[Elecraft] KAT500/KPA500 with Icom 7600 accessory cable

[Jack Brindle]

The folks in Watsonville are taking a well deserved rest, but some of us are still around. This sounds a lot like a grounding issue in your setup with ground being completed through the wall power ground pin. Tell me exactly all of the cables/connections going to the KPA500 (and from where). While you are at it you might as well do the same for the KAT500. I’ll try to decipher what is going on from this information and hopefully get a good solution for you quickly.

73!
Jack, W6FB
Elecraft Engineering


> On Dec 30, 2018, at 1:55 PM, Ken B via Elecraft <elecraft at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> 
> Thanks for the suggestion 
> Sorry for the delay the wife and I went out. The only way I can get it all to work properly is to:- Remove AC power from the AMP (simply turning it off dowes not work) - On the radio (icom 7600) select the band (ensure auto tuner on Radio is off) - On Radio select AM and depress PTT - While holding PTT, hit the tune button on the KAT500 - Let if get to 1.2 and stop - Let go PTT and select SSB on Radio- Plug in AC power to KPA and power on - On KPA select the proper band- On the KPA select operate from Standby   
> All works until I change bands then it is start from the top Cleared all memory 
> Wish Elecraft was open on Monday. 
> ThanksKen 
> 
>      From: Don Wilhelm <donwilh at embarqmail.com>
> To: "backhoeken at yahoo.com" <backhoeken at yahoo.com>; "elecraft at mailman.qth.net" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net> 
> Sent: Sunday, December 30, 2018 8:39 AM
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KAT500/KPA500 with Icom 7600 accessory cable
> 
> Ken,
> 
> If that Send cable is the only one you have connected between your Icom 
> and the KAT500, you need to feed a bit of RF to initiate a TUNE
> 
> The KAT500 will first look for a saved L/C combination for that antenna 
> and frequency and will switch to that rather than doing a TUNE.  
> Secondly, it will compute the SWR and if it is below 1.5, it will go 
> into bypass - no tuning is necessary.
> 
> Is it possible that either one of those conditions exist?
> 
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
> 
> On 12/30/2018 6:12 AM, Ken B wrote:
>> Yes  from the 7600 accessory 1 pin 3 to the kat500
>> 
>> Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android 
>> <https://go.onelink.me/107872968?pid=InProduct&c=Global_Internal_YGrowth_AndroidEmailSig__AndroidUsers⁡_wl=ym⁡_sub1=Internal⁡_sub2=Global_YGrowth⁡_sub3=EmailSignature>
>> 
>>     On Sun, Dec 30, 2018 at 4:52 AM, Don Wilhelm
>>     <donwilh at embarqmail.com> wrote:
>>     Ken,
>> 
>>     Do you have the cable wired first to the KAT500 and then on to the
>>     KPA500?
>>     The KAT500 must interrupt the keying of the KPA500 when it needs
>>     to tune.
>> 
>>     73,
>>     Don W3FPR
>> 
>>     On 12/29/2018 10:13 PM, Ken B wrote:
>>     > Thank you Don.
>>     > The pin 3 (send) did the trick perfectly. Now it works at 300 to
>>     400
>>     > watts out with 20 in. The problem i have now is when i switch bands
>>     > the kat will not tune unless i remove all AC power from the amp.
>>     >
>>     >
>>     > Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
>>     >
>>     <https://go.onelink.me/107872968?pid=InProduct&c=Global_Internal_YGrowth_AndroidEmailSig__AndroidUsers⁡_wl=ym⁡_sub1=Internal⁡_sub2=Global_YGrowth⁡_sub3=EmailSignature
>>     <https://go.onelink.me/107872968?pid=InProduct&c=Global_Internal_YGrowth_AndroidEmailSig__AndroidUsers⁡_wl=ym⁡_sub1=Internal⁡_sub2=Global_YGrowth⁡_sub3=EmailSignature>>
>> 
>> 
>>     >
>>     >    On Thu, Dec 27, 2018 at 11:36 PM, Don Wilhelm
>>     >    <donwilh at embarqmail.com <mailto:donwilh at embarqmail.com>> wrote:
>>     >    Ken,
>>     >
>>     >    Look at your Icom 7600 documentation.  I believe the
>>     'keyword' may be
>>     >    "Send" or Keyout or something of that nature (PTT should be an
>>     >    input to
>>     >    the transceiver, not an output, but some manufacturers mix
>>     them up
>>     >    causing confusion - check the documentation).
>>     >    Connect that output from your transceiver first to the KAT500
>>     AMP KEY
>>     >    connector and from the other KAT500 AMP KEY connector to the
>>     KPA500.
>>     >    That allows the KAT500 to disable the amplifier keying if the
>>     KAT500
>>     >    needs to tune.
>>     >
>>     >    You should then be "good to go" with the basic cabling. When
>>     you get
>>     >    the proper cable, it will integrate better with your Icom,
>>     but the
>>     >    basic
>>     >    cabling will get you on the air with your new toys.
>>     >
>>     >    73,
>>     >    Don W3FPR
>>     >
>>     >    On 12/27/2018 11:14 PM, Ken B via Elecraft wrote:
>>     >    > Just received my the kap500 and found out it was missing the
>>     >    accessory cable which goes from the icom 7600 to the kat500.
>>     >    Elecraft is sending one but it might take a week. In the mean
>>     time
>>     >    does anyone have the accessory pin outs to rca plug so i can make
>>     >    one and use my new toy.
>>     >    > Thank youKenKc1icn
>>     >
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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