[Elecraft] KPA500+KAT500 interfacing.

[Wes]

Jack,

Thanks.  All of this is hypothetical at the moment since I don't have a Kenwood, 
although I'm thinking about it.  I'm getting too old and tired to wait for a K4.

Wes,  N7WS


On 11/17/2020 10:06 PM, Jack Brindle wrote:
> I can answer this. I believe the answer to the first question is yes. The KAT500 can follow the BDC band data. The answer to the second is definitely no. The KPA500 does not output (nor does it have the capability) BCD band data. The port has input, but does not have output drive. To go further, while the KPA can talk over the Auxbus, the KAT does not have capability to decode the data. In fact the only devices with the capability to decode KPA500 Auxbus data are the K3, K3S and K4.
>
> While both can follow Kenwood-format serial data, and both will respond to a short transmission burst, there is an advantage to having the KAT500 follow the transceivers receive frequency since it keeps the antenna properly matched for the received frequency. In order to do this you really need to have the KAT receive the transceiver frequency stream. As others have noted, it can listen to Kenwood FA responses (which the KPA can poll for). Several folks have created rather interesting boxes that can receive band data from transceivers and communicate it to the KPA500 and KAT500. You might want to talk with Andy, K3WYC about his rather interesting project.
>
> 73,
> Jack, W6FB
>