[Elecraft] Equipment placement

[Bob]

For my operating I went with this as an authoritative source from March 2012:


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, especially 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

No problems and with my with shack in the basement don't ever recall the fan 
even going to a higher speed so never experienced a fault.
.
I do not do the high duty cycle digital modes so once again the answer is "it 
all depends" .  .

73,
Bob
K2TK ex KN2TKR (1956) & K2TKR


On 9/17/2015 2:32 PM, Phil Wheeler wrote:
> The manual I have in my computer (from March 2014) says on Page 10:
>
> 0.
>
>    Positioning the Amplifier
>
>    Provide at least 2 inches (5 cm) clearance
>    behind the fan and 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the
>    amplifier for normal cooling air flow.
>
> Microsoft Word - KPA500 Owner's man Rev D.doc So if I placed the KAT500 atop 
> the KPA500 I would use some spacers in each corner area. In fact, I purchased 
> such spacers at the time, but ended up with the tuner in a different location.
>
> 73, Phil W7OX
>
> On 9/17/15 8:58 AM, Phil Hystad wrote:
>> I thought I remember either Wayne or Eric of Elecraft saying that the KAT500 
>> could easily sit on top, or under, the KAP500.  Either way is OK.
>>
>> 73, phil, K7PEH
>>
>>
>>> On Sep 17, 2015, at 8:49 AM, David Bunte <dpbunte at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> I have enjoyed the discussion and pictures of equipment stop etc... but was
>>> a bit surprised by the number of photos I have seen of the KAT500 sitting
>>> atop the KPA500.
>>>
>>> I borrowed a KAT500 from a friend and placed it on top of my KPA500 because
>>> I was just testing it and knew that would not be a long term arrangement.
>>> I now own a KAT500 and my KPA500 sits on top of the tuner. PERHAPS the
>>> cooling of the amp is not too severely impeded by placing the tuner on top
>>> of the amp, but I did not want to take any chances.... and Elecraft clearly
>>> states that the tuner is designed to be able to support the weight of the
>>> amp.
>>>
>>> Regardless of where it sits, the combination sure works nicely. My shack is
>>> small, and I don't have other gear to accomodate, so my station layout was
>>> very straightforward.
>>>
>>> Dave - K9FN
>