[Elecraft] KPA500 Band Tracking

[Don Wilhelm]

Ted,

Do you have any other device (non-Elecraft) set up to read the K3 Band 
Data lines?
If so, that may be part of the problem - you may have to add diodes to 
the band data lines on that device.

There is another subtle  point about when the KPA500 changes bands.  
Even though it monitors the band data lines, it does not act on them 
immediately, it waits for a transmission before changing bands.  The 
details are a bit fuzzy to me right now, but Jack Brindle explained it 
several years ago and it make sense.

73,
Don w3FPR

On 8/7/2016 5:50 PM, Dauer, Edward wrote:
> I must have done something I didn’t mean to do.
>
> Just put up a 30 meter antenna today.  It works fine.  Until today I had the K3 band map set to include only 80-40-20-15-10.  The KPA500 tracked it automatically perfectly.  I then went into the config menu for band map and set 30 meters to IN.   The K3 works perfectly – band switching gives me, in MHz, 3.5 – 7.0 – 10.1 – 14.0 – 21.0 – 28.0 and then cycles back to 3.5  That is also exactly what I expected.
>
> But the KPA doesn’t track the K3’s band choice correctly.  For 80 I get 80.  For 40 on the K3 I get 80 on the KPA500. For 30 on the K3 I get 5.3MHz on the KPA500.  For 20 I get 20.  For 15 I get 15.  And for 10 on the K3 I get 24.9 MHz on the KPA500.
>
> Interestingly, the “Band” buttons on the KPA500 have the same errors.  In MHz, pressing 1.8 yields 5.3.  3.5 is OK.  Pressing 7.0 produces 3.5.  14 and 21 are OK.  And pressing 28 produces 24.9.
>
> The frequency sampling, however, works perfectly.  A single dit on any band switches the KPA500 to the correct band, as defined by the K3.
>
>