ELECRAFT KPA1500 Owner'S Manual Download

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LECRAFT



KPA1500

1500-W

ATT

MPLIFIER

WNER

’

ANUAL

Revision B1, February 12, 2019

E740301

Summary of Contents for KPA1500

Page 2: ...comes with a built in Automatic Antenna Tuner ATU that can handle a load SWR up to 3 1 at the full 1500 watt output in any mode Of course the KPA1500 is an ideal companion for the Elecraft K3S and K3...

Page 3: ...13 Cabling RF Deck 13 Operation 18 RF Deck Front Panel Controls 18 Power On 19 Antenna Selection 20 Transmitting Initial Steps 20 Automatic Level Control ALC 21 Automatic Antenna Tuner ATU 22 Initiat...

Page 4: ...Tuner Control Socket to KPA1500 TUNE Jack 46 Elecraft KX3 KX2 and Non Elecraft Rigs to KPA1500 XCVR SERIAL Port 47 Kenwood Transceiver to KPA1500 XCVR SERIAL Port 49 Yaesu Transceivers to KPA1500 AUX...

Page 5: ...he cover Key to Symbols Abbreviations and Text Styles Important read carefully Operating tip TEMP Tap switch function labeled above a switch press for less than 1 2 second PK HOLD Hold switch function...

Page 6: ...d radio TV technician for help Regarding the computer interface Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Elecraft could void the user s authority to operate the equipment Note for European U...

Page 7: ...able E770024 DA 15 Control Cable E770017 Phono Phono Key Line Cable E100416 USB A B Cable E980299 Owner s Manual E740301 Optional Item Elecraft Part Number KPAK3AUX Cable kit for K3S or K3 KPAK3AUX En...

Page 8: ...W SSB Data Duty Cycle at 1500 Watts 100 ICAS for 100 duty cycle modulation modes FM RTTY FT8 JT65 etc 1 8 30 MHz Maximum 5 minutes key down Minimum 5 minutes receive after 5 minute TX 50 MHz Maximum 5...

Page 9: ...o 200 4 1 SWR 1500 W into 16 to 150 3 1 SWR 750 W into 5 to 500 10 1 SWR 1500 W into 16 to 150 3 1 SWR 500 W into 10 to 250 5 1 SWR Matching specified to a 1 0 1 to 1 6 1 output SWR Autotune Power Ran...

Page 10: ...osed to Elecraft at the time of order Elecraft products transferred by the purchaser to a third party either by sale gift or other method who is not disclosed to Elecraft at the time of original order...

Page 11: ...y Control circuit connection to the KPA1500 power supply Accepts a 12V input signal for remote control applications to command the KPA1500 to turn on or off Can also be connected to K3 K3S rear panel...

Page 12: ...Ethernet connection USB connection creates virtual COM port for use with the KPA1500 Utility and other computer based programs Use the USB port to install firmware into the KPA1500 The KPA1500 Power S...

Page 13: ...f before connecting any cables to the Power Supply or RF Deck An AC power cable with the popular NEMA 6 20P connector is supplied attached to the Power Supply The NEMA 6 20P connector is compatible wi...

Page 14: ...or K3 The optional KPAK3AUX cable kit provides closer integration with a K3S or K3 by sharing band information between the KPA1500 and the transceiver and vice versa see Figure 4 The KPAK3AUX cable ki...

Page 15: ...15 Figure 4 K3S K3Enhanced Cabling Using KPAK3AUX Cable Without Interrupter K3S K3 KPA1500...

Page 16: ...r Transceivers on page 43 Connecting the KPA1500 to Any HF Transceiver Connections from any HF to 6m transceiver are shown below Elecraft does not recommend the use of ALC unless the transceiver manuf...

Page 17: ...e transmitter Key Output STBY is not a contact closure or equivalent it must be at a level between 4 and 16 VDC during receive Figure 6 Basic Cabling Diagram for Any Transceiver KPA1500 HF to 6 m Tran...

Page 18: ...Tap to enter the KPA1500 MENU system Hold to EDIT the selected menu parameter STATUS switch Tap to display Status pages showing amplifier Fault Messages see page 34 Liquid Crystal Display LCD Shows va...

Page 19: ...an external mains power switch capable of handling 20A 1 A dummy load is recommended for initial tests Ensure a suitable 50 load is attached to the ANT 1 or ANT 2 connector on the rear panel Tap the...

Page 20: ...NNA PREFER menu items on page 30 The menu selection applies only to the current band The KPA1500 Utility makes it easy to configure this menu function for several bands If an ANT connector is disabled...

Page 21: ...and power control to set the amplifier output just below the desired peak output on each band Do not rely on ALC to control the power output see below In the K3S or K3 program CONFIG POWER SET to Per...

Page 22: ...acent bands due to a more optimal match between the antenna and transceiver The ATU evaluates and decides whether or not it should be active or bypassed For operating convenience it is best to keep th...

Page 23: ...especially with an antenna that is very sharp or narrow the ATU may not be able to find the best dip in SWR In this case tap the ATU TUNE again within three seconds after tuning is completed to initia...

Page 24: ...frequency to another you can train the ATU at different points across each band The KPA1500 memorizes the L and C settings and antenna selected The KPA1500 ATU will not require a full search tune oper...

Page 25: ...ith rain ice or some other condition In other words for any one operating frequency and N different antennas with N different tuning solutions the KPA1500 ATU automatically selects the correct match f...

Page 26: ...ce cable as shown in Figure 4 or Figure 5 2 Ensure the transceiver is equipped with firmware revision 4 82 or later See Firmware Upgrades in the Owner s Manual for more details 3 Enable frequency trac...

Page 27: ...tone and a soft fault is an intermittent beep Tap the RESET key to silence the alarm LCD Notification Messages Messages are temporarily displayed on the LCD when certain events occur When the band is...

Page 28: ...ly current Heat Sink Temp In degrees C RF Output Measured by the internal wattmeter SWR From forward and reflected power coupler DISABLED FWD PWR 1234W REFL PWR 23 Forward Power Reflected Power FWD PW...

Page 29: ...are in alphabetical order To change a parameter press and hold EDIT and the parameter on the LCD will blink Then tap the and switches to change the parameter Tap MENU again to save the parameter and r...

Page 30: ...previously stored tuning settings for the current frequency and chooses the first one that meets the SWR STOP threshold This does not start a full search tune When ON the amplifier pulls down grounds...

Page 31: ...ly OFF Used only for non transmitting demonstrations where proper mains power is not available When keyed shows nominal SWR and full power output even though no RF is being generated FAN SPEED MIN 0 S...

Page 32: ...ends on RADIO TYPE selection TECH MODE DISABLED Some status and menu items are shown only when TECH MODE is enabled TR ADDED TIME Tech Mode Only 0 msec Delay added to the receive recovery if the trans...

Page 33: ...d If the fault persists or if it is severe a hard fault will occur and the amplifier must be reset Press RESET button or reset via remote control software See ALARM TONE menu item OVR LED blinks and a...

Page 34: ...xceeds safe limits at selected power Soft PWR FWD 2005 Watts Excessive forward power measured Soft HIGH GAIN RATIO 33 Ratio of input power to forward power too high Hard LOW GAIN RATIO 2 Unexpectedly...

Page 35: ...o the manufacturer s instructions for port forwarding configuring One helpful website is http portforward com For users that wish to access their amplifier remotely Elecraft recommends using Host Remo...

Page 36: ...to view the latest updates and changes The KPA1500 Utility Program Figure 11 KPA1500 Utility OPERATE Tab Screen Capture A basic remote operating capability is built into the KPA1500 Utility OPERATE ta...

Page 37: ...improved firmware may become available for the KPA1500 and can be downloaded from www elecraft com and installed using the KPA1500 Utility Be sure to check the notes supplied with the new firmware The...

Page 38: ...the process turn off the Power Supply at the rear panel wait a few seconds until after all power supply LEDs are dark and then turn the power back on Then use the KPA1500 Utility tab TEST COMMUNICATIO...

Page 39: ...ransistors The Low Pass Filter Bank suppresses harmonic energy The TR switch then routes the high level RF power to the SWR Bridge In receive mode the TR switch connects the input directly to the SWR...

Page 40: ...ed the frequency is measured and the correct low pass filter is switched into the signal path The KPA1500 exchanges band data with the Elecraft K3S or K3 and automatically selects the proper low pass...

Page 41: ...are 10 kHz wide From 4 8 MHz through 26 MHz the segments are 20 kHz wide From 26 MHz to 38 MHz the segments are 100 kHz wide From 38 MHz to 60 MHz the segments are 200 kHz wide The center frequencies...

Page 42: ...ATU BYP LED lights 6 Transmit briefly at 1500 watts output into the external wattmeter and dummy load and compare the reading with the KPA1500 Wattmeter 7 If you wish to adjust the power displayed on...

Page 43: ...m TRS jack Grounding the tip initiates a tune cycle KPA1500 AUX Connector DE 15 Male Refer to the RADIO menu item to enable communications via the AUX connector Signal Name Pin Direction Notes BAND VR...

Page 44: ...4 14 BAND3 15 15 ALC see page21 Notes 1 If you have devices that need access to the PTT Line e g an external ATU SteppIR controller etc use the Key Line Interrupter supplied with your KPAK3AUX cable s...

Page 45: ...uency is selected No Icom CI V to KPA1500 XCVR SERIAL Port The XCVR SERIAL connector is configured for CI V protocol and the KPA1500 accepts frequency messages from the Icom exciter in its CI V transc...

Page 46: ...is band voltage scheme does not provide unique voltages for each band KPA1500 chooses 7 21 and 28 MHz when there is ambiguity but the KPA1500 internal frequency counter will override these voltages to...

Page 47: ...tput normally pulled up by the transceiver Low means key down TIP NO CONNECTION PIN 2 START pulled up to 5V by the KPA1500 low means start RING NO CONNECTION PIN 3 12V DC N C CENTER PIN 4 Ground SLEEV...

Page 48: ...mm TRS Plug B TIP RING RING TIP SLEEVE SLEEVE For transceivers using DE 9 connectors use a female DE 9 connector and a shielded two wire cable to a 3 5mm phone plug into the KPA1500 XCVR SERIAL port T...

Page 49: ...Yaesu radios provide band information using BCD signals a 4 wire system BAND0 through BAND3 that can be used to tell the KPA1500 that a band change has occurred even before transmitting Although vari...

Page 50: ...hows how to make this cable The amplifier s ATU TUNE switch or an ATU HiSWR retune can cause the K3 and most other transceivers to provide Tune Power transmit CW carrier for the duration of the ATU tu...

Page 51: ...ened and fully seated Power supply Lights OK RF Deck Not On Press RF Deck front panel power switch Check both power cables If using a K3S or K3 remotely verify 12V DC OUT to KPA1500 REM cable is firml...

Page 52: ...975 3 985 3 995 60 Meters 20 kHz Steps 5 330 5 350 5 370 5 390 5 410 40 Meters 20 kHz Steps 7 010 7 030 7 050 7 070 7 090 7 110 7 130 7 150 7 170 7 190 7 210 7 230 7 250 7 270 7 290 30 Meters 20 kHz...

Page 53: ...3 935 3 945 3 955 3 965 3 975 3 985 3 995 4 005 4 015 4 025 4 035 4 045 4 055 4 065 4 075 4 085 4 095 4 105 4 115 4 125 4 135 4 145 4 155 4 165 4 175 4 185 4 195 4 205 4 215 4 225 4 235 4 245 4 255 4...

Page 54: ...30 13 750 13 770 13 790 13 810 13 830 13 850 13 870 13 890 13 910 13 930 13 950 13 970 13 990 14 010 14 030 14 050 14 070 14 090 14 110 14 130 14 150 14 170 14 190 14 210 14 230 14 250 14 270 14 290 1...

Page 55: ...4 230 24 250 24 270 24 290 24 310 24 330 24 350 24 370 24 390 24 410 24 430 24 450 24 470 24 490 24 510 24 530 24 550 24 570 24 590 24 610 24 630 24 650 24 670 24 690 24 710 24 730 24 750 24 770 24 79...

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