Elecraft KAT500 Owners Manual - Manual (Page 6)

3
Setup
To provide maximum flexibility and the most convenient operation with your existing equipment, there
are several ways you can connect the KAT500 to your station.
The following cabling diagrams show how to use the KAT500 with any transceiver and amplifier in the
20 to 1,000 watt output range. Choose the one that fits your station needs:
 Elecraft K3 transceiver and KPA500 amplifier.
 Icom transceiver and amplifier equipped with the Icom AH-4 ATU interface.
 Other transceiver and any amplifier.
NOTE: Although the KAT500 works equally well with either a transceiver or a
stand-alone transmitter, transceiver is used throughout this manual for simplicity.
Three cables are supplied with your KAT500:
 Computer interface cable, either the KXUSB (USB port) or KXSER (serial port) cable
chosen when you ordered your KAT500. The KXSER cable may be in a bag marked
E850369.
 Power cable.
 Key Line cable with RCA type male connectors.
Elecraft K3 Transceiver and KPA500 Amplifier
Placement
The KAT500 may be placed under or above either the Elecraft K3 transceiver or the KPA500 amplifier.
The KAT500 can easily handle the weight of the KPA500 amplifier.
Although the KAT500's feet do not provide the full clearance recommended in the KPA500 Owner’s
manual, they provide adequate clearance for cooling air to enter the KPA500 for typical operation with
low duty-cycle modes (e.g. CW or voice SSB). Operation at higher duty-cycles (e.g. contesting, RTTY,
etc.) will cause the amplifier temperature to increase, resulting in higher speed cooling fan operation. For
those cases we recommend placing the KAT500 underneath or alongside the KPA500.
Firmware
We strongly recommend that you update your K3 and KPA500 with the latest firmware available from
www.elecraft.com . Details about how to do this are in your K3 and KPA500 Owner’s manuals. This may
not be necessary in every case, but it will help avoid the possibility of some functions not working as
expected.
Cabling
The Elecraft K3 and KPA500 amplifier normally use the E850463 Aux interface cable that communicates
band selection and other information between the K3 and KPA500. The KAT500 can be included in the
E850463 Aux interface path and use the data to switch to the correct band along with the K3 and
KPA500. Although not strictly required, the E850463 Aux cable provides the best integration of the
KAT500, KPA500 and K3 equipment.