[Elecraft] KAT500/KPA500 Positioning

[Eric Swartz WA6HHQ - Elecraft]

There should be no interaction issues between the KAT500 and the KPA500 when the KAT is under the amp. We also beefed up the KAT500 cabinet to handle the weight of the KPA500.

Also, placing it on top of the amp does not raise amp PA transistor temp significantly for most casual duty cycle use, typically raising it a few degrees. In some cases it will cause the amp's fan to move to a higher speed during TX.

For higher intensity operation, with the ATU on top of the amp, key down 100% for several minutes the PA temp will raise 5-9 degrees above what its normal operating temp would be without the ATU on top. The fan will also operate at a higher speed. In our testing at normal room temps this was still well below the amp's max temp fault trigger point. But if you plan on RTTY or other high duty cycle modes with a lot of continuous RX time, especialy under higher ambient temp conditions, we recommend placing the KAT500 to the side or under the amp.

Also, the amp protects itself from over temp situations with its soft and hard fault triggers. So feel free to try it out on top to see how it works under your typical operating conditions.

73,
Eric

www.elecraft.com
_..._



On Mar 31, 2012, at 9:25 AM, Jim Bennett <w6jhb at mac.com> wrote:

> Good to know, as I'm betting that the KAT500 is not going to weigh nearly as much as the KPA500! Placing it on top of the amp, with three fat RG-8 cables hanging out the back of it would (IMHO) tend to make the tuner susceptible to tipping backwards. Locating it under the K3 is not an option at my location, so an under-amp placement would be nice.
> 
> Wayne - any problem with interaction between the two if the tuner is placed under the amp?
> 
> Jim / W6JHB
> 
> 
> On   Saturday, Mar 31, 2012, at  Saturday, 9:06 AM, Phil & Debbie Salas wrote:
> 
>> The KPA500 draws in air from the top, and exhausts it out the back.  So 
>> placing the KAT500 under the amplifier shouldn't affect KPA500 air flow.
>> 
>> Phil - AD5X