I have been using an Elecraft KPA-500 linear amplifier and a KAT-500 Antenna tuner with my Icom radios (mostly the IC-7600 and briefly with the IC-7300) After much research and discussion, I figured out what I thought was the best way to interconnect the IC-7600 with the KAT/KPA-500 so that the Amp would be protected... Continue Reading →
Can’t Use TUNE Button on IC-7300 with KAT-500 Tuner
When I initially connected my IC-7300 to my Elecraft KAT-500 Antenna Tuner, I was unable to get the Tuner to start Tuning the KAT-500 from the TUNE button on the front panel. Here is what I discovered: I was using separate 12 volt power from my Station power supply for the Tuner. Only the Tune... Continue Reading →
LOTW now has 1 Billion QSOs!
I just saw that the ARRL Logbook of the World (LOTW) now contains records of over 1 Billion QSOs. That is impressive. When it started, I wondered if it would survive. It went through a period of slow-response, although I am not aware of any actual lost QSO records. Now it is mainstream. If you... Continue Reading →
Using the KAT-500 and KPA-500 with Icom Radios: Part II – Updated 2 AUGUST 2020
I have continued to investigate the various ways to connect my Icom IC-7300 or IC-7600 to the Elecraft KAT/KPA-500 Tuner and Amplifier. I have received some very helpful communication from a number of other Hams using Icom Radios with the Elecraft KPA-500 Amplifier and KAT-500 Tuner. It appears that there are several different ways to... Continue Reading →
Using the Elecraft KPA-500 and KAT-500 with Icom Rigs: Part I
I now have the Elecraft KAT-500 Antenna Tuner and the KPA-500 Linear Amplifier. My rigs are not Elecraft, but Icom (7600 and 7300) and Yaesu (FTDX-3000). I want to setup the Station to use the Elecraft components with my non-Elecraft transceivers. Since the KAT-500 has connections for the Icom AH-4 antenna control interface, I will... Continue Reading →
Using External Antenna Tuners with the IC-7300 – Update 9/24/20
I have been trying a couple external Tuners with my IC-7300 transceiver, with mixed results. They actually both worked, but operation is a little confusing. The tuners I have tried so far are: Elecraft KAT-500 LDG Electronics IT-100 The Elecraft Tuner is made for the K3-line but Elecraft has also made sure that it can... Continue Reading →
IC-7300 Spectrum Display with N1MM+
I recently bought an Icom IC-7300 SDR transceiver, and finally got a chance to start looking at it. My hope is to use this as a Mobile rig, although it is a bit large. Not sure how I will mount it in my F-150 yet, but I will give it a try. Since I have... Continue Reading →
Moving the DXDUSB inside the DX Doubler
I have been using the DXDUSB as the interface for my DX Doublerfor a couple years now, and what I really wanted to do is to have a DX Doubler with the USB interface "built-in." Well, the idea of actually working the DXDUSB into the DX Doubler design died when they decided to pull the... Continue Reading →
Sure I Like SDR Technology. But I still Want a “Radio”
I have worked in an industry where we have been developing "digital radios" for many years. Many of the technologies that are finding their way into the great new fad we all call SDR (Software Defined Radios), are not new. What is new is the hardware that makes it feasible to produce small, lower-power, affordable... Continue Reading →
Time Out for the Virginia QSO Party
The VA QSO Party will take place next weekend, and I invite you to participate if you have the time and interest. We would love to see the number of participant increase this year. There has been a pretty good turnout recently, and last year it seemed like we had a higher-than-normal number of out-of-state... Continue Reading →
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