Difference between revisions of "KPA1500"

Revision as of 15:26, 31 October 2018

General

DDUtil supports the remote operation of the Elecraft KPA-1500 amplifier. This fine amplifier is capable of a full 1500 watts of RF power and also contains a fully automatic wide range antenna tuner. The necessary functions to power on/off and operate this amp remotely with-in your shack. See the following section for a description of DDUtil supported functionality.

Controls

Form Header - Displays form name and transmit frequency.
PWR - Press to toggle Mains Power on/off.
Temp - Displays PA temperature (click to toggle from Celsius to Fahrenheit).
I - Displays PA current (Amps).
E - Displays PA Volts.

Fan Group

• Left-hand window displays the actual cooling fan(s) speed.
• Right-hand control sets the Minimum cooling fan(s) speed.

? - Displays this help document.
Mode - Press to toggle amplifier mode (Operate/Standby).
Ant - Press to select (toggle) amplifier output antenna (1|2).

Fault Group

• Reset - Press to reset amplifier fault.
  
• Flt Log - Press to display the Fault Log.
  

ATU Group

• InLine - Selects whether the ATU is InLine or OffLine.
  
• Active - Selects whether the ATU is currently Active or ByPassed.
  
• Tune - Press to Start a full ATU tune cycle.
  
• Stop - Press to Stop the ATU tune cycle.
  

Info Window - Displays Select Amplifier Information and Amplifier Error Messages. Double-click to erase.
Power & SWR - Display amp's Forward Power and SWR.
Status Bar - Displays the connected serial port and baud rate.

DDUtil Setup

Amps Tab

• In the KPA1500 group select the serial port for the amp.
  • Note: the amplifier has an internal USB to Serial adapter built in and will create a serial port when the USB cable is attached from the PC to the amp. However, this port number needs to be checked as Windows may create a duplicate port of an already existing port. This is a long-standing defect in Windows and must be corrected by re-assigning the port number to one that is not already in use. To correct this condition follow these steps:
    • Open the Windows Device Manager and select Ports (COM & LPT).
    • Find the newly created port and right-click it and select properties.
    • On the Properties form select the Advanced button and select a unique port number.
    • Hit the OK button two times to complete the operation.

Auto Drive Tab

• Set the drive levels for the desired output for Amp 1|2.
  • Note: If your're not familiar with the Auto Drive feature please read the Auto Drive Wiki page before proceeding.
  • If you would like two different power levels for each band follow these steps:
    • Select the 1 Key Line check box.
    • In the Amplifier Drive group for Amp 1|2 set the appropriate drive settings for low|high power settings as desired.
    • Then when you select Amp 1|2 from the Misc form or by macro auto drive will supply the appropriate drive level for the selected Amp 1|2 setting.
  • If you want DDUtil and the amp to follow each other select the following check boxes:
    • Select - Amp Follows DDUtil PTT
    • Select - DDUtil follows Amp PTT
  • Additionally, the Low Power drive setting is available as a third power option.

Macros Tab

There are some Macros that are very handy to use with this amp.

• DD6TTP025;DDET;DD6TXT1; will initiate an automatic tune cycle. (F6k only)
• DDPT will toggle the Oper/Stby function.
• DDAP1 will select the Auto Drive Amp1 drive settings
• DDAP2 will select the Auto Drive Amp2 drive settings
• DDPL will select the Auto Drive Low Power setting.

Operation

• The controls listed above, for the most part, are a mirror of the front panel controls on the amplifier.
• It is suggested that the operator become familiar with the Elecraft KPA1500 Users Manual especially the ATU section.