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KPA500+KAT500 interfacing.

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Wes Stewart-2

KPA500+KAT500 interfacing.

I have a K3S interfaced to the KAT500 and KPA500 using the Aux cables.

If I was to replace the K3S with a rig with only RS232 control of the KPA500,
will the Kat500 still follow along using the Aux cables. The Xcvr and Amp
connections on the KAT500 seem to be more or less a pass through.

I know the KAT500 will switch using RF sensing, but that doesn't help in a
receive only situation, which I often employ.

Wes N7WS

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Don Wilhelm

Re: KPA500+KAT500 interfacing.

Wes,

The answer is NO. The KAT500 and KPA500 take their AUX commands from
the K3(S).

On 11/17/2020 1:11 PM, Wes wrote:

> I have a K3S interfaced to the KAT500 and KPA500 using the Aux cables.
>
> If I was to replace the K3S with a rig with only RS232 control of the
> KPA500, will the Kat500 still follow along using the Aux cables. The
> Xcvr and Amp connections on the KAT500 seem to be more or less a pass
> through.
>
> I know the KAT500 will switch using RF sensing, but that doesn't help in
> a receive only situation, which I often employ.
>
> Wes N7WS
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
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>
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Wes Stewart-2

Re: KPA500+KAT500 interfacing.

The answer may be no, but you're not responding to the question asked.

The KPA500 can be switched with Serial or BCD data, in addition to the Elecraft
Aux Bus. I simply want to know: 1) does the KAT500 also switch with BCD data
and 2) if so, can those data come from a KPA500 that is being controlled with
serial data. (When I say Aux cable, I'm referring to the 15-pin cable that
includes BCD (band) data.

On 11/17/2020 12:23 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:

> Wes,
>
> The answer is NO. The KAT500 and KPA500 take their AUX commands from the K3(S).
>
> On 11/17/2020 1:11 PM, Wes wrote:
>> I have a K3S interfaced to the KAT500 and KPA500 using the Aux cables.
>>
>> If I was to replace the K3S with a rig with only RS232 control of the KPA500,
>> will the Kat500 still follow along using the Aux cables. The Xcvr and Amp
>> connections on the KAT500 seem to be more or less a pass through.
>>
>> I know the KAT500 will switch using RF sensing, but that doesn't help in a
>> receive only situation, which I often employ.
>>
>> Wes N7WS
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> 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
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Elecraft mailing list

Re: KPA500+KAT500 interfacing.

I can answer this. I believe the answer to the first question is yes. The KAT500 can follow the BDC band data. The answer to the second is definitely no. The KPA500 does not output (nor does it have the capability) BCD band data. The port has input, but does not have output drive. To go further, while the KPA can talk over the Auxbus, the KAT does not have capability to decode the data. In fact the only devices with the capability to decode KPA500 Auxbus data are the K3, K3S and K4.

While both can follow Kenwood-format serial data, and both will respond to a short transmission burst, there is an advantage to having the KAT500 follow the transceivers receive frequency since it keeps the antenna properly matched for the received frequency. In order to do this you really need to have the KAT receive the transceiver frequency stream. As others have noted, it can listen to Kenwood FA responses (which the KPA can poll for). Several folks have created rather interesting boxes that can receive band data from transceivers and communicate it to the KPA500 and KAT500. You might want to talk with Andy, K3WYC about his rather interesting project.

73,
Jack, W6FB

> On Nov 17, 2020, at 8:27 PM, Wes <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> The answer may be no, but you're not responding to the question asked.
>
> The KPA500 can be switched with Serial or BCD data, in addition to the Elecraft Aux Bus. I simply want to know: 1) does the KAT500 also switch with BCD data and 2) if so, can those data come from a KPA500 that is being controlled with serial data. (When I say Aux cable, I'm referring to the 15-pin cable that includes BCD (band) data.
>
>
> On 11/17/2020 12:23 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
>> Wes,
>>
>> The answer is NO. The KAT500 and KPA500 take their AUX commands from the K3(S).
>>
>> On 11/17/2020 1:11 PM, Wes wrote:
>>> I have a K3S interfaced to the KAT500 and KPA500 using the Aux cables.
>>>
>>> If I was to replace the K3S with a rig with only RS232 control of the KPA500, will the Kat500 still follow along using the Aux cables. The Xcvr and Amp connections on the KAT500 seem to be more or less a pass through.
>>>
>>> I know the KAT500 will switch using RF sensing, but that doesn't help in a receive only situation, which I often employ.
>>>
>>> Wes N7WS
>>>
>>> ______________________________________________________________
>>> 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
>>> Message delivered to [hidden email]
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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>
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Wes Stewart-2

Re: KPA500+KAT500 interfacing.

Jack,

Thanks. All of this is hypothetical at the moment since I don't have a Kenwood,
although I'm thinking about it. I'm getting too old and tired to wait for a K4.

Wes, N7WS

On 11/17/2020 10:06 PM, Jack Brindle wrote:
> I can answer this. I believe the answer to the first question is yes. The KAT500 can follow the BDC band data. The answer to the second is definitely no. The KPA500 does not output (nor does it have the capability) BCD band data. The port has input, but does not have output drive. To go further, while the KPA can talk over the Auxbus, the KAT does not have capability to decode the data. In fact the only devices with the capability to decode KPA500 Auxbus data are the K3, K3S and K4.
>
> While both can follow Kenwood-format serial data, and both will respond to a short transmission burst, there is an advantage to having the KAT500 follow the transceivers receive frequency since it keeps the antenna properly matched for the received frequency. In order to do this you really need to have the KAT receive the transceiver frequency stream. As others have noted, it can listen to Kenwood FA responses (which the KPA can poll for). Several folks have created rather interesting boxes that can receive band data from transceivers and communicate it to the KPA500 and KAT500. You might want to talk with Andy, K3WYC about his rather interesting project.
>
> 73,
> Jack, W6FB
>

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K8TE

Re: KPA500+KAT500 interfacing.

In reply to this post by Elecraft mailing list

From the KAT500 manual:

When the KAT500 is used with an Elecraft K3 transceiver, the K3 can be
configured to cause the
KAT500 to follow changes in the K3’s VFO frequency during receive.

This requires frequency, not band data. Tuning the K3 big knob results in a
change of tuning solutions for antennas that require those solutions. After
stopping tuning for a brief moment, one can hear the relays change.

73, Bill, K8TE

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