[Elecraft] Progress on K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR/band change (+ improved K3/KAT500 integration)

[Wayne Burdick]

Hi all,

Yesterday we analyzing the reports of unexpected SWR faults and band changes. They fall into a few categories, and we have a good handle on how to deal with all of them in firmware. (Faults caused by antenna/feedline/connector problems are the only exception. These can cause SWR to change asynchronously, and there's no way to fix this in firmware. The amp and tuner are correctly going into bypass mode, retuning, or inserting attenuation in such cases.)

Unfortunately the KAT500 changes cannot be completed immediately because the responsible engineer is leaving for a week's vacation starting tomorrow. But the changes are fairly simple, so shortly after he returns we'll be sending out new firmware to a group of customers who have reported problems. Sorry for the delay.

In addition to firmware changes needed to handle SWR and band-change issues, we'll be improving integration between the KAT500 and the K3. For example, you'll be able to use the K3's ANT switch to select antennas at the KAT500.

We're also working on a K-Line Installation guide, intended to be a more convenient resource for all of the information needed to interconnect and setup the K3, P3, KPA500 and KAT500. We hope to have this out a month or so after all of the pending firmware changes have been completed.

73 (& Happy New Year)

Wayne
N6KR