How well integrated will the KAT 500 be with the K-Line???

[KD3RF]

Hi All:

I have a question for either the KAT500 beta testers or the Elecraft squad regarding the level of integration between the KAT500 and the rest of the K-Line.

What I'm wondering is how well integrated the KAT500 is going to be with the K-Line when a tune sequence is engaged?

The reason I'm asking is that I'm evaluating a LDG AT-600 Pro loaned to me by a friend and have found that the tuner causes the amplifier to do a hard fault anytime a full tuning sequence is executed while the amplifier is online.

I have my K3 set to a power level of 3 watts in tune mode, which results in approx 30 watts out from the KPA 500 when tuning.  The SWR on my antennas varies between a 1:1 at resonance and some pretty high values in excess of 6:1 off resonance, especially on 40/80/160 meters.

Through some correspondence with LDG it's been determined that when the AT-600 executes a full tuning sequence the first thing the tuner does is to release all of the relays, creating the appearance of a momentary open circuit, resulting in a high SWR condition that trips the KPA500.  

This is not a defect in the LDG tuner, but is simply the way LDG has coded the firmware in this model of their tuners.

The only work-around I have found to this situation is to put the KPA500 in standby, execute the AT-600 tuning sequence at low power from the K3 and to manually store the setting in the LDG tuner's memory.

I have to keep the AT-600 in "semi-automatic" tuning mode so the tuner does not automatically execute a tuning sequence while the KPA500 is online, and when I notice the SWR getting too high to do a repeat of the work-around I described above.

Ideally, Elecraft has accounted for these kinds of situations in the KAT500 firmware and tightly integrated communications between the KAT500 and the rest of the K-line that accommodates tprevents this from happening.

WIll you comment on this and share some insights with us about the KAT500 and how it will integrate with the rest of the K-Line?  

Thanks much in advance.

Andy Vavra, KD3RF / VE2DXY