KPA1500 SDR Bridge 2.49

KPA1500 SDR Bridge 2.49

Windows only. This program runs on Windows 10 and 11 only. The installer and helper files are Windows batch files and will not work on a Mac or Linux.

Connects an Elecraft KPA1500 amplifier (and an optional Telepost LP-100A) to Thetis, Thetis HL2, SDR-VST3 or NereusSDR, with a FlexControl knob, a browser control panel and a small Applet window. Windows.

This replaces the older KPA1500 Thetis Bridge. Run only one of the two; this one closes the other when it starts.

How to download (no GitHub account needed)

Easiest way (installer):

1. Install Python 3.8 or newer from python.org if you don't have it (tick Add Python to PATH).
2. Look at the Assets list at the bottom of this page and click Install_KPA1500_SDR_Bridge.bat. Your browser saves it, normally in your Downloads folder (if it warns that the file may be harmful, choose Keep).
3. Double-click it. It asks a few short questions and installs into its own folder (suggested: C:\RadioScripts). Installing over an older version is fine: the installer keeps your settings and backs up the old files.

Alternative (all the files): click KPA1500_SDR_Bridge_v2.49_files.zip in Assets, right-click it in Downloads, Extract All…, then follow the README.

Do not click "Source code (zip)" or "Source code (tar.gz)". Those are for programmers.

New in 2.49

• Your own Thetis buttons. Three new buttons open the Help, the Settings page and the Applet. Up to 8 Programs: give a slot a label, a program and optional arguments, and a button starts it. A button carries only the slot number, so it can never start anything you did not put in a slot, and the slots can only be edited on the bridge computer.
• Numbers. Up to 6 settings with - / + buttons and up to 4 preset buttons, for example a maximum safe drive. A number can control the over-drive limit, the TUNE auto-stop time, or just hold a value you show in Thetis.
• Custom containers. Build up to 8 of your own Thetis windows from the amplifier buttons, the open buttons, your programs and your numbers, in the order you choose (Settings, Custom containers). Setup creates them as KPA1500 Custom - name - KW4EX; Undo removes them.
• Help, Settings and Applet buttons can also be added to the main Controls window (Settings, Controls window, Not shown list).
• Telemetry window. An Add a Thetis reading dropdown adds Thetis's own bars (S-meter, Mic level, ALC, Compressor, Leveler and others). Setup copies them from your Thetis, and says so if one is not found. Custom containers can hold them too.
• The installer's self-test question now defaults to No.
• New Settings page. A menu of sections on the left (Controls window, Telemetry window, Knob window, Build a custom container, and the rest), with colour, and Restart bridge / Stop bridge buttons in its header.

Also new since 2.44

• Software key (2.45, amplifier firmware 3.07 or newer). The bridge can key the amplifier by network command instead of the hardware KEY IN line. A bridge setting and a Thetis KEY: SOFT / KEY: HW button switch between the two. Both can be used together (the amplifier keys when either is active). A software key needs about 5 ms of lead before RF, so test it with a dummy load first; the Help explains the timing.
• TUNE with software key (2.46). With software key, Standby-on-Tune and the amplifier in OPERATE, the bridge TUNE button drops the software key, waits until the amplifier is in STANDBY, and only then starts the radio's tune carrier. (Thetis's own TUNE button reports the transmit first, so the amplifier can be in OPERATE for a moment; use the bridge TUNE button for the safe order.)
• Drive-limit warning in Thetis (2.47, 2.48). When the drive limit is set to Warn, the message (and "no antenna?") now replaces the first line of the Thetis windows.
• Controls window (2.47, 2.48). New optional KEY button, Legacy button style as the default, one short top line (ON OPR AMP 7.135 MHz RX -91 dBm), and a narrower Knob window with its connection (on COM3) in the top line.
• No blank lines (2.48). Setup now fits the height of every Thetis window to what it shows. Thetis gives every text line a full row, so warnings no longer add a line.
• New optional KPA1500 Meters window (2.48). A small window with a status line and the Fwd and SWR bars. Tick it in the Applet (Thetis windows) or answer Yes when Setup asks, then rebuild the windows.
• Stale data. The first line of each Thetis window goes blank if the bridge freezes or crashes, and shows !! BRIDGE STOPPED !! when it is closed normally.

To update: close Thetis and the bridge, run the new Install_KPA1500_SDR_Bridge.bat over the old one (keep your options), start the bridge, open the Applet and press Rebuild Thetis windows (or close Thetis and run Setup_Thetis_Containers.bat), then start Thetis.

The Mac and Linux installer (experimental, untested on a Mac) is in the mac-linux folder of the repository.

Then follow the settings for your radio program (Thetis or NereusSDR) in the README. The full help with every setting is the KPA1500_Bridge_Help.html file in Assets; open it in your browser. The Install and User Guide is the PDF in Assets.

To go back to an older version, open the Releases page and download that one.

No warranty. Use at your own risk. This is shared by one radio operator, "as is". It is not made, approved or supported by Elecraft, FlexRadio, Telepost, Thetis or Zeus.

KPA1500 SDR Bridge 2.48

KPA1500 SDR Bridge 2.48

Windows only. This program runs on Windows 10 and 11 only. The installer and helper files are Windows batch files and will not work on a Mac or Linux.

Connects an Elecraft KPA1500 amplifier (and an optional Telepost LP-100A) to Thetis, Thetis HL2, SDR-VST3 or NereusSDR, with a FlexControl knob, a browser control panel and a small Applet window. Windows.

This replaces the older KPA1500 Thetis Bridge. Run only one of the two; this one closes the other when it starts.

How to download (no GitHub account needed)

Easiest way (installer):

1. Install Python 3.8 or newer from python.org if you don't have it (tick Add Python to PATH).
2. Look at the Assets list at the bottom of this page and click Install_KPA1500_SDR_Bridge.bat. Your browser saves it, normally in your Downloads folder (if it warns that the file may be harmful, choose Keep).
3. Double-click it. It asks a few short questions and installs into its own folder (suggested: C:\RadioScripts). Installing over an older version is fine: the installer keeps your settings and backs up the old files.

Alternative (all the files): click KPA1500_SDR_Bridge_v2.48_files.zip in Assets, right-click it in Downloads, Extract All…, then follow the README.

Do not click "Source code (zip)" or "Source code (tar.gz)". Those are for programmers.

New since 2.44

• Software key (2.45, amplifier firmware 3.07 or newer). The bridge can key the amplifier by network command instead of the hardware KEY IN line. A bridge setting and a Thetis KEY: SOFT / KEY: HW button switch between the two. Both can be used together (the amplifier keys when either is active). A software key needs about 5 ms of lead before RF, so test it with a dummy load first; the Help explains the timing.
• TUNE with software key (2.46). With software key, Standby-on-Tune and the amplifier in OPERATE, the bridge TUNE button drops the software key, waits until the amplifier is in STANDBY, and only then starts the radio's tune carrier. (Thetis's own TUNE button reports the transmit first, so the amplifier can be in OPERATE for a moment; use the bridge TUNE button for the safe order.)
• Drive-limit warning in Thetis (2.47, 2.48). When the drive limit is set to Warn, the message (and "no antenna?") now replaces the first line of the Thetis windows.
• Controls window (2.47, 2.48). New optional KEY button, Legacy button style as the default, one short top line (ON OPR AMP 7.135 MHz RX -91 dBm), and a narrower Knob window with its connection (on COM3) in the top line.
• No blank lines (2.48). Setup now fits the height of every Thetis window to what it shows. Thetis gives every text line a full row, so warnings no longer add a line.
• New optional KPA1500 Meters window (2.48). A small window with a status line and the Fwd and SWR bars. Tick it in the Applet (Thetis windows) or answer Yes when Setup asks, then rebuild the windows.
• Stale data. The first line of each Thetis window goes blank if the bridge freezes or crashes, and shows !! BRIDGE STOPPED !! when it is closed normally.

To update: close Thetis and the bridge, run the new Install_KPA1500_SDR_Bridge.bat over the old one (keep your options), start the bridge, open the Applet and press Rebuild Thetis windows (or close Thetis and run Setup_Thetis_Containers.bat), then start Thetis.

The Mac and Linux installer (experimental, untested on a Mac) is in the mac-linux folder of the repository.

Then follow the settings for your radio program (Thetis or NereusSDR) in the README. The full help with every setting is the KPA1500_Bridge_Help.html file in Assets; open it in your browser. The Install and User Guide is the PDF in Assets.

To go back to an older version, open the Releases page and download that one.

No warranty. Use at your own risk. This is shared by one radio operator, "as is". It is not made, approved or supported by Elecraft, FlexRadio, Telepost, Thetis or Zeus.

KPA1500 SDR Bridge 2.44

KPA1500 SDR Bridge 2.44

Windows only. This program runs on Windows 10 and 11 only. The installer and helper files are Windows batch files and will not work on a Mac or Linux.

Connects an Elecraft KPA1500 amplifier (and an optional Telepost LP-100A) to Thetis, Thetis HL2, SDR-VST3 or NereusSDR, with a FlexControl knob, a browser control panel and a small Applet window. Windows.

This replaces the older KPA1500 Thetis Bridge. Run only one of the two; this one closes the other when it starts.

How to download (no GitHub account needed)

Easiest way (installer):

1. Install Python 3.8 or newer from python.org if you don't have it (tick Add Python to PATH).
2. Look at the Assets list at the bottom of this page and click Install_KPA1500_SDR_Bridge.bat. Your browser saves it, normally in your Downloads folder (if it warns that the file may be harmful, choose Keep).
3. Double-click it. It asks a few short questions and installs into its own folder (suggested: C:\RadioScripts).

Alternative (all the files): click KPA1500_SDR_Bridge_v2.44_files.zip in Assets, right-click it in Downloads, Extract All…, then follow the README.

Do not click "Source code (zip)" or "Source code (tar.gz)". Those are for programmers.

New in 2.44: Windows reserved-port check and repair. Windows (Hyper-V, WSL, Docker) can keep blocks of port numbers for itself. When it keeps the port Thetis uses to send its button presses, the Thetis meters still work but the buttons do nothing. The bridge now checks this every time it starts and shows a yellow message in its window, the control panel and the Applet. Running Setup_Thetis_Containers.bat (with Thetis closed) moves the buttons to a free port. New installs use port 47102, which Windows does not reserve. The Help has a new "Windows reserved ports" section. Also new: Uninstall_KPA1500_SDR_Bridge.bat, a complete uninstaller (it asks before deleting anything), and the guide covers it. The Mac and Linux installer (experimental, untested on a Mac) is in the mac-linux folder of the repository.

Then follow the settings for your radio program (Thetis or NereusSDR) in the README. The full help with every setting is the KPA1500_Bridge_Help.html file in Assets; open it in your browser.

To go back to an older version, open the Releases page and download that one.

No warranty. Use at your own risk. This is shared by one radio operator, "as is". It is not made, approved or supported by Elecraft, FlexRadio, Telepost, Thetis or Zeus.

KPA1500 SDR Bridge 2.43

KPA1500 SDR Bridge 2.43

Windows only. This program runs on Windows 10 and 11 only. The installer and helper files are Windows batch files and will not work on a Mac or Linux.

Connects an Elecraft KPA1500 amplifier (and an optional Telepost LP-100A) to Thetis, Thetis HL2, SDR-VST3 or NereusSDR, with a FlexControl knob, a browser control panel and a small Applet window. Windows.

This replaces the older KPA1500 Thetis Bridge. Run only one of the two; this one closes the other when it starts.

How to download (no GitHub account needed)

Easiest way (installer):

1. Install Python 3.8 or newer from python.org if you don't have it (tick Add Python to PATH).
2. Look at the Assets list at the bottom of this page and click Install_KPA1500_SDR_Bridge.bat. Your browser saves it, normally in your Downloads folder (if it warns that the file may be harmful, choose Keep).
3. Double-click it. It asks a few short questions and installs into its own folder (suggested: C:\RadioScripts).

Alternative (all the files): click KPA1500_SDR_Bridge_v2.43_files.zip in Assets, right-click it in Downloads, Extract All…, then follow the README.

Do not click "Source code (zip)" or "Source code (tar.gz)". Those are for programmers.

New in 2.43: Over-drive protection. Set one limit in watts for the drive going into the amplifier (panel Settings > Over-drive protection, or the Applet Look menu > Safety: over-drive protection) and choose Ignore, Warn or Hold at the limit. The bridge reads the radio program's drive setting (Thetis, Thetis HL2, SDR-VST3 or NereusSDR) before you transmit and also watches the drive measured while you transmit. Hold at the limit puts the radio drive back to the limit, and puts the amplifier in STANDBY if the drive stays over it. It only acts while the amplifier is in OPERATE and its own ATU is not tuning, and short peaks (under 0.8 s) are ignored. Also in 2.42: a Button style choice (Standard or Legacy) for the Controls window in Thetis, and a correction to the Thetis TCI wording in the installer. The Install and User Guide (PDF) is updated and attached below.

Then follow the settings for your radio program (Thetis or NereusSDR) in the README. The full help with every setting is the KPA1500_Bridge_Help.html file in Assets; open it in your browser.

To go back to an older version, open the Releases page and download that one.

No warranty. Use at your own risk. This is shared by one radio operator, "as is". It is not made, approved or supported by Elecraft, FlexRadio, Telepost, Thetis or Zeus.

KPA1500 SDR Bridge 2.42

KPA1500 SDR Bridge 2.42

Windows only. This program runs on Windows 10 and 11 only. The installer and helper files are Windows batch files and will not work on a Mac or Linux.

Connects an Elecraft KPA1500 amplifier (and an optional Telepost LP-100A) to Thetis, Thetis HL2, SDR-VST3 or NereusSDR, with a FlexControl knob, a browser control panel and a small Applet window. Windows.

This replaces the older KPA1500 Thetis Bridge. Run only one of the two; this one closes the other when it starts.

How to download (no GitHub account needed)

Easiest way (installer):

1. Install Python 3.8 or newer from python.org if you don't have it (tick Add Python to PATH).
2. Look at the Assets list at the bottom of this page and click Install_KPA1500_SDR_Bridge.bat. Your browser saves it, normally in your Downloads folder (if it warns that the file may be harmful, choose Keep).
3. Double-click it. It asks a few short questions and installs into its own folder (suggested: C:\RadioScripts).

Alternative (all the files): click KPA1500_SDR_Bridge_v2.42_files.zip in Assets, right-click it in Downloads, Extract All…, then follow the README.

Do not click "Source code (zip)" or "Source code (tar.gz)". Those are for programmers.

New in 2.42: the Controls window in Thetis has a Button style choice (Settings > Thetis windows): Standard (the look it always had, still the default) or Legacy (near-black rounded buttons with a thin grey border). The panel's Thetis look follows it. The installer names the correct Thetis TCI settings page. There is also a new Install and User Guide (PDF), attached below and in the repository under docs/guides.

Then follow the settings for your radio program (Thetis or NereusSDR) in the README. The full help with every setting is the KPA1500_Bridge_Help.html file in Assets; open it in your browser.

To go back to an older version, open the Releases page and download that one.

No warranty. Use at your own risk. This is shared by one radio operator, "as is". It is not made, approved or supported by Elecraft, FlexRadio, Telepost, Thetis or Zeus.

KPA1500 SDR Bridge v2.41

KPA1500 SDR Bridge 2.41

Windows only. This program runs on Windows 10 and 11 only. The installer and helper files are Windows batch files and will not work on a Mac or Linux.

Connects an Elecraft KPA1500 amplifier (and an optional Telepost LP-100A) to Thetis, Thetis HL2, SDR-VST3 or NereusSDR, with a FlexControl knob, a browser control panel and a small Applet window. Windows.

This replaces the older KPA1500 Thetis Bridge. Run only one of the two; this one closes the other when it starts.

How to download (no GitHub account needed)

Easiest way (installer):

1. Install Python 3.8 or newer from python.org if you don't have it (tick Add Python to PATH).
2. Look at the Assets list at the bottom of this page and click Install_KPA1500_SDR_Bridge.bat. Your browser saves it, normally in your Downloads folder (if it warns that the file may be harmful, choose Keep).
3. Double-click it. It asks a few short questions and installs into its own folder (suggested: C:\RadioScripts).

Alternative (all the files): click KPA1500_SDR_Bridge_v2.41_files.zip in Assets, right-click it in Downloads, Extract All…, then follow the README.

Do not click "Source code (zip)" or "Source code (tar.gz)". Those are for programmers.

New in 2.41: the installer always asks which radio program you use (Thetis, Thetis HL2, SDR-VST3 or NereusSDR), even when it keeps your earlier options, and shows which of them it finds installed. The browser panel header shows which radio program the bridge found. The panel and help say where the Thetis windows apply (Thetis, Thetis HL2, SDR-VST3; NereusSDR uses the Applet window). The NereusSDR settings are repeated at the end of the installer and in the help.

Then follow the settings for your radio program (Thetis or NereusSDR) in the README. The full help with every setting is the KPA1500_Bridge_Help.html file in Assets; open it in your browser.

To go back to an older version, open the Releases page and download that one.

No warranty. Use at your own risk. This is shared by one radio operator, "as is". It is not made, approved or supported by Elecraft, FlexRadio, Telepost, Thetis or Zeus.

EXPERIMENTAL and UNTESTED - Mac and Linux (based on 2.43)

EXPERIMENTAL and UNTESTED: KPA1500 SDR Bridge for Mac and Linux (based on 2.43)

This is a Pre-release. It has not been tried on a real Mac, Linux computer, KPA1500, LP-100A or radio. It passed the program's self-test (265 of 265) and an install, start, stop and uninstall run on Linux with simulated equipment. Windows users: use the release marked Latest instead.

For NereusSDR on a Mac or Linux computer (a Raspberry Pi is Linux), or Thetis on another computer. Thetis windows are Windows-only and not included.

How to get it

1. In the Assets list click Install_KPA1500_SDR_Bridge.sh (and README_Mac_Linux.txt). Do not click "Source code".
2. Open Terminal, type bash (with a space), drag the .sh file into the window, press Enter.
3. Answer the questions; follow README_Mac_Linux.txt (NereusSDR settings, safe first test with --dry-run).
4. To remove everything: uninstall_kpa1500_sdr_bridge.sh in the install folder.

Small fixes in the program for Mac/Linux

Stopping a running bridge on Linux without lsof; clean shutdown when the Terminal closes; serial names like /dev/serial/by-id/...; hardware-address lookup on newer Linux; a Mac and Linux section in the built-in Help. Windows behaviour is unchanged.

No warranty. Use at your own risk. Shared by one radio operator "as is". Design and on-air testing by KW4EX. Not made, approved or supported by Elecraft, FlexRadio, Telepost, Thetis or NereusSDR.

KPA1500 SDR Bridge v2.40

KPA1500 SDR Bridge 2.40

Windows only. This program runs on Windows 10 and 11 only. The installer and helper files are Windows batch files and will not work on a Mac or Linux.

Connects an Elecraft KPA1500 amplifier (and an optional Telepost LP-100A) to Thetis, Thetis HL2, SDR-VST3 or NereusSDR, with a FlexControl knob, a browser control panel and a small Applet window. Windows.

This replaces the older KPA1500 Thetis Bridge. Run only one of the two; this one closes the other when it starts.

How to download (no GitHub account needed)

Easiest way (installer):

1. Install Python 3.8 or newer from python.org if you don't have it (tick Add Python to PATH).
2. Look at the Assets list at the bottom of this page and click Install_KPA1500_SDR_Bridge.bat. Your browser saves it, normally in your Downloads folder (if it warns that the file may be harmful, choose Keep).
3. Double-click it. It asks a few short questions and installs into its own folder (suggested: C:\RadioScripts).

Alternative (all the files): click KPA1500_SDR_Bridge_v2.40_files.zip in Assets, right-click it in Downloads, Extract All…, then follow the README.

Do not click "Source code (zip)" or "Source code (tar.gz)". Those are for programmers.

Then follow the settings for your radio program (Thetis or NereusSDR) in the README. The full help with every setting is the KPA1500_Bridge_Help.html file in Assets; open it in your browser.

To go back to an older version, open the Releases page and download that one.

No warranty. Use at your own risk. This is shared by one radio operator, "as is". It is not made, approved or supported by Elecraft, FlexRadio, Telepost, Thetis or Zeus.

KPA1500 Thetis Bridge v2.31 (older version)

KPA1500 Thetis Bridge 2.31 (older version)

Windows only. This program runs on Windows 10 and 11 only. The installer and helper files are Windows batch files and will not work on a Mac or Linux.

A Windows program that connects an Elecraft KPA1500 amplifier (and, optionally, a FlexControl knob and a Telepost LP-100A) to Thetis, Thetis HL2 or SDR-VST3: the amp follows the radio, safe TUNE, Standby-on-Tune, "No antenna?" warning, meters and lit buttons inside Thetis, a browser panel, FlexControl knob support.

This is the older Thetis-only program, kept here for anyone who wants it. The newest version of the bridge (Thetis, NereusSDR and more) is on the Releases page. Run only one bridge at a time.

How to download (no GitHub account needed)

1. Look at the Assets list at the bottom of this page.
2. Click KPA1500_Bridge_Complete_v2.31.zip. Your browser saves it, normally in your Downloads folder.
3. Do not click "Source code (zip)" or "Source code (tar.gz)". Those are for programmers.
4. In Downloads, right-click the file, then Extract All…, then Extract.
5. Open the extracted KPA1500_Bridge folder and double-click 1_RUN_THIS_Installer.bat. If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway. Answer the questions; press Enter to accept the suggested answer.
6. Start the bridge from the Desktop shortcut KPA1500 Bridge, then start Thetis.

Updating: download a newer version the same way and run its installer; choose Keep your current options. To go back to an older version, open the Releases page and download that one.

The KPA1500_Thetis_Bridge_v2.31_Overview.pdf file in the Assets list is a one-page summary.

Needs: Windows 10 or 11, Thetis 2.10.3.12+ (HL2 2.10.3.15+, or SDR-VST3 5.x) with TCI on, the KPA1500 on your network, Python 3.8+ (the installer offers to install it).

No warranty. Use at your own risk. This is shared by one radio operator, "as is". It is not made, approved or supported by Elecraft, FlexRadio, Telepost, Thetis or Zeus.