Difference between revisions of "KPA1500"

Revision as of 07:47, 20 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 - 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.
  
• Tune - Press to initiate full 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

• On the Setup form 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.

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.