I'm changing the topic to more accurately reflect the ongoing discussion.
I'm also using a KAT500 on each of my two K-lines in my SO2R station,
and I too would appreciate a bit more "intelligence" in the KAT500. My
fully automated antenna switching arrangement uses a microHAM Double Ten
switch, with the control for the two radio ports coming from a Station
Master on each radio, so there are only two feedlines that enter the
radio room.The antenna switching hardware is concealed in the attic on
the other side of the wall from the station. Like everyone else who has
attempted to set up a SO2R station using multiband antennas, I've
grappled with the problem that the design of all the currently available
switching and control hardware explicitly assumes you have separate
antennas for each band. For many of us, this just isn't true.
I mainly use the KAT500 as a line flattener for my 160, 80 and 40 meter
antennas; no problem there. But.. I also have a 20-15-10 dipole that I
use for the second radio on the high bands. The dipole is pretty low and
isn't particularly well matched, especially on 15 and 10. I now have the
KAT500 on the secondary radio set up to match the dipole on 20 through
10. However, if I'm running SO2R with the primary radio on 40 and the
secondary radio on 20 then I'll normally switch my SteppIR to the
secondary radio, meaning I have to remember to put the KAT500 in bypass,
and then to change it back later. Sometimes I don't. (Mother Nature and
Father Time, you know.)
Even in SO1R mode, I sometimes want to quickly switch to the dipole on
the high bands if someone calls me well out of the beam's main lobe. The
Station Master makes the actual switching very easy via a keypad on the
desk, but in this case I end up with the radio looking into a fairly
high VSWR antenna if I don't also manually put the KAT500 in bypass
mode. This isn't so good, especially if I'm running the KPA500.
What would be REALLY NICE would be if there were some way for the KAT500
to know which ANTENNA has been selected, and switch in the appropriate
matching solution for that antenna on that band. I don't see any way to
do this, given the present architecture. If there were some additional
communication channel between the station control hardware and the
KAT500 (and other Elecraft products) such as an extended command over
the RS232 link in the case of the KAT500 or over the USB link for the
KPA1500, conveying both band information and antenna ID could
potentially be done. A simple 4 bit band code wouldn't be sufficient,
but perhaps an 8 bit word with 4 bits of band information and 4 bits of
antenna number would work. Of course, there then remains the
not-so-small matter of formatting and transmitting this information
packet from a wide variety of station control architectures using
hardware from a number of vendors. Perhaps if Elecraft were to pave the
way by implementing this capability the makers of the various commercial
controllers would be willing to code in support for the feature. Just
thinking out loud, and wishing...
73...
Randy, W8FN
On 4/25/2017 10:11 PM, Bob wrote:
Hi Bill,
No XYL requests involved but in a similar manner I have reduced
the feed lines into the shack. I have a remote antenna switch system
consisting of an Array Solutions Rat Pack with the Ten Tec interface
box. This is under control of an Elecraft KRC2 unit. It saves many
feet of coax and reduces the in shack cable clutter.
Station is K3, KPA500 and KAT500 and more Elecraft with K2 and
KX3. My issue is I'm not getting full value from the KAT500. It is
capable of switching 3 antennas. But with a single feed line on
position one all else is lost. So my request would be to be able
select alternative programmed values by using the KAT 500 antenna
switch. Any manually selected antenna would apply tuner values to the
antenna position but ANT 1 would remain selected. As it is now it
works but requires retuning when manually changing between selected,
say, 80 meter antennas and prior values are lost. In hardware I could
do it now but don't want to butcher the KAT500.
Well beyond my pay grade as I do not know how much
reprogramming would be required in the firmware and utility to select
this as an option.
This option could possibly be done in the KPA1500 too.
Certainly be a plus in consideration of the KPA1500 which seems to
have less in that there are only 2 antenna selections available.
73,
Bob
K2TK ex KN2TKR (1956) and K2TKR
On 4/25/2017 4:14 PM, Bill Frantz wrote:
My most wonderful and understanding wife has requested that the
number of
"wires" coming into the house be minimized. To accommodate her
wishes, I have an
external antenna switch. It would be very nice if all the Elecraft
tuners could
take an externally provided antenna ID to use to recall the antenna
tuning
parameters. A 4 bit "band ID" would be ideal, but a command over the
RS-232
interface would also work.
73 Bill AE6JV
On 4/25/17 at 7:50 AM, n...@elecraft.com (Wayne Burdick) wrote:
KPA1500 firmware will be updated to fully support such products as
we identify
them. We oversized the microcontroller memory by a factor of about 8
to allow
for such expansion. In addition to SO2R, there may be other gear
such as
antenna switches that we can directly control from the amp’s antenna
and ATU
switches, and status can be shown on the 32-character LCD.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Frantz | Airline peanut bag: "Produced | Periwinkle
(408)356-8506 | in a facility that processes | 16345 Englewood
Ave
www.pwpconsult.com | peanuts and other nuts." - Duh | Los Gatos, CA 95032
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