KPA1500
Contents
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.
- 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
Note: If your're not familiar with the Auto Drive feature please read the Auto Drive Wiki page before proceeding.
- Auto Drive maintains 2 sets of drive settings. They can be used for 2 amps or you can have 2 drive settings for a single amp.
- 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.
- Additionally, there is Low Power drive setting that is available as a third power option. Note: This setting applies to all bands.
- In the Default Low-Power Drive numerical control select the low-power drive desired. To use this function follow these steps:
- The Oper/Stby function must be in Oper.
- Execute the DDPL macro function.
- In the Default Low-Power Drive numerical control select the low-power drive desired. To use this function follow these steps:
- 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
- If you would like two different power levels for each band follow these steps:
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 with special attention to the ATU section.
- Forward power and SWR show in both the KPA1500 form and on the Misc form. That way you can start the amp and then hide either of the forms and still see the power readings.
Errata
- When the amp is selected on the Amps tab DDUtil will search for the serial port baud rate the amp is set for. It is highly recommended to use the factory default baud of 230400. However, if you suspect you're having problems with serial speed then you can try setting the amp to a lower speed and DDUtil will find it.
- Any other amp functions or settings not covered in the DDUtil interface must be accomplished using the Elecraft KPA1500 Utility.
- Caution: DDUtil and the Elecraft KPA1500 Utility CAN NOT be run at the same time. They are mutually exclusive since they use the same serial port.
