Elecraft KAT500 Owners Manual - Manual (Page 17)

14
Operation
The KAT500 turns on automatically when power is applied. You can turn the KAT500 off from the front
panel by holding the
MODE switch. A brief tap on the MODE switch will turn the KAT500 on again.
IMPORTANT!
 IF YOUR TRANSCEIVER OR AMPLIFIER HAS A BUILT-IN ATU, be sure it
is in bypass before attempting to use the KAT500.
 IF YOU ARE USING THE KAT500 WITH A K3 CONNECTED USING THE
E850463 AUX CABLE (Setup Figure 1 or Figure 2): Apply power to the KAT500
before or at the same time you turn the K3 on. If you turn the K3 on first the K3 may
not initialize until you apply power to the KAT500.
 Front Panel Controls and Indicators
Figure 6. KAT500 Front Panel Controls.
The KAT500 is normally operated using the simple front panel controls (see Figure 6). Optionally, it can
be operated using the Utility program (See Utility Program on page 20).
 Mode Control and Indicators. Tap the
MODE switch to select:
1. AUTO (Automatic): When at least 7 watts of RF is present and the SWR is greater than a
predetermined limit, the KAT500 automatically initiates a tune cycle to find a setting that
produces a low SWR. (See Tune Operation on page 16 for a description of what happens
during the tune cycle) The predetermined SWR limit at which an automatic tune cycle
begins can be chosen using the Utility Program (page 20). The default SWR value is
1.8:1.
2. MAN (Manual): The KAT500 does not initiate a tune cycle automatically, regardless of
the SWR. If the SWR is dangerously high, the KAT500 will open the key line to disable
the amplifier. A tune cycle can be initiated manually as described under Tune Control,
SWR and FAULT Indicators below.
3. BYP (Bypass): RF is passed straight through the KAT500, bypassing the tuning elements
in the matching network. The RF does pass through the SWR bridge so the SWR seen at
the input to the antenna feed line is displayed. Also, the KAT500 will switch to the
antenna chosen for each band (see Antenna Selector and Indicators below). Whenever
power is off, the KAT500 switches to
BYP and antenna 1.