Elecraft KAT500
firmware v1.18
Elecraft · Released Dec 3, 2012 · First seen Sep 14, 2026
Source:
elecraft.com
v1.18 is not the latest firmware for the Elecraft KAT500: the current version is v2.16 (May 29, 2024). Go to v2.16
In short — summary by updatemystuff.com
Reduced minimum start tune power to 7.5 watts and accelerated coarse tuning steps.
- Minimum start tune power lowered from 10 to 7.5 watts
- Coarse tuning steps sped up
Written from Elecraft's release notes, which are printed in full below.
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What's in this update
Reduce minimum "start tune" power from 10 to 7.5 watts.
Some ICOM radios produce just under 10 watts when their TUNE button is pressed.
Matches will sometimes improve if higher power (20 watts) is used.
Use "bypassed" if Bypass SWR is better than full search tune result SWR.
Speed up coarse tuning steps.
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