K3, KPA500, KAT500 interactiions

[Bill W]

I must be having a senior moment so bear with me. If the KPA500 is "not keyed" (K6KR) and/or it is "inhibited" (AC7AC) while the KAT500 is tuning, why am I getting a "fault" that requires a manual reset?
BTW I am using the cabling as described in figure 1 on page 4 in the KAT500 owners manual with the correct DB15 cables and, in the interest of full disclosure, I do use the KPAK3AUX Y cable at the K3 ACC port.
Bill - W0BBI
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[Dick Dievendorff]

When you start transmitting, the KAT500 detects high SWR and interrupts the
amplifier key line as a prelude to tuning. However that takes a little time.
In the time that it takes the KAT500 to break the amp key line, the KPA500
may observe high SWR briefly.  It engages its attenuator and flickers the
Fault LED (but this is not a fault that requires reset).  If the high SWR
persists, the KPA500 will fault.  But the KAT500 should break the amplifier
key line promptly, before the KPA500 faults, if it is allowed to do so.

I suspect you may not have configured the KAT500 to break the amplifier key
line when transmitting.  In the KAT500 Utility, Configuration Tab, Edit
Configuration, Amplifier Key Interrupt Power, click the button that says
"optimize for KPA500".

Some amplifiers, particularly those with frame relays, cannot tolerate
having the amplifier key line hotswitched with RF present.  So the KAT500
has to wait for a pause in transmission before it can interrupt the amp key
line.  

73 de Dick, K6KR


-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Bill Wiehe
Sent: Saturday, March 16, 2013 7:31 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] K3, KPA500, KAT500 interactiions

I must be having a senior moment so bear with me. If the KPA500 is "not
keyed" (K6KR) and/or it is "inhibited" (AC7AC) while the KAT500 is tuning,
why am I getting a "fault" that requires a manual reset?
BTW I am using the cabling as described in figure 1 on page 4 in the
KAT500 owners manual with the correct DB15 cables and, in the interest of
full disclosure, I do use the KPAK3AUX Y cable at the K3 ACC port.
Bill - W0BBI
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

[Iain MacDonnell - N6ML-2]

In the standard configuration, the KAT500 does not explicitly inhibit
the KPA500 - rather it interrupts the keying line (by opening relay
contacts). My setup is remote, so I can't confirm this, but the
underscore should not be displayed in this case.

This does require keying to be routed through the KAT500, using the
ACC cables, and no other keying path should be in place (e.g. RCA
direct from K3 to KPA500).

73,

    ~iain / N6ML


On Sat, Mar 16, 2013 at 7:53 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Bill, it should not fault.
>
> When the KAT500 it is tuning, do you see on the KPA500 amplifier front panel
> the asterisk change to an underscore?  If the asterisk stays visible, the
> amplifier is not being inhibited for some reason.
>
> What is the SWR reported by the KAT500 after tuning? If it is not low
> enough, the KPA500 logic may trigger a fault due to excessive reflected
> power.
>
> Do you have the latest firmware in both the KAT500 and KPA500? IIRC, there
> was some tinkering with the timing of the functions that may have been to
> avoid spurious faults. I recommend making sure you are running the latest.
>
> 73 Ron AC7AC
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email]
> [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Bill Wiehe
> Sent: Saturday, March 16, 2013 7:31 PM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: [Elecraft] K3, KPA500, KAT500 interactiions
>
> I must be having a senior moment so bear with me. If the KPA500 is "not
> keyed" (K6KR) and/or it is "inhibited" (AC7AC) while the KAT500 is tuning,
> why am I getting a "fault" that requires a manual reset?
> BTW I am using the cabling as described in figure 1 on page 4 in the
> KAT500 owners manual with the correct DB15 cables and, in the interest of
> full disclosure, I do use the KPAK3AUX Y cable at the K3 ACC port.
> Bill - W0BBI
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html