
powered by 12 VDC, you most likely can use the same power supply for the Z-100Plus.
Grounding the Z-100Plus tuner will enhance its performance and safety. LDG recommends that
you connect your tuner to a suitable ground; a common ground rod connected to buried radials is
preferred, but a single ground rod, a cold water pipe, or the screw that holds the cover on an AC
outlet can provide a serviceable ground. LDG strongly recommends the use of a properly installed,
high quality lightning arrestor on all antenna cables.

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OPERATION
Basic Tuning Operation
The Z-100Plus is operated from the front panel TUNE button on the Z-100Plus itself
2
. Two types
of tuning cycles are available; a memory tuning cycle and a full tuning cycle.
The memory tuning cycle attempts to tune quickly based on having previously tuned on the
present frequency selection. If the tuner previously was successful in tuning on the currently selected
frequency, the settings for that match will be loaded into the tuner relays, and checked to see that an
acceptable SWR match is found.
A full tuning cycle “starts from scratch” and begins a fixed tuning sequence where the Z-100Plus
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
inductance and capacitance settings are saved in a memory associated with the selected frequency,
so that they may be recalled quickly in the future via a memory tuning cycle.
In this manner, the Z-100Plus “learns”; the longer you use it, the more closely it adapts itself to
the bands and frequencies used. Most users will probably use memory tuning most of the time; it
takes advantage of any saved tuning settings, but automatically defaults to a full tuning cycle if no
stored data is available.
In both cases, at the end of the tuning cycle, the carrier is held for 1.5 seconds after tuning is
complete, so that the final SWR may be read on the transceiver’s internal SWR meter or another
inline SWR meter, and the front panel LEDs will indicate the status of the tuning cycle. The tuner
may also be placed in “bypass” mode where it is electrically removed from the antenna system.
Toggle Bypass Mode:
To toggle between bypassed and active mode, press the front panel Tune button on the Z-
100Plus momentarily. The SWR LED will flash three to indicate that the tuner is in bypass mode.
Press the front panel Tune button momentarily again to recall the previous tuner settings. The Tuning
LED will flash once to indicate that the tuner is active. This function may be useful if you wish to
compare antenna performance with and without the benefit of the tuner’s matching network.
2
If a compatible Icom transceiver is connected via the interface cable, the tuner may be operated from the “tuner” button on the Icom radio,
also.

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Initiate a Memory Tune Cycle:
To initiate a memory tuning cycle, key the transmitter, then press and hold the Tuning button on
the front of the Z-100Plus until the Tuning LED lights up, then release. A memory tuning cycle will
begin.
Force a Full Tune Cycle:
Sometimes, if you are transmitting on a previously tuned frequency, performing a memory recall
tune will find a stored match that is acceptable, but is not as optimal as could be. This could be the
case if you recently made modifications to your antenna, for example. In this case, forcing a full tune
will cause the Z-100Plus to seek a better match than the match already stored in memory for this
frequency.
To force a full tuning cycle, key the transmitter, then press and hold the Tune button on the
front panel of the Z-100Plus until the Tuning LED lights up, and keep holding until the Tuning
LED goes out again. Release the Tune button once the Tuning LED goes out. A full tuning cycle
will begin.

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Status Indicators
The SWR LED and Tuning LED are both used to indicate operating modes, tuning status, and
error codes. The following table lists the LED status codes and their meaning.
LED Indication
Meaning
Tuning LED on.
Tuner is tuning.
Tuning LED goes out,
SWR LED comes on solid.
Tuner has completed a tuning cycle;
a good SWR match was found.
Tuning LED goes out,
SWR LED blinks 5 times.
Tuning cycle is complete;
tuning match is between 1.5 and 3.0 SWR.
Tuning LED goes out, no SWR LED.
Tuning cycle is complete;
tuning match is greater than 3.0:1 SWR.
Tuning LED blinks 4 times.
Tuning cycle failed, RF was lost in the
middle of the tune.
Tuning LED blinks 5 times.
Tuning cycle failed, no RF was detected.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Mobile Operation
The Z-100Plus is perfectly suited to mobile operation. It can be installed under the dashboard
along with the transceiver, or mounted remotely. The only requirement is that the tuner remains dry.
The optional radio interface cable is 14 inches long. If it is desired that the Z-100Plus is
positioned farther from the transceiver than this cable length allows, a custom cable will need to be
constructed. This can be accomplished in two ways: Cut the optional cable and solder a jumper wire
between all the connections, or purchase new connectors and cable to construct a custom-length
interface cable from scratch. The connectors are standard 1/8” stereo plugs, available from most
electronic supply catalogs, such as Mouser Electronics. The female jack is Mouser part number
16PJ106-EX, and the male plug is Mouser part number 17PP004-EX.