Re: [Elecraft] FW: K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR problem
I doubt your problems are because of the firmware, but the answer about the best version of firmware to use is to always load the latest production version. Beta versions can be useful if you are experiencing problems that the beta release corrects. Remember that beta versions are usually OK to use, but there are made available so a large number of users can report any problems they experience. If there are no problems reported, that beta version will be advanced to production status. OTOH, if there are problems reported, that beta version will be replaced by another beta with those problems addressed. 73, Don W3FPR On 12/19/2014 10:31 PM, Va3ied wrote: I just bought the tuner and am having the exact same issues on 80 mwhat veh of firmware works best? __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] FW: K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR problem
I just bought the tuner and am having the exact same issues on 80 mwhat veh of firmware works best? -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-KPA500-KAT500-SWR-problem-tp7582232p7596173.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.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
[Elecraft] FW: K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR problem
I take it everyone has good station RF ground systems in the shack (or where ever the tuner is located)? Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ / J68HZ/ 8P6HK/ ZF2HZ Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch Staunton, Illinois email: b...@wjschmidt.com -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of KD0Q-Glenn Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 10:24 AM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR problem I experience this as well, only on 80 meters with the KPA500 in operate. Always thought that it was RF getting into the KAT500 sensing as I can usually back off to 300 Watts, force a KAT500 re-tune and continue. __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] FW: K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR problem
In regards to proper grounding etc.: I think it is safe to say that K3 owners have a very good grasp of what is needed to construct and operate a proper station - safety and RF wise. I do, yet still went back over every last connector/connection/lug, etc. Everything is locked down properly here. No baluns, good coax, and everything is mechanical and soldered along the entire antenna routes. Yet, the problem continues. Perhaps the most disconcerting part is that my other auto tuners/rigs do not exhibit this difficulty. Perhaps the KAT500 is seeing something the others do not. The difficult part is never knowing when the tuner will take off and the fact that MANUAL selection does not appear to make any difference. I have been using MANUAL for a couple of months. I do not see that it has made any difference in occurrences. The instances of run-away are random and it is usually days between events. Bill W2BLC K-Line __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] FW: K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR problem
Do you have coomon mode chokes on you feed lines? Jim ab3cv On Dec 30, 2013, at 1:29 PM, Bill W2BLC w2...@nycap.rr.com wrote: In regards to proper grounding etc.: I think it is safe to say that K3 owners have a very good grasp of what is needed to construct and operate a proper station - safety and RF wise. I do, yet still went back over every last connector/connection/lug, etc. Everything is locked down properly here. No baluns, good coax, and everything is mechanical and soldered along the entire antenna routes. Yet, the problem continues. Perhaps the most disconcerting part is that my other auto tuners/rigs do not exhibit this difficulty. Perhaps the KAT500 is seeing something the others do not. The difficult part is never knowing when the tuner will take off and the fact that MANUAL selection does not appear to make any difference. I have been using MANUAL for a couple of months. I do not see that it has made any difference in occurrences. The instances of run-away are random and it is usually days between events. Bill W2BLC K-Line __ 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 __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] FW: K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR problem
Everything in the shack is grounded to an aluminum bus bar across the back of the operating table which is tied with #6 solid copper to the same point as the tower and AC Main grounds. Just for reference, the antenna is a 260ft OCF Inverted Vee at 75 ft using a Balun Designs #4115ocf 4:1/Choke combination balun. Coax shield is grounded at the top and bottom of the tower. Glenn - KD0Q On 12/30/2013 13:54, Jim Miller wrote: Do you have coomon mode chokes on you feed lines? Jim ab3cv On Dec 30, 2013, at 1:29 PM, Bill W2BLC w2...@nycap.rr.com wrote: In regards to proper grounding etc.: I think it is safe to say that K3 owners have a very good grasp of what is needed to construct and operate a proper station - safety and RF wise. I do, yet still went back over every last connector/connection/lug, etc. Everything is locked down properly here. No baluns, good coax, and everything is mechanical and soldered along the entire antenna routes. Yet, the problem continues. Perhaps the most disconcerting part is that my other auto tuners/rigs do not exhibit this difficulty. Perhaps the KAT500 is seeing something the others do not. The difficult part is never knowing when the tuner will take off and the fact that MANUAL selection does not appear to make any difference. I have been using MANUAL for a couple of months. I do not see that it has made any difference in occurrences. The instances of run-away are random and it is usually days between events. Bill W2BLC K-Line __ 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 __ 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 __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] FW: K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR problem
Hmmm, An aluminum bar tied to a copper wire! Be aware that there will be oxidation at the junction point due to dissimilar metals unless special bonding is used to slow (but not stop) the oxidation. Just something to bear in mind. 73, Don W3FPR On 12/30/2013 3:23 PM, KD0Q-Glenn wrote: Everything in the shack is grounded to an aluminum bus bar across the back of the operating table which is tied with #6 solid copper to the same point as the tower and AC Main grounds. Just for reference, the antenna is a 260ft OCF Inverted Vee at 75 ft using a Balun Designs #4115ocf 4:1/Choke combination balun. Coax shield is grounded at the top and bottom of the tower. __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] FW: K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR problem
Good point Don! That's why I use stainless steel hardware and ICE 602 copper/aluminum anti-oxidant paste. Glenn - KD0Q On 12/30/2013 14:29, Don Wilhelm wrote: Hmmm, An aluminum bar tied to a copper wire! Be aware that there will be oxidation at the junction point due to dissimilar metals unless special bonding is used to slow (but not stop) the oxidation. Just something to bear in mind. 73, Don W3FPR On 12/30/2013 3:23 PM, KD0Q-Glenn wrote: Everything in the shack is grounded to an aluminum bus bar across the back of the operating table which is tied with #6 solid copper to the same point as the tower and AC Main grounds. Just for reference, the antenna is a 260ft OCF Inverted Vee at 75 ft using a Balun Designs #4115ocf 4:1/Choke combination balun. Coax shield is grounded at the top and bottom of the tower. __ 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 __ 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
[Elecraft] FW: K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR problem
I came to the same conclusion and built filters to clear this up too... but then... I'm down on PJ4 for holiday the past two weeks operating for fun with a portable 3 element beam (20-6) and dipoles for 80 and 40. On Saturday night I was on 40 meters with the amp running at probably 1.4:1 SWR on CW, saw the tuner go into manual mode and saw a good sized thick cloud of black smoke emit from the KPA500. I quickly shut the amp off... but used it fine the following nights on 20 meters and 18 meters. Thought it might be because I don't have a really good station ground, but can't prove that. Guess I'll take the amp apart when I get back to see what's burned up. Until then I'll just keep using it... but not on 40 and 80 meters. Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ / J68HZ/ 8P6HK/ ZF2HZ Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch Staunton, Illinois email: b...@wjschmidt.com -Original Message- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bill OMara Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 4:40 PM To: 'Igor Sokolov'; 'Jeffrey Otterson'; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3/KPA500/KAT500 SWR problem I saw the problem when operating a Multi-op contesting and the 80M OP was running 1.5kw and the RF is induced into the 160M Phased inverted L array and the combination of induced energy and the SWR reflected power on the array kick the KAT500 back into a retune mode. So, either local energy on Broadcast energy will both make this happen. I now have built coaxial Stubs and look forward to seeing if this solves my Local energy problem. 73 Bill W4RM __ 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
