ELECRAFT KPA500 User manual

ELECRAFT KPA1500
1500-WATT AMPLIFIER
OWNER’S MANUAL
Revision A1 (Dr ft), August 9, 2017
E740301
Copyright © 2017, Elecr ft, Inc.
All Rights Reserved

WARNING
Dangerous Voltages
Inside the KPA1500
Before opening the KPA1500 RF Deck or Power Suppl
enclosures:
1. Turn off the KPA1500 b tapping the front panel ON
switch and wait until the fan stops. (The fan drains
the power suppl to a safe voltage.)
2. Disconnect the Power Suppl at RF Deck rear panel
before opening the RF Deck enclosure.
3. Disconnect the Power Suppl from the mains before
opening the cover.
Key to Symbols Abbrevi tions nd Text Styles
Important – read carefully
Oper ting tip
TEM P Tap switch function (l beled above switch; press for less th n 1/2 second)
PK HOLD Hold switch function (l beled below switch; press for t le st1/2 sec. to
ctiv te)
LED Light Emitting Diode
LCD Liquid Cryst l Displ y
CAUTION
Follow the instructions under a Caution to a oid damage to the equipment.
WARNING
Follow the instructions under a Warning to a oid serious personal injury.
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Introduction
On beh lf of our entire design te m, we’d like to th nk you for choosing the Elecr ft KPA1500 mplifier.
The KPA1500 offers unique combin tion of fe tures. It’s one of the sm llest 1500-W mplifiers v il ble. The
power supply is in sep r te enclosure for e se of st tion l yout.
The KPA1500 is c p ble of fully utom tic oper tion, yet h s n lph numeric displ y nd full complement of
front p nel switches for precise m nu l control. A comprehensive remote-control comm nd set is lso included.
The KPA1500 c n be used with ne rly ny tr nsceiver, th nks to its inst nt neous RF-b sed b nd switching,
dv nced protection circuitry, djust ble ALC, nd extensive p r metric monitoring. It lso h s inputs th t
llow direct b nd switching from m ny popul r tr nsceivers. T/R is completely noise-free th nks to the use of
PIN-diode switching.
The KPA1500 comes with built-in Autom tic Antenn Tuner (ATU) th t c n h ndle lo d SWR up to 3:1 t
full 1500 w tt output in ny mode.
Of course the KPA1500 is n ide l comp nion for the Elecr ft K3 tr nsceiver, both physic lly nd electric lly.
The K3 c n sense whether the mp is in st ndby or oper te mode, then select the ppropri te per-b nd power
settings. This llows you to set up the K3 for “b refoot” oper tion t one power level on e ch b nd, nd then
switch the mp to oper te nd set up optim l drive levels for full 1500-W output. The K3/KPA1500
combin tion is lso c p ble of extremely f st bre k-in, especi lly when the K3 is pl ced in QRQ (high-speed
CW) mode. The two re so well-integr ted th t you c n use the per-b nd switches on the mplifier to ch nge
b nds t the tr nsceiver.
If you use the KPA1500 with both the K3 tr nsceiver nd P3 p n d pter – our new “K-Line” – you’ll enjoy
high degree of oper ting convenience, long with world-cl ss perform nce and the power to get the job done.
73,
W yne, N6KR
Eric, WA6HHQ
3

FCC-Mandated Part 15 Notice:
This equipment h s been tested nd found to comply with the limits for Cl ss B digit l device,
pursu nt to p rt 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits re designed to provide re son ble protection
g inst h rmful interference in residenti l inst ll tion. This equipment gener tes, uses nd c n
r di te r dio frequency energy nd, if not inst lled nd used in ccord nce with the instructions, m y
c use h rmful interference to r dio communic tions. However, there is no gu r ntee th t interference
will not occur in p rticul r inst ll tion. If this equipment does c use h rmful interference to r dio or
television reception, which c n be determined by turning the equipment off nd on, the user is
encour ged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following me sures:
- Reorient or reloc te the receiving ntenn .
- Incre se the sep r tion between the equipment nd receiver.
–Connect the equipment into n outlet on circuit different from th t to which the receiver is
connected.
–Consult the de ler or n experienced r dio/TV technici n for help.
Reg rding the computer interf ce: ch nges or modific tions not expressly pproved by Elecr ft could
void the user's uthority to oper te this equipment.
Elecr ft Inc.
125 Westridge Dr.
W tsonville, CA 95076
[phone]
www.elecr ft.com
4

Inst ll tion
Inst ll tion consists of the following:
Positioning the KPA1500 RF Deck nd Power Supply to provide for proper cooling (pg 6).
Connecting the KPA1500 RF Deck nd Power Supply (pg 6)
C bling the KPA1500 RF Deck to your other st tion equipment (pg 6).
The KPA1500 re r p nel is shown in Figure 1. The connectors nd controls re described following the figure.
Figure 1. KPA1500 Re r P nel
nd SO-239 RF connectors to ntenn system or dummy lo d.
SO-239 connector for RF input from the driving tr nsceiver.
Low level KPA1500 tr nsmit sign l output.
St tion ground tt chment.
High volt ge connection to the KPA1500 power supply.
Control circuit connection to the KPA1500 power supply.
Accepts 12V input for remote control pplic tions to power the KPA1500 on or off.
Neg tive-going volt ge for tr nsceivers th t require ALC. (Elecr ft tr nsceivers do not require this
connection.
En bles the KPA1500 by short to ground. 5 Vdc open circuit inhibits the KPA1500 . When grounded the
source must sink 1mA to en ble the KPA1500.
For interconnecting c ble to fully integr te the KPA1500 with n Elecr ft K3 or K3S for enh nce mode
oper tion.
Input sign l to the intern l KPA1500 utom tic ntenn tuner (ATU) th t emul tes n Icom remote ATU
when the KPA1500 is used with Icom tr nsceivers.
RS232 level seri l d t connection for use with the KPA1500 Utility progr m nd other computer-b sed
pplic tions
Ethernet connection for loc l or remote oper tion pplic tions.
USB connection to virtu l COM port for use with the KPA1500 Utility nd other computer-b sed progr ms.
5

Positioning the KPA1500 RF Deck and Power Supply
Provide t le st 4 inches (10 cm) cle r nce behind the f ns nd t le st 1 inch (2.5 cm) cle r nce round the top,
bottom nd sides for norm l cooling ir flow.
The supplied c bles llow the power supply nd RF deck to be pl ced up to 66 inches (167 cm) p rt. The
Power Supply c n be oper ted remotely nd so need not be positioned within re ch of the oper tor. The f ns
oper te whenever the KPA1500 is on, so you c n pl ce the power supply under the oper ting desk or elsewhere
to minimize the sound of the f ns.
Cabling – Power Supply
A m ins power c ble is provided th t plugs into the Power Supply. The other end h s b re wires for you to dd
the 240 VAC connector needed to m tch your m ins outlet.
Connect the Power Supply to the RF deck with the supplied 66-inch (167 cm) c ble th t h s n Anderson
PowerPole® connector nd 12-pin connector t e ch end.
Plug the PowerPole connector tnto the HV Supply connector ( ) on the RF Deck re r p nel (see Figure 1) nd
the corresponding connector on the Power Supply. Observe the pol rity; m tch the colors on the plug with the
connectors
Connect the 15-pin connector to the Power Supply nd the Control connector ( ) on the RF Deck re r p nel.
Cabling – RF Deck
Always turn the KPA1500 off before attaching or remo ing cables.
The KPA1500 m y be used with the Elecr ft K3, K2 or ny HF/6 meter tr nsmitter nd th t h s KEY IN
output meeting the requirements shown under note 4 below. Interconnections with the tr nsceiver re shown in
Figure 2. The driving tr nsceiver must provide up to TBD w tts of RF drive for full output nd the output power
must be djust ble s described under Transmitting on pg 11.
The option l KPAK3AUX c ble provides closer integr tion with the K3 by sh ring b nd inform tion between
the KPA1500 nd the tr nsceiver (see Figure 3). The KPAK3AUX c ble provides ll the oper tion l fe tures
described under Oper tion, including coordin ted b nd-switching (pg 11). The KPAK3AUX c ble includes the
KEY IN line. If you need ccess to this line so th t other equipment c n control the mplifier, you c n inst ll the
Key Line interrupter supplied with your KPAK3AUX c ble set nd use sep r te key line s shown in Figure 4.
You must use the Key Line Interrupter when using a separate key line with the
KPAK3AUX cable set. Otherwise any external equipment inserted into the key line will not
be able to inhibit the amplifier.
You c n m ke c bles for use with Y esu nd Icom tr nsceivers th t lso provide closer integr tion with the
KPA1. For det ils of those c bles nd the KPAK3AUX c ble set see AUX Connector Interf ce on p ge 22.
NOTE
1. Connect your st tion ground to the GND wing-nut . A good st tion ground is import nt for s fety nd
to minimize loc l r dio frequency interference (RFI).
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2. Att ch the RF INPUT to the output of your driving tr nsceiver or tr nsmitter using 50 ohm co xi l
c ble with PL-259 m le connector on the KPA1500 end.
. Att ch the RF OUTPUT to suit ble lo d with n SWR of less th n 1.5:1. A dummy lo d is strongly
recommended for initi l testing.
4. The driving tr nsmitter must ground the KEY IN line circuit during tr nsmit while sinking up to 1 mA.
If the tr nsmitter Key Output is not cont ct closure or equiv lent, it must be t level between +4 nd
+16 VDC during receive. (Comp tible with ll known tr nsmitters. No key line buffer required.)
Figure 2. B sic C bling Di gr m for Any Tr nsceiver.
7

Figure 3. K3S Enh nced C bling Using KPAK3AUX C ble.
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Figure 4. K3S Enh nced C bling Using KPAK3AUX C ble nd Sep r te Key Line.
9

Oper tion
IMPORTANT
When the KPA1500 is turned off using the front-p nel switch, p rt of the control circuitry
rem ins on s long s m ins power is pplied to the Power Supply. Keeping the control circuitry
energized llows the KPA1500 to be turned on nd off remotely s well s from the front-p nel
switch.. If you do not need to control the KPA1500 remotely nd would prefer to s ve the sm ll
mount of power required to power the control circuitry, either switch the Power Supply
completely off or provide n extern l m ins power switch.
Power On
1. Ensure suit ble 50 ohm lo d is tt ched to the ANT 1 or ANT 2 connector on the re r p nel .
T p the front p nel ANTENNA switch to select the ntenn connector used. The ssoci ted LED
will be illumin ted. A dummy lo d is recommended for initi l tests.
2. En ble the power supply by pressing the re r p nel rocker switch (Figure 1, ) to the On (I)
position.
Switches with a legend abo e and below the pushbutton ha e two
functions. Tap (press briefly) to acti ate the function labeled abo e a switch.
Hold to acti ate the function labeled below the switch. In the text, tap
functions are shown like this: STATUS. An example of a hold function is
ED I T.
Figure 5. KPA1500 Front P nel.
3. T p the O N switch . The LCD nd STBY LED should light.
If at any time the FAULT LED lights, refer to Fault Conditions, pg 14.
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