Troubleshooting the ATU-100

The seller got back to me with some troubleshooting:

Hello,could you please check it again as following steps?
Instructions:
1. Connect the radio----ATU antenna tuner----antenna
2. For the first use, please set the output power of the radio or power amplifier between 20-30W, warning that high-power tuning can easily damage the antenna tuner
3. Set the radio mode, use FM mode
4. Choose the antenna band to use, use 20-30W power in FM mode, press the radio PTT, watch the ATU antenna tuner PWR and SWR
5. ATU button TUNE use: short press (less than 1 second) ATU button, it is in reset state, long press (more than 1 second) ATU button is in tuning state
6. If the SWR display of the ATU antenna tuner in the transmitting state is greater than 2.0, it means that the antenna is detuned. You need to use the antenna tuner. Press and hold the ATU button TUNE to tune and observe the SWR value. If the SWR is greater than 3.0 after tuning, the antenna is detuned. Seriously, it is not recommended to use a power above 30W, and the transmit power should be controlled below 30W; if the tuning is completed, the SWR display is less than 2.0, and the maximum power of 100W can be used to transmit

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P8z0FdV4v8

 

Well this has just taken a couple of hours:

Firstly, they're asking me to use FM on low bands, so that's not real kosher, and I need to push the power up to get it tuned. Hmm. OK. It least it's early in the morning and I'm checking the frequencies first.

 

The Icom would tune 2/10s of bugger all, and I was getting really low power readings, so I jumped over to the G90, turned off the inbuilt tuner, turned the power up:

 

3.6MHz: power 13w tuned
7.2MHz: power: 1.2w - will not tune (subsequent tests power reading 4.7, 2.5, 4.2w, then following tested tuned at low power reading)
21MHz: Power 13w tuned
28MHz: Power 4.8w - would not tune (subsequent tests all under 5w). 

 

Then I reconnected the Icom and went after those untuned bands. They tuned, then I went back through the bands, and they were untuned again. I could retune them all of a sudden (as long as I was in FM).

I don't mind doing this once, but I'm not going to keep running above my power limit using FM on SSB frequencies).

I note too that the video they provided, the guy was using CW. 

 

So as it stands, if I throw it over to FM, I can get most things to tune, then I can use that band. Once I change, I've got to go through the whole process again. Not very automatic. 

Waiting again to hear back from the seller to see if this can be replaced with one that works - though if this is as good as they get, then I'll just have my money back and buy something that isn't from China.