"Scott" wrote in message
.. .
I don't see why it would be a big deal to remove the auto-tuner from the
440SAT. I have the 690S(AT) which is just a 450S with 6M built in. The
manual for the radio has a 9 step instruction for INSTALLING the
auto-tuner. Start at step 9 and work backwards to UN-install the tuner.
The 450 is basically an updated 440.

I expect it should be relatively easy to remove the tuner, *BUT*, OP wanted
to use the tuner after it was removed. Most modern radios have fairly
elaborate microcontrollers. An astute engineer would likely use the
existinc CPU for the autotuner, rather than adding another, unless the tuner
option were an afterthought.

Even if the tuner had a dedicated processor, the controls from the tuner
almost certainly come from the rig's main processor. I suspect it might be
fairly tricky figuring out how to talk to it, even if OP is a
microcontroller guru. In any case, he is likely looking at a significant
micro project to make it work.

...