Randy, I'm pretty sure we could support per-antenna ATU settings for multiple external antennas in both KAT500 and KPA1500 firmware. We'd need to get the data from the external switch box, or from a computer application.
I'll run this by the QRO product software team. 73, Wayne N6KR ---- http://www.elecraft.com > On Apr 27, 2017, at 12:45 PM, Randy Farmer <w...@tx.rr.com> wrote: > > 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 > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to n...@elecraft.com ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
