Automatic Tuning of Antennae The impedance of a transmitting antenna varies comers ably with frequency and environment. To malntai mains transfer of power a transmitter must be matched into. this varying impedance. A network used Jor this purpose is con enuionally referred 10 as am * Antenna Tuner’. This article describes a technique for automatically ajusting the three Components of a pinetwork antenna tuner. In an automatic tuner the tuning elements ste tajused by a motor for some other actuator) by amounts which depend fon the ‘elationships Between various woltages ad “curren jn the tuning nctwork. The way in which toning information 'S derived Trom messurements and the way the result, of these measurements are applied are important: hey mint Re correctly chosen to enure that automatic Tuning always succesful Tn the 1-5 to 30MHe radio band the resistive component fof 4 “iypical” intenns impedance cin vary between 3 and 2.0001) “ind! the reactive component between 2-500 sind $5002: the antenna may have «© of S00. The vata ip since of a transmitter may be typiclly ether SO oe 75! "A single L network ean deal with the range of impedance involved provided that the input snd output can be inter hanged by witching, but for technical reasons it better ‘not to do this. In practice itis best tw use sp) configuration (Figure I) in which one of the other capacitor iy adjusted to be as near sy ponwible Wo zeny eapaeitince, Resonance filets cin create very high voltages im antenns tuners. ut Using this type of network nat vnly are these voltages i mized but the LC configuration provides Tow pins hitering ‘oF any harmonies from the transmit iar @ sor Fig Pi nerwurks The impedance transformation of eich element in the pi network is indicated in Figure 2. Capacitor C, transforms the Antenna impedince 7, slong cele of constant com ductanee to 2. The inductance 1 transforms Zi to Z, along auline of eonstint resistance and capacitor C: changes Z slong 4 citcle of constant conductince fo the matched: impedance z. ‘Although a pisnetwork #s simple and effective, itis difcult to. adjust not only because the effects of the component values’ (and therefore their adjustment) sre interdependent. Dut alo Because an infinity of sets of component values can match a particular pair of impedunees, cach set having a llferent value of loaded creat Q. Thus, if the staring wave ‘tio (SWR) on the line connecting the antenna tuning uni ‘Tho SERT Jounai Vol Soptamber 1974 by *M. J. Underhill and *P. A. Lewis ‘cOMOUCTANCE Crnmebance Feamaeoner Le une or constant Fig. 2. lmpedunce transformation IATU) to the transminer is used 9s «tuning indicator the ATU might be adjusted iacoreeety) to mate all the transe lr power to the loss resistance of the inductance instead Of to the antenna. Even if antenna currents and voles are slo used i1 5 a Tenglhy process to ensure thatthe pi-network is adjusted correctly. Ideally indicators used for automatic Tuning should. show unambiguously. which circuit element heeds 19 be adjusted and In Which Wireetion, and should ia- dicate when each clement fas been adjusted well enough. So far as possible, indicators should be independent of the ouput ower of the (eanwintter: this enablee adjustments tobe inside either at low power levels oF dating transmission when (particularly for single sideband working) the output power cin vary rapid Tn the system described here, specially developed power independent detectors compare the voltages and currents at \acious parts of the network in a way Which enables each slement in the network to be adjusted unambiguously Three Kinds of detectors are needed, phase detectors to indicate the sign ‘of the plive’ diflerence, resistive, match ind ‘eators tO show whether the resistive component of un im Pedance iv above oF below a desirod value and conductance frateh indicators to show whether the conductive component fof am admittance i above or below a desiced value. “The method developed for twning the pi-network auto ‘matically indicated’ diagrammatically im Figue 3. "This lates to 4 S02 transmission line and an SWR of 1-221 The network i adjusted as Fallows Adjustment of (Figure 30) AF the reactance of Z. isee Figure 1) is positive (ie. induce tive) sine ite conductance Tess than 22-5 milcSiemens, oF if the reactance Is negative ¢.2, capacitive) and the resistance is greater than 3602 Cy fs increased I the reactance is negative and the resistance ess than 450, or if the conductance is greater than 22:5 mS, C. is Aecreased. In this process C. may Feach 2eP0). IF the reactance is negative and the resistance is between 45 and S60, Cie not altered ‘or the adjustment of Cy one phase indicator together withFig 3a Adjustment of C fone conductance and two resistance match indieatory are needed these operate on V, snd Win Figure 1 Adjustment of 1. Figure 3b) Firstly C, (see Figure 1) ie adjusted by which time the resistive component of Z; will be less than SO!) If the reactance of 2, is negative or if is reavianee is positive and with a conductimce renter than 225" mis, Pye increased, Ifthe reactance is. positive and the con: ductance less than 17-5 mS, Lis reduced. If the reactance 's positive and the conductance is between 17°S and 22-5 ms, Lis not altered. t Ae Fig, th. Adiaspnent of ‘one phise indiextor and (8 eo For the aujusiment of L on Ve duclunce match indicators are meeda these op. and Tn Fig Adjustment of C, (Figure 3) Fist G. and [sre adjusted (by which time component of Za. (see Figure 1 will lie between 175 and 25 mh Ie the phase angle of Z. is greater than #7°, Cy is incteased, If the phase is les thin —7". Cy is decreased: W the phase angle is between +7 and —7", Cy is nol sere For the adjustment of C, wo phase detectors are needed: these opera on Ve and L : eesti g Eero eee Em ce comet AO0SE0 SRE Fig. 30. Adimtment of Cr. tnpedancer tyne within the teed tircles will mutch S012 with a VSWR of less than P21 Although Cy, Land C, must he agjusted in that onder, exch tadjusiment docs not affect the sotings for the others the Measurements which define the adjustment of each element ‘were deliberately chosen to meet this quirement. “The adjustments re mide automatically and rapidly during the iranmission of any form of modulation and cin deal with wiklen changes of antenna impedance Which result from a Change of Trequency of of antenna location. Although de- Sued for mobile transmitters operating in the hf. band the technique cim be applied at other frequencies and with fixed This paper has been reprinted from the Mullard Research Laboratories Annual Review, 1923.