[Elecraft] K3/KAT500

[G4GNX]

Probably a few dumb questions but...............

I’ve been trying to setup our club’s K3/KAT500 combination and it’s not performing as expected. At present, it’s just the K3 and KAT500, no linear involved.

I’ve connected the AUX data cable to the K3 and KAT500 and I have a patch cable between K3 ANT1 and KAT500 XCVR connectors. This is the Aux cable supplied by Elecraft.

The K3 CONFIG:KAT3 is set to KAT500Y and the KAT500 switches chosen antenna when the K3 band is changed as expected, so I presume that data is being passed correctly between them.

However, when the KAT500 is set to AUTO, I can only initiate a tune cycle by holding the TUNE button on the K3. If I tap the ATU TUNE button on the K3, if the KAT3 is shown in BYPASS then nothing happens. If the KAT3 is shown in AUTO then the KAT3 does the tuning, not the KAT500.
Also, pressing the TUNE button on the KAT500 only seems to make the AUTO LED blink, although I’m guessing that it’s to indicate that I need to set the K3 to transmit (hold TUNE)?

One of our members who has dealt with a lot of Elecraft equipment says that with the KAT500 correctly connected and CONFIG:KAT3 set to KAT500Y, tapping ATU TUNE should put the KAT500 into a tuning cycle, not the KAT3, which he says is a normal function.

Am I totally misunderstanding how the system is supposed to work, being misled, or have I missed a CONFIG or setup step?


73,

Alan. G4GNX