Another very reasonable switch for the "kit" builder: http://home.comcast.net/~kk1l/kk1l_2x6switch/
I trunk three of those from an old Sixpack for up to 18 antennas (still have 4 unused slots!) and they've worked flawlessly. Total cost of PCB, parts, and LMB Heeger aluminum box was perhaps around $145. - eric NO3M On 07/12/11 11:01, WILLIS COOKE wrote: > You know that Ameritron, Array Solutions and some others have remote antenna > switches available at reasonable prices. Since these things take space, it is > nice that they can be remote mounted, even outside in some cases. It seems a > better solution to me than to add a kilobuck to the KPA500 price and make it > the > size of a small refrigerator when the requirements vary from person to person > and the chance of pleasing more than a small portion of the users is small. I > prefer the small box that is possible to take on a DXpedition or to Field Day > and just endure the horrible pain of changing the coax when you change bands. > The main thing that discourages me from buying an eight pack from Array is > that > I don't have enough antennas to keep it from being lonesome. > > Willis 'Cookie' Cooke > K5EWJ& Trustee N5BPS, USS Cavalla, USS Stewart > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Eric<[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Tue, July 12, 2011 4:57:10 AM > Subject: [Elecraft] KPA500 and KAT500 Ports > > Elecrafters, Hear My Plea: > > The K3 has two tx antenna ports available. It seems logical to me that the > KPA500 would have two (output) as well. But it doesn't. I would like to see > the > KAT500 have two antenna ports (unbalanced) to make up for this. Running the 6m > output to another coax makes sense--most (all?) band decoders and relay boxes > don't handle 6m, and the lack of a second output port on the KPA500 makes it > difficult to manage the 6m capability of the K3 cleanly. The KRC2 will handle > the band data, but does not have a compatible relay box, manual operation, or > lights to tell you what it is doing. > > > Right now my K3 sends HF to ANT1, that goes to an HF amp and to a TopTen band > decoder and relay box. Six meters goes to ANT2 and a separate 6m amp and 6m > antenna. > > > This gives me fully auto bandswitching on HF and 6m, save for 60m where the > TopTen decoder does not recognize 0000 as a valid address. > > > With my already ordered KPA500 > (selling both tube amps), I will have to manually switch 6m. I don't like this > not because I am lazy, but the older I get the more stoopid I get and its > just a > matter of time before I tx into a near-infinite SWR. Knowing me, I'll do it > repeatedly until something blows. Maybe multiple somethings. > > > I'll have to rely on the KPA500 and K3 saving themselves. Not good. > > In my squandered pre-K3 life, i put key lockout relays and a sequencer for 2m > EME in my system to make it failsafe and STILL blowed up the masthead preamp > more times than I can count. > > > In my opinion, the KAT500 needs two unbalanced outputs, bandmapped, for nice > tight integration with the K3, to keep things as elegant as possible. I have > no > opinion on balanced output(s). > > > No flames please. This is just my opinion--I could be wrong. > > 73 Eric WD6DBM > > K1, KX1, K2, K3, P3, XG3, all mini modules, Elecraft Kool-Aid I-V push STAT! > > KPA500 still a mere glimmer at Elecraft > > Sent from my&$@!? iPhone > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
