Re: [Elecraft] KH-1 Discussions?

You might try starting one here. I am sure it will be welcome! 73, Jack, W6FB > On Aug 11, 2024, at 10:10 PM, Will Shattuck wrote: > > Hi folks. > > I recently purchased a KH-1. Is there a better place for discussion of this > radio than here? I’ve lurked for a few weeks now and haven’t seen

Re: [Elecraft] Annoying Beeps

I have learned to trust things that Bob says, but this one didn’t agree with my memory. So I checked the source code for the KPA500 on this one. The KPA500 only emits a tone when a fault occurs. It does not emit a beep for key entry. The SPEAKER menu item enables/disables the tone for faults. Th

Re: [Elecraft] Radio and amplifier environmental specifications

Probably the biggest limiter will be the LCD. LCDs do not like cold temperatures - anything below freezing can be a problem, but below 10 degrees they tend to stop working and turn black. Yes, the do recover when it gets warm - usually. I wouldn’t want to subject my station to anything below fr

Re: [Elecraft] Possible K3 over shoot on transmit

There are two things at play here. First, the KPA500 has an unregulated power supply. On first key down, the power will spike, then quickly lower as the big filter capacitors decay from their peak voltage to the rms voltage. This is normal and we all see it. While I am sure you are seeing this,

Re: [Elecraft] Possible K3 over shoot on transmit

Actually ALC is there because people expect it to be there. We recommend not using ALC between the KPA500 and K3. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Jan 12, 2020, at 12:00 PM, Bob McGraw K4TAX wrote: > > Yep, the power control circuit does have a bit of initial character > overshoot.This is noticed whe

Re: [Elecraft] Update: K3 Hard of Hearing

John; It sounds like it is time to call tech support to see if they can help. They are pretty good at figuring out what happened and how to fix it. Trying the second K3 in its place, and it works fine, tells me that you may have an issue in the front end. But they will know better. Good luck get

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 MCU LOAD screen

I have seen this also, and agree with Andy’s assessment. A program that polls the ports to find its target can also cause this issue. Even though the KPA is displaying the MCU LOAD message, as long as no firmware data has been sent to the KPA500 and the firmware is actually not corrupt, you shou

Re: [Elecraft] TCP Port for KPA500 and KAT500

There must be an interface box in between the network and the KPA500 and KAT500, since neither support network communications, only serial. You might want to describe what you are doing and what devices you are using. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Feb 17, 2020, at 11:37 AM, VO1HPFrank wrote: > > This

Re: [Elecraft] TCP Port for KPA500 and KAT500

I suspect the addresses in the remote software are fixed, or at least that is their default. With that in mind, if you want to use the remote software, then you probably should set up the ethernet serial adapter to use those specific ports. I’m not really familiar with how the remote software is

Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Digest, Vol 190, Issue 17

Norman; Elecraft has 200Hz, 250Hz, 400Hz and 500Hz filters. You can order them at the web site at the URL: https://elecraft.com/pages/k-line-transceiver-k3-k3s or call the main number at 831-763-4211 Monday through Friday to order. The orde

Re: [Elecraft] Extra Protection For KPA500?

The key here is the need for the AuxIO cable. The K3 exposes the second set of per-band power settings when it knows the KPA is attached and is in OPER mode. Of course to be able to communicate the AuxIO cable needs to connect the KPA to the K3, and the K3 needs to be set with RADIO = K3. Once

Re: [Elecraft] Extra Protection For KPA500?

One other thing to consider is that you don’t want to connect all of the pins straight through from the K3 to the KPA500. There are some conflicts that will cause problems. The Elecraft cables are set up properly with the appropriate pins cut that should not connect between the two devices. An a

Re: [Elecraft] Per-Band Power Setting Issue

Doubtful. Wayne is awfully busy on other projects. We would not want to have fixed-in-firmware drive limits - KPA500s vary in their needed drive level. Some need more power than others for drive. For example my older KPA500 (actually the first one) needs 35 to 40 watts to drive it to 500 watts,

Re: [Elecraft] Shipping Status updates

The shipping services are extra busy at present in this area. It appears that the number of on-line orders for various products (like toilet paper) has gone way up as people are not able to obtain them locally. We are seeing deliveries delayed by a day or two for both UPS and FedEx. It doesn’t s

Re: [Elecraft] Keyoard help

Richard; A couple of suggestions: 1) Look for a key labelled “fn” on the keyboard. Pressing that while simultaneously pressing a Function key should give you what you want. 2) Look for an HP application or control that will allow you to turn on and off the functions, or even change them to do s

Re: [Elecraft] A broken K3

David; Go back and re-read the message from Keith Trinity. Keith is one of the guys down in Watsonville and knows more about the K3 than just about anyone. To put it another way, you were indeed contacted by Customer Support. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Mar 24, 2020, at 7:46 PM, David Olean wrote: >

Re: [Elecraft] K3 Utility vs macOS Catalina

Don; Which version of the K3 Utility are you using, and which version of Catalina? 73! Jack, W6FB > On Mar 27, 2020, at 4:04 PM, Don Putnick wrote: > > Hi all, > I'm working with Rob at Elecraft on this, but I'm trying to gather more > data for us. When I open the K3 Utility under Catalina, n

Re: [Elecraft] K3 Utility vs macOS Catalina

Guys; 32 bit apps won’t even launch on Catalina. I suspect that the application’s preferences are corrupt, and have advised him how to find and delete them. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Mar 27, 2020, at 4:38 PM, Grant Youngman wrote: > > The latest versions posted on the website all work fine under C

Re: [Elecraft] K3 Utility vs macOS Catalina

That shouldn’t have been needed. The drivers have been built into the macOS since 10.9. David, suggestions? 73, Jack, W6FB > On Mar 27, 2020, at 5:08 PM, Don Putnick wrote: > > That didn't work. BTW when I got the KUSB yesterday I went to the FTDI > website to download the drivers. The VCP i

Re: [Elecraft] K3 Utility vs macOS Catalina

10.15.4 released on Tuesday. It should be available in your System Preferences / Software Update panel. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Mar 27, 2020, at 5:27 PM, Grant Youngman wrote: > > AFIK 10.15.3 is the latest GA version of Catalina. Are you using a > beta/developer version? > > Grant NQ5T > > >

Re: [Elecraft] SOLVED!: K3 Utility vs macOS Catalina

Way to go, Don! Glad you got it going. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Mar 27, 2020, at 8:34 PM, Don Putnick wrote: > > > The short version: usb-to-serial adapter driver snafu > > The long version: Way back when I bought my K3, Elecraft was having problems > with the KUSB. I bought a Keyspan adapter in

Re: [Elecraft] K3 Utility vs macOS Catalina

The Mac Utilities currently on the Elecraft web site are both signed and Notarized. They are ready to go with Catalina. No need to right-click open any longer. A Big thank-you to the program’s author, W4SMT for taking care of this. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Mar 27, 2020, at 8:27 PM, Hisashi T Fujina

Re: [Elecraft] The Big Three...

There is a catch in this, of course. Several of the top contesters are sponsored by some of the radio companies. The winner in the 2014 WRTC was sponsored by Icom as were many others. The same was true in 2018. Of course, they get the best radios, delivered at the competition. Thus the radio cho

Re: [Elecraft] K3 on SSB

I believe what Frank is referring to is not Tx audio, but receive audio during times of very heavy band loading, which pretty much occurs only in busy contests such as CQ WPX SSB last weekend. During these times stations are basically on top of each other or very closely spaced. We tend to hear

Re: [Elecraft] kx3 utility

The utility is telling you that it is communicating with your KX3 at 38400 bits/sec. The KX3 has firmware revision 2.90. This is not an error message. It appears to be working just fine. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Apr 2, 2020, at 9:41 AM, 1lasportsman 1lasportsman <1lasports...@cox.net> > wrote: > >

Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 hum - problem solved

When he added the amplifier, the return currents on the coax became much greater. The second problem is that the switch then added the return currents of the vertical to those induced into the dipole and made things worse. I see the need for chokes on BOTH antennas. Makes sure they are heavy dut

Re: [Elecraft] Kpa500 lcd display issue

Wayne; What are you calling “test pattern”? There is an LCD test in the system, but it is not available normally, and also not a settable configuration. Give me more info and I’ll try to diagnose. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Apr 13, 2020, at 12:30 PM, Wayne Suite wrote: > > The lcd on the kpa 500

Re: [Elecraft] Kpa500 lcd display issue

There is no serial command to change the LCD ADJ setting. However, you can reset the saved parameters by holding the EDIT button while powering up the KPA. 73, Jack, W6FB > On Apr 13, 2020, at 1:03 PM, Andy Durbin wrote: > > "All other front panel stuff works I suspect the buttons for the me

Re: [Elecraft] Kpa500 lcd display issue

Andy; Your analysis was correct. Somehow the LCD ADJ value became set to 100. KD5SPX was able to resolve the issue by figuring out the exact keypresses needed to access the menu setting and lower the value. The range of the value is 0 to 100, with the default being 30. This value sets the duty

Re: [Elecraft] Kpa500 lcd display issue

I believe the answer to be yes. It would overwrite the parameters, so any problems in the saved configuration would be restored. Of course, so would all the valid parameters. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Apr 14, 2020, at 4:40 PM, Andy Durbin wrote: > > Hi Jack, > > Just for future reference - Does

Re: [Elecraft] K3/KAT500/XV integration

George; That message occurs because something is loading the Auxbus when the K3 is powered on. Make sure that the KAT500 and the XV144 are both powered up when you turn on the K3. They can be powered on at the same time, but the task needs to be done before the K3 enumerates the Auxbus, which i

Re: [Elecraft] Electrolytic Capacitor failure

If Ray has a K3/10, then the power supply is perfectly fine. The recommendation for that is "13.8VDC @ 6A for K3/10”. There are a lot of K3/10’s in the field. Nothing in his post indicated which transceiver he has. However, if indeed he has a K3/100, then Frank is right (as usual). Ray should

Re: [Elecraft] K3/KAT500/XV integration

You can try it, but I think the real solution may be to leave the XV powered while the K3 is on. The reason is that the XV has weak pull-up to +5V on its Auxbus line. When the XV is off, that 5V line is actually at 0 volts, which means it is pulling the signal to the common reference. This, alo

Re: [Elecraft] KRC2 setup for Icom

Rich; What are the jumper settings in the KRC2? It is _very_ important not to use a straight-through cable with the KRC2. As documented in the KRC2 manual, the pins are connected to the microcontroller, and the +/- 12 V excursions of the RS-232 levels will damage the microcontroller I/O pins.

Re: [Elecraft] KRC2 setup for Icom

Let me explain a bit more. The KRC2 followed the same thinking as the K2 - we put non-RS232 signals on the DE9 pins. That means that only pins 2 and 3 should see those signals, but not the others. I remember there being a warning in the manual about this, but I don’t find it at this point. We wi

Re: [Elecraft] [Elecraft-K3] Latest on the new home for my K3...

Dave; Perhaps this has been asked, but what are you doing for equipment bonding? 73! Jack, W6FB > On Apr 22, 2020, at 10:22 AM, Dave Cole wrote: > > Please thank him for that tip!!! I will be using that from now on!!! > > 73, and thanks, > Dave (NK7Z) > https://www.nk7z.net > ARRL Volunteer

Re: [Elecraft] Latest on the new home for my K3...

That works great! Brother has wide tapes of various colors that wrap around the cable nicely. You can have text or images. Pretty cool! 73! Jack, W6FB > On Apr 23, 2020, at 12:37 PM, Bob McGraw K4TAX wrote: > > I just label mine coax feeds with my P-Touch. Just read what is on the label. > >

Re: [Elecraft] Voltage drop in DX Power to K3

There is one more item that has been forgotten. The K3 has an SB530 Schottky diode in the power input circuit between the input fuse and the main 12V bus (but not the 100 watt 12V PA bus). This will account for about a half of a volt drop. If you are using the front panel voltage reading, this m

Re: [Elecraft] KX2 / KPA500

Jim; Disconnect the AUX IO cable from the KPA and try it again with the KX2. Does it have band it likes to stay on? (I’m thinking 60 meters here). 73! Jack, W6FB > On Apr 28, 2020, at 2:47 PM, James Bennett via Elecraft > wrote: > > Hi Mark, > > In one of the books I have (or had), possibly

Re: [Elecraft] KX2 / KPA500

I went back and reread this . My question is this - with the interrupter in place, does the K3 still key the amplifier? I suspect you are running into the issue of pull-ups on the K3 pulling the PTT signal up to Vcc. Of course Vcc when the K3 is off is 0 volts, which causes the KPA to key. We s

Re: [Elecraft] Windows Needed

Before this email query gets hijacked too far afield… Macintoshes do a very good job of handling the needs of hams, especially with Elecraft devices. I do _all_ of my computing with Macintoshes, including a lot of product development. So, for Tommy: MacLoggerDX from Dog Park Software is an exce

Re: [Elecraft] USB C to The K3's RS232?

Yes. It works quite well. I have several USB-C to USB 3.0 adapters, including the Apple ones that I use. Plugged into one of these I have a real FTDI USB to Serial adapter which talks nicely with the Mac. For my K3S, I simply plug the USB cable into the K3S’s USB jack and get both serial contro

Re: [Elecraft] KPA 500 fault!

A “270V ERR” fault indicates that the TR switch bias supply is not working. This may be caused by the top cover being removed, the safety switch attached to the top cover becoming loose or an actual failure of the 270V supply. Since your main HV supply is now down close to 0V, it looks like you

Re: [Elecraft] Coronavirus

Depends on the parts. The largest parts you see are indeed made in the US - these being the sheet metal, push buttons and many other components. Global economy? Yes. Is the entire box made from components coming from outside the US? Definitely not. And I am 100% sure that the radios and devices a

Re: [Elecraft] Upper limits of KPA500?

Dave; The KPA500 will protect itself above 90C, but it will work quite well at 70C. Why do you stop at 70C? 73! Jack, W6FB > On May 3, 2020, at 1:26 PM, Dave Cole wrote: > > Hello, > > I just got the new MMSSTV software, and will be running a bit of SSTV. SSTV > is 100% duty cycle. > > In

Re: [Elecraft] Upper limits of KPA500?

Let me state things a bit better this time. The amplifier is designed to protect itself, and does a very good job of it no matter the condition. It will do a good job of warning you before anything bad happens; make sure bad things don’t happen very much and your amp will have a very happy life.

Re: [Elecraft] Upper limits of KPA500?

>From the KPA500 manual, Rev E1, page 41 Specifications: Duty Cycle at 500 Watts 10 minutes key down / 5 minutes standby Sometimes it is very worth while to read the manual. It gives me something to do when being stuck at home for so long gets me down. 73! Jack, W6FB > On May 4, 2020, at 6:39

Re: [Elecraft] CM500 headset on K3S and KX3?

Frank; The rear-panel mic input on the K3 and K3S is actually a stereo jack. The ring connector is not connected. Plug the CM-500’s mic plug in (as I do), and it will work just fine! Remember to enable bias on the rear panel Mic as W3FPR noted. The CM-500 is an excellent headset for use with th

Re: [Elecraft] K3S Firmware Update for Mac

Just to make sure - you are trying the latest version of the utility, freshly downloaded from the web site, right? If not, then go to the website and download it. Only the latest version is Catalina compatible. Now, exactly what happens when you install and try to run the Utility? 73! Jack, W6

Re: [Elecraft] K3S Firmware Update for Mac

What directory is the app located in? If on the desktop, move it to the Applications folder. In Catalina certain directories are restricted - you have to give permission to access files there. This sounds like the app is unable to access some of its resources. By the way, you have two of us who

Re: [Elecraft] KPA-500 Issues

Check the cable connections, including making sure that none of the pins are bent in the AuxIO connectors in both cables (K3S - KAT500, KAT500 - KPA500). Also, make sure that the PTT line is actually being asserted. The asterisk is displayed when the Key In is asserted. If it isn’t displayed tha

Re: [Elecraft] K4???

One thing Al doesn’t mention is that Sacramento is only calling part of the shots. Here in the Bay area we are under control of the local authorities, who have things locked down much tighter than the rest of the state. The state folks are talking about starting to ease things over the next week

Re: [Elecraft] KRC2 Manual Errata??

Rich; The KRC2 manual is correct. It is a matter of understanding the frame of reference for the markings. The KRC2 was originally designed as a peripheral for the K2, so the interface ports use the K2 I/O port details. On the KRC2 schematic, 8R, VRDET, 12CTRL, ALC and AUXBUS are all K2 signals

Re: [Elecraft] Field Day

Be careful following this one. His suggestions will leave you in class D. Why? Two things - if the computer controls the radio (and it should for logging and sending exchanges), then it must also be run on emergency power. Second, the addition of a wall charger for the batteries puts you firmly

Re: [Elecraft] Field Day

multiplier of five, the batteries must be charged from something other than a motor driven generator or commercial mains." Very clear. 73! Jack, W6FB > On May 24, 2020, at 1:46 PM, Jim Brown wrote: > > On 5/24/2020 1:16 PM, Jack Brindle via Elecraft wrote: >> Two things

Re: [Elecraft] NOT the feedline (was KPA-1500 faulting on 6m; SWR issues)

Balun? Is it new? What kind? You have pretty much eliminated the KPA1500 with this test. This sounds like a balun toroid heating up and causing problems. You will see perfect conditions at low power, and the AA230 will also show things in great shape. They are not stressing the system. But 1500

Re: [Elecraft] NOT the feedline

Lets take another try at this. There still isn’t enough information in your emails to really determine what might be going on. From the amplifier’s viewpoint, *everything* from the antenna jack on the back of the amplifier is part of the antenna system. So far we know it consists of some section

Re: [Elecraft] NOT the feedline

Is it the 3 element 6m LFA? That is an interesting antenna. Which of the baluns did you get? They show three - two for 50 - 70 MHz, and a third for HF and 6m. G0KSC has some interesting designed - I will be waiting to hear your results with this one. I’ll go through your details here and see wh

Re: [Elecraft] Spkrs+Ph ??

Rich may have a very good reason. I also use that setting. My shack is a nice shed in the back yard. When my wife or daughter come out while I am operating with headphones on, the sound fro the speaker lets them know that I cannot hear them. They know to wait until I finish the current QSO, then

Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 power per frequency bin

It’s not a KPA1500 function, but rather a K3 function. And the K3 has no concept of KPA ATU bins. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Jun 2, 2020, at 3:39 PM, Hank Garretson wrote: > > It sure would be nice if KPA1500 remembered K3 power for each frequency bin > instead of for each band. > > Is there a menu

Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 power per frequency bin

The K3 has only one way to communicate with the KPA500 and KPA1500, that being Auxbus. There is no communications on this path that allows setting of specific power levels in the K3 - there is only the OP/STBY that simply selects either the K3 high power (STBY) or low power (OPER) modes. You hav

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 Dead

Actually four. There are two on the power supply board that protect the low voltage supply. Since the front panel appears not to be powering up, it is possible that one or both of these may be blown. I don’t really have any suggestions for what might be wrong, so the best thing to do is to cont

Re: [Elecraft] Key Clicks

I read that also. It was not a KPA500 or KPA1500. The Elecraft amplifiers are designed with solid-state switching and are capable of switching very rapidly, in much less time than 8 mSec. In fact the amps will switch quickly enough to allow true QSK in the K3/K3S. Fred’s analysis is correct in t

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 Remote software and KPA500 remote software

Are you referring to front or rear panel power? The K3 Utility can certainly power on a KPA500 if the rear panel switch is on. If that switch is off, it must be turned on before the front panel switch (or remote power-on) works. Now if you have a big relay in the power line to the KPA, it needs

Re: [Elecraft] [K3] Sub receiver intermittant failures

That probably wouldn’t help. In this case the system includes the SubRx, the Synthesizer and all the interconnects and cables that connect these to the rest of the radio. I would check the interconnects, especially the tmp coax cables that go from the SubRx to the rear panel connector and to t

Re: [Elecraft] KPA1500 Operation on 6 Meters

That means that he needs to check the connectors, adapters and cable that run from the KPA500 to the LPA-100 and potentially the LP-100A itself. The directional coupler is the last component in the KPA500 chain. For reflected power, it simply reports the conditions it sees from the antenna conn

Re: [Elecraft] K3 upgrade

That is a KIO3B, Not a KXV3B. One is for computer & AuxIO communications, the other has BNC connectors for various RF functions. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Jun 19, 2020, at 2:24 PM, Nr4c wrote: > > I believe it’s 3 boards. It included a back panel board with USB and a RJ45 > that replaces the DE-9

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 Remote software and KPA500 remote software

Take another look. You should be able to power on/off the KPA500 using the front power button as well as through the KPA Utility. The Utility does a great job of detecting the KPA500’s current data rate whether it is on or off (the two rates may be different) and will communicate at the proper r

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 Remote software and KPA500 remote software

Let's see if we can determine why you are seeing this behavior. What platform are you using (Window, Mac, Linux), and exactly what is the scenario and conditions you are seeing? In other words, please provide more info. I believe K6KR has provided a bit of additional info. He wrote the KPA Utili

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 Remote software and KPA500 remote software

seeing it fail. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Jun 23, 2020, at 7:12 PM, Jack Brindle via Elecraft > wrote: > > Let's see if we can determine why you are seeing this behavior. What platform > are you using (Window, Mac, Linux), and exactly what is the scenario and > conditions y

Re: [Elecraft] ELECRAFT WATTMETER SOFTWARE w2 screen position....

I presume you are talking about the W2 Windows Utility and not the W2 itself, especially since the W2 has no video monitor or video monitor outputs. Reloading firmware would have no effect here. It is purely a Windows issue. Perhaps some Windows experts can help out? 73! Jack, W6FB > On Oct 18,

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 as a remote-controlled tuner

The keying interrupt must be provided by the ATU in order to avoid hot switching the ATU relays when it tunes. This cannot be determined anywhere but in the ATU, thus it must provide the break. That key line break is pretty important to the life of the ATU. Jack, W6FB > On Nov 3, 2018, at 12:

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 as a remote-controlled tuner

UV in South Florida is so strong that we used to erase EPROMS by just sitting them outside. Miami is very much subtropical, and the sun’s damage from UV and intensity is incredibly strong. It does have high humidity, which is rare in Arizona. It would be interesting to use good tools to measure

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 as a remote-controlled tuner

The answer is yes. But then it won’t tune and the cores will overheat from excess power trying to use a now-invalid solution. You must disable the amplifier to perform a tune or anytime the ATU needs to do any switching. It determines when it needs to do that (say from a QSY where it needs to go

Re: [Elecraft] WSJT-X Disabling TX INHIBIT on K3S

Andy; Are you saying that you have to send the radio a serial command to engage and disengage the inhibit property? I don’t see how that is really useful for SO2R where you need pretty much instant switching, but then I doubt that is its use on the Kenwood. That leads to the question of how the

Re: [Elecraft] Subject Re: Just a thought...

Hmmm. Age of the transceiver maybe? Newer equipment would have a weight and power supply advantage over the older transistorized or tube-type rigs! 73! Jack, W6FB > On Nov 15, 2018, at 5:15 PM, n...@zianet.com wrote: > > James Bennett via Elecraft writes: > >> How about extra bonus points bas

Re: [Elecraft] Killed the KPA500 :)

Mike; If you haven’t done so already, please call the customer support guys down in Watsonville. They should be able to help you with the situation. They may ask for a fault log from your KPA500 - if so please provide it. I will try to quickly turn around the analysis that I do each time one of

Re: [Elecraft] TX Delay

What’s the lowest it can go? The KPA500 switches incredibly fast since there are no relays to switch. It is a true QSK amplifier. Try it at the standard setting for the IC-7610 and see if there are any issues. I bet there won’t be. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Nov 25, 2018, at 2:19 PM, Macy monkeys wr

Re: [Elecraft] KPA-1500 issues

Need to have recent firmware in both the KAT500 and KPA500 also. The KPA500 for this was updated shortly after the KAT500 was created. In any case, the latest firmware for both devices is strongly recommended. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Nov 29, 2018, at 6:48 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote: > > Randy, > > Th

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500 investigation results (WAS KPA-1500 issues)

Randy; The resolution of the frequency being reported from the K3 to the KAT500 is 8 KHz. This probably does a better job explaining why the relays switch every 8 KHz than bin size. I would bet that once in a while you will find two adjacent frequency segments that fall in the same bin, and no

Re: [Elecraft] External AMP

No. There is no power source in the ACC connector from the K3. Your use of the 12V connector is the right solution. Jack, W6FB > On Nov 30, 2018, at 7:02 AM, Raymond wrote: > > I am using my ancient Heathkit SB 230 (original tube) with my K3s. Is there a > way to get 12 volts out of acc conn

Re: [Elecraft] Problematic precipitate

The FT8 Roundup starts later today. If you wish to participate in it, you must use the v2.0.0-rc4 or 5 software. The older code simply won’t work for the contest operation. Think of it as an opportunity to collect more grid squares. Also, you can certainly have both applications installed side b

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 AC power

Yes. The current draw when running at 220V will be half that needed for 110V, which means the heat losses in the power cord and wall wiring will be cut by about one-fourth. This also means the voltage drop on the power cord and wall wiring will be much less at 220V. So, there is a pretty good ad

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 AC power

James; There would be no difference in the heat generated inside the KPA500 since the KPA’s transformer is delivering the same voltage and current in either case. The entire difference would be voltage drop on the power line and KPA’s power cord due to the higher current at 110V. The losses are

Re: [Elecraft] [KAT500] Odd KAT500 Behavior

It seems that the KAT may not be getting fresh band info - if it did you would be hearing relays being set before the K3 transmitted. The KPA500 is listening to the same Band signals as the KAT (but not the Auxbus data), so I would turn on the KPA500, leave it in standby, and watch the display a

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500/KPA500 with Icom 7600 accessory cable

The folks in Watsonville are taking a well deserved rest, but some of us are still around. This sounds a lot like a grounding issue in your setup with ground being completed through the wall power ground pin. Tell me exactly all of the cables/connections going to the KPA500 (and from where). Whi

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500/KPA500 with Icom 7600 accessory cable

Yeah, but we really want to get the problem solved so you can enjoy your KPA500 and KAT500 as much as we enjoy ours. That connection list will be most helpful in this effort. My thinking on the ground issue is that the power-plug ground is completing a circuit that should not exist and thus disr

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500/KPA500 with Icom 7600 accessory cable

Great! Thanks for the detail. Table 2 on page 8 of the KAT500 manual should have given you the exact connections you needed to make for the Molex to KAT500 cable. Note that the plug o the KAt500 end is stereo with tip, ring and sleeve. Please recheck these connections to make sure that pin 4 of

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500/KPA500 with Icom 7600 accessory cable

Let’s take a step back and make sure the KAT500 and KPA500 work properly with RF sensing for a tune. Unplug the mini-phone plug from the KAT500. This will leave the KAT powered from the 7600, but requesting a tune from the 7600 won’t cause the KAT to respond. Next key the radio and make sure eve

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 - Not Going To Full Power

Did you hear any clicks from the KPA when this was happening? Did the FAULT LED blink? It sounds like the amplifier is experiencing an issue that requires it to start to protect itself. It does this by switching in a 3db pad, which cuts the output power in half. If it sees no further issues whi

Re: [Elecraft] 500Hz Filter Offset Question

This has to do with the synthesizer boards. I believe the answer is that you don’t need to match them with the new synthesizers. You may need to still enter the offsets, however. 73! Jack, W6FB > On Jan 14, 2019, at 2:30 PM, Rich wrote: > > I just received my 500hz filters from Elecraft. I

Re: [Elecraft] Trying to use KPA-1500 on 160

Pete; You should set your K3 so that it automatically adjusts power when the KPA1500 goes into OPER mode. To do this, go into the Config menu, the PWR SET entry, and set it to PER-BAND as described on page 63 of the K3S Operating Manual, rev A1. At this point you can switch the KPA into OPER m

Re: [Elecraft] Latest Elecraft NEWS

My friend Don has a slightly faulty memory. The DX-60B (which I still have) was just a transmitter, no rx. It worked well with the SB-303. The HW-16 did indeed have a receiver which was definitely tunable. Both needed the HG-10 VFO to get away from being rock-bound. Perhaps it was the nerd girl

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 Assembly Help

Ah, but you came to the right place to get an Elecraft answer! Use the two thick ones on the bottom plus one of the thin ones, then use a thin one on top. They are meant to reduce vibration, and thus hum when transmitting. Enjoy your KPA500, and if you have more questions, just ask! 73, Jack Br

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500/KPA500 - Sanity Check Please

Kevin; Why do you think there is a problem with the KPA500? I haven’t seen anything so far that explains that. In addition to the protections the KAT500 provides, the KPA500 has its own set of protections that keep it going or place it into a safe state. The KPA can take a lot of abuse before

Re: [Elecraft] KAT500/KPA500 - Sanity Check Please

You may be right on the KPA. This sounds like a TR issue. Call tech support on Monday and discuss it with them. In the mean time, I may be able to help further the diagnosis - use the KPA Utility to gather a fault log and send it to me. I have tools that will parse the info and let me know of any

Re: [Elecraft] Best Mac to use with KX3

WSJT-X runs just fine on my 2010 Mac mini with a core-2 duo processor. Almost every Mac that runs an Intel processor has at least a Core-2 Duo (the exception being the very first Intel iMac that used a single core Core-2 processor). I would not want to use a Mac with a sub 2 GHz processor - the l

Re: [Elecraft] How to get a pgm like MSHV or WSJTx to read the K3 Sub-Rx QRG ?

It appears that you are looking in the radio to solve the problem you state. That is the wrong place. It is the computer software that has to ask the right question. The CAT interface for Elecraft radios is published and maintained by Elecraft. It is available at the Elecraft web site for downl

Re: [Elecraft] KPA500 serial interfaces

No. The transceiver port is meant to receive data from a connected Elecraft or Kenwood transceiver. It acts on data responses received from those devices. Specifically, it is looking of the following command responses from the transceiver: FA;, FB;, FR;, FT;, or IF;. The entire purpose of the XC

Re: [Elecraft] high input SWR KPA500

The DC should not have done anything - the KPA blocks it at its input. But the excess power apparently did quite a bit of damage. Call the tech support guys on Monday. Good luck in PACC. Most of us contest types in this area (Northern California) are operating WPX-RTTY this weekend. 73! Jack,

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