[Elecraft] Connect KPA-500, TS-480 and MicroKeyer II

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

On 2019-03-07 5:14 PM, Jack Brindle wrote:
 > OK. Well, for the record, we have a relay in the outbound data line
 > from the KPA500 on the XCVR port. With SERPOLL = OFF, it disconnects
 > the signal so there is no drive on that signal from the KPA.

Nice.  That solves one part of the problem but given that Elecraft
and Kenwood use different connectors on their transceivers and there
is no documentation of the required connections, I'd bet that 50% of
users still connect a "Y" cable incorrectly whether it be 2/3 reversed
or lack of RTS/CTS, etc.

73,

    ... Joe, W4TV


On 2019-03-07 5:14 PM, Jack Brindle wrote:
> OK. Well, for the record, we have a relay in the outbound data line from the KPA500 on the XCVR port. With SERPOLL = OFF, it disconnects the signal so there is no drive on that signal from the KPA. SERPOLL = ON enables it.
> 
> 73!
> Jack, W6FB
> 
> 
>> On Mar 7, 2019, at 1:41 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV <lists at subich.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Do you see anything wrong with this situation as far as the microHAM
>>> interface is concerned??
>>
>> Not as far as the microHAM interface is concerned from a hardware
>> standpoint.
>>
>> However, lacking *proper documentation* of the "Y" cable, it is a
>> support nightmare (as I have discovered with other amplifiers and
>> antenna controllers that claim to be "listen only").  As such, the
>> policy is now "no support for *any* "Y" cable CAT connection."
>>
>> 73,
>>
>>    ... Joe, W4TV
>>
>>
>> On 2019-03-07 4:25 PM, Jack Brindle wrote:
>>> Joe;
>>> The Y connection on the KPA500 in this situation is listen-only. Since the microHAM interface is doing all the polling it should not care if the KPA500 (for any other device) is just listening, as long as these devices do not connect to the same line the microHAM is sending on. When the KPA500 is set for SERPOLL = OFF, it is completely disconnected from that line, and is in pure listen-only mode.
>>> Do you see anything wrong with this situation as far as the microHAM interface is concerned??
>>> 73!
>>> Jack, W6FB
>>>> On Mar 7, 2019, at 1:07 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV <lists at subich.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 2019-03-06 10:36 PM, Jack Brindle via Elecraft wrote:
>>>>> The KPA500 does NOT have a pass-through mode.
>>>>
>>>> Jack, thanks for the "official" information (although it is
>>>> a shame there is no "pass through" mode).
>>>>
>>>> As it stands, any Kenwood user will need to use the "basic Cabling
>>>> Diagram for Any Transceiver" (Figure 2, page 11 or the KPA-500
>>>> Owner's Manual) when using a microHAM interface.  microHAM will not
>>>> support any "Y" cable CAT connection.
>>>>
>>>> If the microHAM/KPA-500 user has a MK2R+, MK II, MK III, or DK II,
>>>> the transceiver PTT Out (Amp Key, Key Line, etc.) should be routed
>>>> to the "PTT In" jack on the microHAM interface and KPA-500 "Key Line"
>>>> taken from the PA PTT jack of the microHAM interface.  If both a
>>>> KAT500 and KPA-500 are in use, the "Key Line" should be routed to
>>>> the KAT-500 and then to the KPA-500 as shown in "Cabling Diagram:
>>>> Elecraft K3, KPA500 and KAT500 Using E850463 Aux Interface Cables
>>>> with Separate Key Line," Figure 2, page 6 of the KAT-500 Owners
>>>> Manual.
>>>>
>>>> 73,
>>>>
>>>>    ... Joe, W4TV
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 2019-03-06 10:36 PM, Jack Brindle via Elecraft wrote:
>>>>> The KPA500 does NOT have a pass-through mode. It DOES have a serial port dedicated to communicating with Kenwood radios to extract the operating frequency. It can just monitor the serial link or it can also poll for the needed data. You will need to provide a Y cable that connects the signal coming from the radio to the computer, connecting the KPA’s XCVR port to the branch of the cable. The PC port on the KPA500 is only for controlling the amplifier. The two ports are not related in function.
>>>>> Use the RS232 X menu setting to select the port data rate to match the radio’s serial port. If you need for the KPA500 to poll the radio for the frequency, the set SER POLL to ON.
>>>>> For other cabling, connect the KEY line coming from the transceiver to one of the KAT500’s PTT RlY connectors, then connect the other PTT RLY connector to the KPA500’s PA KEY connector. These connections are shown on page 12 of the KAT500 manual.
>>>>> With this configuration the KAP500 will switch bands based on the data it receives from the transceiver, while the KAT500 will need RF to select the LC combination needed for tuning (as well as the desired antenna for that band). The KPA500 and KAT500 do not communicate, so there is no way for the KPA500 to tell the KAT500 the band.
>>>>> Note also that the KPA500 and KAT500 will switch bands quite well without the transceiver data connection as K9YC describes.
>>>>> Andy, K3WYC has created a pretty cool system with a small controller that monitors the system and sends control data to both the KAT500 and KPA500 to set them upper operation. I’lllet Andy describe that.
>>>>> I am amazed that we do not properly describe KPA500/KAT500 operation with Kenwood transceivers. I will try to bug the right people to get this fixed.
>>>>> 73!
>>>>> Jack, W6FB
>>>>>> On Mar 6, 2019, at 6:48 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV <lists at subich.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Apparently the KPA-500 includes the ability to operate in a CAT
>>>>>> pass through mode (like the P3) with Elecraft and Kenwood rigs
>>>>>> (see Menu items RS232 P, RS232 X, RADIO, and SER POLL).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *UNFORTUNATELY* the Kenwood configuration is not documented in the
>>>>>> KPA-500 Owners Manual (unlike the Icom "band voltage" and Yaesu BCD
>>>>>> control configurations).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It would greatly assist non-Elecraft owners if the KPA-500 Owners
>>>>>> Manual included explicit diagrams and configuration settings for
>>>>>> Icom, Yaesu and Kenwood (RS-232 CAT ONLY) transceivers along the
>>>>>> lines of Figure 4 on page 13 for the K3 using "KPAK3AUX Cable and
>>>>>> Separate Key Line".
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Without documentation (including information showing if RTS/CTS is
>>>>>> passed through from the transceiver as expected by Kenwood rigs
>>>>>> or whether the KPA-500 provides a CTS "pull up" on the RS-232 (XCVR)
>>>>>> jack) from Elecraft or access to a KPA-500 for "hands on engineering"
>>>>>> it is not possible for third party suppliers to provide any support
>>>>>> for (Kenwood) configurations that include KPA-500/KAT500 .
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 73,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    ... Joe, W4TV
>>>>>>
>>>>>>