Elecraft KAT500 Owners Manual - Manual (Page 23)

20
Utility Program
To use the Utility Program you will need:
 A personal computer.
 The KAT500 Utility Program available free from Elecraft at
www.elecraft.com .
 The RS-232 cable with a USB connector supplied with your KAT500.
Connect your computer to the KAT500 using the interface cable connected to the PC DATA jack and
load the Utility Program. Click on the
PORT
tab and select the port your computer is using to
communicate with the KAT500. Click on
TEST COMMUNICATIONS
and you will see a pop-up stating
that the Utility program is communicating with the KAT500 if everything is working properly.
Detailed operating instructions for the Utility program are provided in the Utility Help screens.
The following assumes that you have KAT500 Utility program version 1.13.5.12 or later installed.
KAT500 Configuration
You can configure the KAT500 to best support your installation. Click on the Utility program
CONFIGURATION
tab and then on the
Edit Configuration
button
.
After making your choices, click on the
APPLY
button at the bottom.
Amplifier Key Interrupt Power
Selects the RF power level applied above which the KAT500 will not open or close the key line to disable
or enable an external amplifier or other equipment. The default is 30 watts to protect those amplifiers that
cannot have the key line switched while they are producing full power without damage. At any setting up
to 1499, the KAT500 will open the key line immediately as long as the RF power is below that level, and
then close the key line when transmit power drops to zero. The Elecraft KPA500 amplifier is designed to
both open and close the key line at full power without damage. A setting of 1500 will both open and close
the key line immediately. Clicking on
Optimize for the KPA500
automatically selects that setting. Before
using this setting with other amplifiers, be sure to review your owner’s manual carefully to ensure it can
withstand having the key line opened and closed at full power.
Idle Sleep
In some installations a 28004.5 MHz signal may be heard from an oscillator in the KAT500. If this is an
issue, you can cause the KAT500 oscillator to shut down when it is not needed. Click on
Idle Sleep to put
a check in the radio button.
The oscillator will stop running shortly after the last key press or the last data
communication with other equipment and restart automatically when needed.
Initial Power
Normally the KAT500 powers on when dc power is applied. Optionally you can remove the check from
the
Power On when DC Power Applied
radio button to command the KAT500 to remain off until the
MODE
switch is tapped.