KPA1500
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 - Double-Click to step through and set Minimum cooling fans speed. Will indicate actual fan speed which is controlled by PA temperature.
? - 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.
- T - Press to Start a full ATU tune cycle.
- X - Press to Stop the ATU tune cycle.
Info Window - Displays Select Amplifier Information and Amplifier Error Messages. Double-click to erase.
Power & SWR - Display amps 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.
- 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:
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.
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.
