[Elecraft] KAT500 Problem --- switching antennas

[Phil Hystad]

More experimenting this afternoon...

I am pretty sure now that it is the switch itself.  If I do a press and hold (as if it had one of those famous hold functions) then the switch operates just fine.  No problems.  But, if I press as pressing a normal switch like I do a hundred times a day on the Elecraft gear (OK, maybe 30 times a day) then at times (more than half) the switch bounces back.

But, it is strange that this behavior started right after I upgraded firmware to 1.63.  I mean, the entire time I have had the KAT500 I have not had a problem with this switch until after the upgrade.

So, if I were to assume wild things I could assume that the timing has changed a little bit on these button pushes.  Maybe the software used to detect a button press faster than it does now or something like that.  Not sure.  But, the other antenna LED does briefly flash on before it bounces back. So, maybe it is a physical problem with a double hit on the switch itself.  Just wild guesses here.  I have done some PIC coding before with switch sensing so I understand that this could be an issue but then again, maybe just a funky switch.

73, phil, K7PEH



On Apr 13, 2014, at 4:15 PM, Cady, Fred <fcady at ece.montana.edu> wrote:

> Not seeing it here, Phil.
> KAT firmware 1.63
> 73,
> Fred KE7X
> 
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-
>> bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Phil Hystad
>> Sent: Sunday, April 13, 2014 3:02 PM
>> To: Elecraft
>> Subject: [Elecraft] KAT500 Problem --- switching antennas
>> 
>> Ever since the most recent KAT500/KPA500 firmware updates, switching
>> between antenna 1 and 2 shows funny behavior.
>> 
>> For example, on the 20 meter band I have two antennas:
>> 
>>        Antenna #1 -- Wire 80-meter Dipole (ladder line fed)
>> 
>>        Antenna #2 -- Hex beam
>> 
>> So, I am positioned on antenna #2 for 20 meters.  I switch manually
>> with the KAT500 to antenna #1.  This works fine.  Then, when I switch
>> from #1 back to #2, the KAT500 briefly goes to #2 enough to light up
>> the #2 LED but then immediately bounces back to #1.  Now, if I switch
>> again from #1 to #2, there is no bounce back and everything is fine.
>> 
>> This problem is totally repeatable.  Always on a bounce the first
>> attempt to return to #2 from #1 but the second time (done immediately)
>> works fine without problems.
>> 
>> Anyone else see this behavior.
>> 
>> 73, phil, K7PEH
>> 
>> 
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