West Mountain Radio TARGETuner User manual

www.westmountainradio.com
1020 Spring City Drive
Waukesha, WI 53186
262-522-6503
[email protected]
©2015 West Mountain Radio, All rights reserved. All trademarks are
the property of their respective owners.
TARGETuner
Antenna Management System
for Screwdriver Antennas

Anderson Power Products® and Powerpole® is a registered trademark of Anderson Power Products, Inc.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
We understand you have a choice when buying Amateur Radio products
and we would like to take a moment to thank you for choosing West
Mountain Radio.The TARGETuner is a state-of-the-art screwdriver antenna
management system which includes a controller unit with back-lit LCD
display and a remote sensor unit for frequency and SWR measurement.
The unit provides motor control for a wide variety of popular two or four-
wire Amateur HF screwdriver antennas.
The TARGETuner will work with any HF transceiver and does not depend
on special connections to the radio. In addition to the basic method of
operation the TARGETuner is capable of interfacing to the CI-V/CAT
jack of many radios which enables unique features not found on other
controllers.
The motor control uses a bi-polar transistor direct switch that
incorporates pulse width modulation for control of motor speed and
direction. Stall current sensing is programmable and a range of choices
are available for current limit settings.
The TARGETuner sensor module is remote from the control head which
limits the RF exposure to the controller circuitry and helps ensure reliable
operation. An industry standard shielded Category 5 cable (RJ-45) serves
as an interconnect between the two units.
Power is supplied through Anderson Powerpole®connectors for ease of
connection and fusing. If using a RIGrunner, it is recommended to use a
fuse value of 2 or 3 amps. Note that there is an internal ATC blade fuse in
the TARGETuner control head rated at 2 amps.
Theory Of Automatic Tuning - Basic Mode:
TARGETuner senses a transmitted carrier and makes frequency and SWR
measurements using the remote sensor. The controller will move the
antenna coil automatically for the best SWR match. The LCD will display
basic frequency and measured SWR during this process then indicate
“SWR Locked” when the match has been found.
Theory Of Automatic Tuning - CI-V/CAT Enhanced Mode:
TARGETuner senses a transmitted carrier and makes SWR measure-
ments using the remote sensor. Precise frequency information is supplied
via the CI-V/CAT interface. The controller will move the antenna coil
automatically for the best SWR match. The LCD will display precise
frequency and measured SWR during this process then indicate “SWR
Locked” when the match has been found. In addition to transmit tuning,
the TARGETuner is capable of tuning the antenna during reception (e.g.,
pressing the band switch or using the VFO on the radio will cause the
antenna to tune without having to transmit.)
Anderson Power Products® and Powerpole® is a registered trademark of Anderson Power Products, Inc.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
If using a 4-wire screwdriver antenna (i.e., an antenna with a position
encoder) the TARGETuner can store a frequency & position in one of the 35
memories for easy recall and receive tuning. TARGETuner also provides
manual tuning control options which may be used to manually adjust the
antenna if desired.
Product Contents
• TARGETuner Controller Unit
• TARGETuner RF Sensing Module
• Shielded RJ-45 Cable
• Power Cable with standard Powerpole connectors
• PL-259 Coaxial Jumper Cable

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Installation
Antenna Installation:
Follow the antenna manufacturer’s installation instructions outlining Antenna
Placement, Grounding, Control Cable preparation and Ferrite Choke
Placement. Proper installation is very important with mobile antennas.
Poor bonding or inadequate choking can prevent the TARGETuner from
performing properly.
If possible, it is recommended to use an antenna analyzer. A few checks
before connecting the TARGETuner will help verify whether it is possible to
achieve resonance on the frequencies that plan to be used.
TARGETuner Sensor Module Installation:
Refer to the hookup diagram
1. Select a convenient location for the sensor module.
2. Connect a short ground braid from the grounding stud to a metal body
panel or the vehicle frame. Be sure to scrape o󰀨 a patch of paint to
ensure a good RF ground. Copper anti-seize compound should be used
on bolts.
3. Install the supplied coax jumper between the sensor module’s
“Transmitter” SO-239 jack and the HF transceiver.
4. Connect an antenna coax cable from the sensor module’s “Antenna”
SO-239 jack to the antenna.
TARGETuner Controller Unit Installation:
1. Select a convenient location for the TARGETuner controller unit.
Mounting options include Velcro®pads for a simple non-destructive
solution for mounting to a vehicle dashboard or center console.
Metal mounting brackets are also available (part #58426-1539).
2. Connect the antenna manufacturer’s motor control cable between the
antenna and the “Antenna Control” Molex® jack. If you are making your
own control cable refer to the diagram of the Molex® jack for correct pin
out.
3. Ensure the antenna manufacturer’s ferrite RF choke is placed on the
motor control cable as close to the antenna and as many turns through
the choke as possible.
4. Connect the RJ-45 Category 5 cable between the TARGETuner sensor
module and the TARGETuner controller unit.
5. Connect the Anderson Powerpole®cable from the TARGETuner to the
12V power source.
6. Optional: Connect the CI-V/CAT cable from the RIG CTL jack to the
transceiver’s REMOTE or CAT jack.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
InitialConguration:
1. Press the POWER button on the TARGETuner to apply power. The
back-lit LCD will illuminate and briey show the rmware version.
The TARGETuner will work with popular two-wire and four-wire screwdriver
antennas. Four-wire antennas incorporate a pulse count mechanism (usually
a magnet & reed-switch arrangement) to report relative coil position.
Two-wire antennas have no pulse count output.
When rst powered up the TARGETuner defaults to factory settings which
are preset for a four-wire antenna and the display will show “PLEASE SET
ANTENNA RANGE!”.
If you are using a four-wire antenna (e.g., Tarheel) proceed to step 10.
If your antenna is a two-wire model then follow these steps rst:
2. Press the MENU button and the “Menu Select” prompt will appear on the
LCD display.
3. Tap the DOWN button until “Encoder Wheel” is shown on the display.
4. Press the SAVE button.
5. The display will look like this:
Encoder Wheel
Yes
6. Press the DOWN button and the display will read:
Encoder Wheel
No
7. Press the SAVE button.
8. Notice the message “ARE YOU SURE? Menu to cancel / Press SAVE 3
times to verify”.
9. Press the SAVE button three times. Display will read “SETTING
CHANGED!”. The TARGETuner is now correctly congured for a two-
wire antenna.
Because a two-wire antenna has no coil position output it will not be possible
to store or recall memories or use the “Auto Memory” mode. Use either the
“Auto SWR Tuning” or “Manual Control” modes only.
Initial setup of the TARGETuner with a two-wire antenna is now
complete and steps 10 through 19 are not necessary.
10. Press the MENU button and the “Menu Select” prompt will appear on the
LCD display.
11. Tap the DOWN button until “Antenna Range” is shown on the display
12. Press the SAVE button.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
13. The display will change to “Press DOWN to limit then SAVE / Finding
Range”
14. Press and hold the DOWN button and notice the screwdriver antenna
coil moving. If the coil does not actually moves up, a later step will
correct the antenna direction. It is important to hold the DOWN button
until the antenna stops moving.
When the antenna coil has reached its physical limit, tap the UP button
a few times so that the TARGETuner’s stored limit will be just before
the coil comes to a complete stop. This will help preserve turns count
accuracy and prevent motor damage.
15. Press the SAVE button. This will store the “lower” limit of the antenna
range in memory.
16. The display will change to “Press UP to limit then SAVE / Finding
Range”.
17. Press and hold the UP button and until the screwdriver antenna coil is
moving in the opposite direction than before. Again, it is important to
hold the UP button until the antenna has traveled through its full range
and has come to a stop at its limit.
As before, when the antenna coil has reached its physical limit, tap the
DOWN button a few times so that the TARGETuner’s stored limit will be
just before the coil comes to a complete stop.
18. Press the SAVE button. This will store the “upper” limit of the antenna
range in memory.
19. The display will briey show “Antenna Range Saved”. Both limits of
antenna travel have now been stored and the TARGETuner is aware of
the complete range of the antenna.
Pressing the MANUAL button will display a turns count and read similar
to:
Manual Control
Pos: 0712
Initial set-up of the TARGETuner with a four-wire antenna is now complete.

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
Optional Step: Changing the Direction of Antenna Travel
The UP and DOWN buttons on the TARGETuner may be used to manually
position the antenna coil. Depending on the antenna model or user
reference, the UP and DOWN buttons may appear “reversed” from the point
of view of the operator.
Change the default behavior:
1. Press the MENU and use UP or DOWN until “Motor Direction” is shown
on the display.
2. Press the SAVE button.
3. The display will read:
Motor Direction
Normal
4. Pressing the DOWN button will change the direction to “Reverse”.
5. Press the SAVE button to conrm the change in direction of travel. To
revert to the default setting, repeat the above procedure and select
“Normal” on the display. Changing the direction of travel will not a󰀨ect
any memories or the stored antenna range.
Recommended Step For All Antennas: Setting The “Fuse Current”.
To help protect the antenna motor, a stall current “fuse” value can be set
in the TARGETuner.
1. Press the MENU button and use UP or DOWN until “Fuse Current” is
shown on the display.
2. Press the SAVE button.
3. The display will read:
Fuse Current
2.0 Amps
4. Pressing the DOWN button will cycle through the following fuse values:
2.0A, 1.5A, 1.0A, 0.9A, 0.8A, 0.7A, 0.6A,
0.5A, 0.4A, 0.3A, 0.2A 0.1A, Ignore.
5. Choose the value most appropriate for your antenna and situation.
Tip: When in manual control the TARGETuner LCD will display the current
being used to move the motor. If the fuse current is exceeded the motor will
be stopped and an error shown on the display.
Recommended Step For 2-Wire Antennas: Setting the “Stall Current”.
In order for the TARGETuner to know when the antenna has come up
against a limit of travel during Auto-SWR mode, the “Stall Current” option
must be set appropriately.
1. Press the MENU button and use UP or DOWN until “Stall Current” is
shown on the display.
2. Press the SAVE button.
3. The display will now show the following:
Stall Current
2.0 Amps

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
4. Pressing the DOWN button will cycle through the following fuse values:
2.0A, 1.5A, 1.0A, 0.9A, 0.8A, 0.7A, 0.6A,
0.5A, 0.4A, 0.3A, 0.2A 0.1A, Ignore.
5. Use the SAVE button to Choose the value most appropriate for your
antenna and situation.
Tip: The value chosen must be less than the “Fuse Current” and
experimentation should be used to determine a reliable value for your
particular antenna.
Optional Step: Rig Control data link - Icom CI-V/Yaesu/Elecraft
Kenwood CAT.
If you have a suitable transceiver and the optional CI-V/CAT cable then
follow these steps to enable the data link between the TARGETuner and the
radio.
1. Ensure the CI-V/CAT cable is connected between the RIG CTL jack on
the TARGETuner control head and the radio’s REMOTE or CAT jack.
If using an Icom (CI-V) cable observe both ends of the cable. One side
is a “stereo” (3 conductor) plug and the other is a “mono” (2 conductor)
plug. The “stereo” side plugs into the TARGETuner and the “mono”
side plugs into the Icom’s REMOTE jack. If this cable is connected
backwards, CI-V rig control will not be functional.
2. Check the radio’s menu and enable CAT control (if necessary). Although
the TARGETuner will work at all common Baud rates it is recommended
to use 9600 or lower which will give some immunity if RFI is an issue.
3. For Icom radios the TARGETuner will also need to know the radio’s CI-V
address. Make a note of it while in the radio’s menu.
4. On some Yaesu radios the CAT jack is a multifunction port which can
be used for CAT, a linear amplier or an auto-tuner. Ensure that it is
congured for CAT.
5. Press the TARGETuner MENU button and the “Menu Select” prompt will
appear on the LCD display.
6. Tap the DOWN button until “Rig CTL Protocol” is shown on the display
7. Press the SAVE button.
8. The display will read:
Rig CTL Protocol
Disabled
9. Press the DOWN button. The display will change to read:
Rig CTL Protocol
Elecraft K3/KX3
10. If you are using an Elecraft radio then press the SAVE button. The
display will indicate that your selection has been saved

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West Mountain Radio Operating Manual
You can skip to step 24.
11. Press the DOWN button. The display will change to this::
Rig CTL Protocol
Kenwood TS480
12. If you are using a Kenwood TS-480 radio then press the SAVE button.
The display will indicate that your selection has been saved.
You can skip to step 24.
13. Press the DOWN button. The display will change to this:
Rig CTL Protocol
Yaesu FT857
14. If you are using a Yaesu FT-817, FT-857 or FT-897 then press the
SAVE button. The display will indicate that your selection has been
saved. You can skip to step 24.
15. If you are using an Icom radio then press the DOWN button. The display
will change to this:
Rig CTL Protocol
Icom CI-V
16. Press the SAVE button and the display will indicate that your selection
has been saved
17. After a short period the display should return to:
Menu Select
Rig CTL Protocol
18. Press the DOWN button and the display should now show the following:
Menu Select
CI-V CTL Address
19. Press the SAVE button and the display will change to this:
CI-V CTL Address
48h
20. There will be a ashing cursor on the hex address. Use the left and right
buttons (AUTO & MANUAL) to select the digit and the UP and DOWN
buttons to increase or decrease the value until it corresponds with the
radio’s CI-V address.
21. The most popular mobile Icom radios CI-V addresses are shown below:
Icom IC-703: 68h
Icom IC-706 (original): 48h
Icom IC-706 Mark II: 4Eh
Icom IC-706 Mark II/G: 58h
Icom IC-718: 5Eh
Icom IC-7000: 70h
Icom IC-7100: 88h
22. Once you have selected the correct address press the SAVE button.
The display will indicate your selection has been saved
23. After a short period the display should return to read:
MENU SELECT