[Elecraft] kpa500 aux cable problem

[Guy Olinger K2AV]

ERR PTT means that the PTT line was being held low as the K3 is starting up.
 This sounds more like a poorly done connector (short), or a bit of that
tiny wire used in a shield shoved back in a male connector.  Betting odds
are on the side of a physical problem with cords/connectors.

[see http://www.elecraft.com/manual/K3%20Owner's%20man%20D9sm.pdf  page 69]

It could also be a problem with the output transistor in the KPA500.  This
would NOT indicate RFI because the K3 will no longer key up while booting
itself.

BTW, a local copy of manual PDF is a great time-saver, as Adobe Reader will
search text and diagrams in Elecraft manuals, including all the error
messages.  Becoming familiar with the schematics is a great help as well.

73, Guy.

On Sun, Jun 5, 2011 at 6:43 AM, Bob Naumann <W5OV at w5ov.com> wrote:

> Just a guess: RF in the shack.
>
> When running an amplifier, things like this that never appeared when
> running
> low power happen all the time.
>
> As your signal increases with amplification to faraway places, it increases
> inside your shack also - and perhaps to a greater degree.
>
> Check all ground connections, shields on coax, etc.
>
> 73,
>
> Bob W5OV
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of W2XB
> Sent: Sunday, June 05, 2011 5:36 AM
> To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: [Elecraft] kpa500 aux cable problem
>
> After using the kpa500 for a couple weeks everyday on cw, the amp performed
> like a charm. About 4 days ago when I was on 40 meters cw the tx light on
> the K3 started turning on and off (flickering).
> Turned off the K line and back on. Now I got an error message on the k3 "
> ERROR PTT'. the K3 was in transmit mode (tx light on). Checked all the
> cabling to see if they were tight. All checked out fine. Tried again same
> problem. Started taking off cables that where connected to the rig. Didn't
> clear up until I got to the Aux cable between the KPA and the K3.
>  Reinstalled all the software on the whole K line. Turned on the rig and it
> seemed fine. Used it for a ragchew on 40 meters cw and it was great for
> about 20 min. Then the tx light started flicker again. Disconnected the Aux
> cable and the problem was gone. The amp works fine without the aux cable.
> Has anyone run into this problem?
>
> Don....w2xb
>
>
> --
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> 865.html
> Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
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