[Elecraft] KPA500 not responding to K3

[W0MU Mike Fatchett]

I just got a KAT500 a couple of weeks ago and was talking with Eric.  
The Beta's which might have been released to live by now had many 
changes that would make the the three device all get along much better.

I am pretty sure you need to set the baud rate on the KPA500 and the K3 
to the same rate.  Ie 38400.

You will need to get the usb-serial cable to do the updates.

The KAT 500 acts as a type of Y or WYE for the 15 pin cable.

You should have got a the pc interface cable with the KAT500.
Download the current utility and then download version 1.67

Under configuration you should see a big button that says Optimize for 
KPA-500.

Push it!

I was told to put 1500  in the maximum watts box.

save it and see what happens.

The KPA 500 should switch to the right band on rf.  It is strange that 
it will not amplify.

  On 5/1/2014 10:43 PM, Ben Collins-Sussman wrote:
> On Thu, May 1, 2014 at 11:32 PM, W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com 
> <mailto:w0mu at w0mu.com>> wrote:
>
>     Go download the latest beta versions of the firmware and the
>     associated utility programs.
>
>
> The K3 is new and has the latest official 4.38 firmware.  The KPA500 
> is about a year old and running firmware 1.23.
> I don't have a usb-serial cable yet, though I can grab one tomorrow at 
> the store;  is there a specific bug fixed in some beta firmware release?
>
>
>     Have you set the baud rate in the K3 to that of the amp?
>
>
> I see nothing in either manual about the K3 or amp having configurable 
> baud rates to communicate with each other.  Do you have details?
>
>
>     When the amp is moved from standby to Operate you should see a
>     message in the K3 that says KPA500.
>
>
> I see nothing at all.  This is a 3rd example, I suppose, of the total 
> lack of communication between K3 and KPA500.
> Again, keep in mind that the K3 isn't /directly/ connected to the 
> KPA500.  They're actually both connected to the KAT500 tuner, as the 
> diagrams specify.
>
>
>     I would check the firmware.  I know there is a special button you
>     push on the KAT500 that optimizes operation with the KPA500.
>
>
> I see nothing about this in the KAT500 manual, but will look again.
> The connection between tuner and amp has always worked; I haven't 
> touched that special DB15 cable at all.  However, perhaps the new DB15 
> cable that arrived with the K3 is physically defective?  I'm digging 
> for hypotheses.  :-)
>