John, You're going to really enjoy building and using the KX1. I've been "hooked" on the KX1 for a few years, and it's my favorite rig. I don't go hiking, camping, or mountaintop operating -- but the KX1 is fantastic for sitting out on the deck, throwing a line into the trees (or putting up the Buddipole), and making a few QSOs. The KX1 is my "ham radio in a bag" when we go to the beach or take a trip somewhere. Also, building it is pure joy.
73, Steve, KW4H On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 11:08 PM, John Overbaugh <[email protected]>wrote: > Wow--I received a plethora of responses, all pretty much saying what Don's > said here - external 13.8 power supply will yield just about 4 watts. > Internal batteries, which are only going to run around 9v (6 x 1.5 = 9) > will > only crank out around 2 watts. > > Many thanks for the help. I'm dutifully saving up for my first Elecraft, > which will be the KX1. I'm hoping to have a nice project for the holidays! > > 73's, > > John O. > K7JTO > > On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 4:27 PM, Don Wilhelm <[email protected]> wrote: > > > John, > > > > The power output of the KX1 is dependent on the power supply voltage. > > A well constructed KX1 will normally deliver 4 watts on 80, 40 and 30 > > meters, and 3.5 watts on 20 meters with a 13.8 volt power source. Some > will > > do a little better and some a bit worse than that target figure. > > > > The voltage produced by the 6 internal cells is less than 13.8, and the > > exact voltage depends on the battery type. Lithium batteries normally > are > > the best if the power level is important to you, with alkalines running > in > > second place. NiCad or NiMH batteries will produce lower voltages and > > therefore lower power. To get to that 13.8 volt level, each of the 6 AA > > cells would have to produce 2.3 volts. > > > > But yes, as a general rule, 2 watts is to be expected when using the > > internal batteries. There is just not enough room to pack additional > > batteries inside. > > > > A few KX1 owners have modified the KX1 to use rechargable Lithium Ion > > batteries which produce a higher voltage (and more power as a result). > > > > I want to offer a caution - running the the KX1 at greater than 4 watts > can > > cause damage to the components following the PA amplifier - with a good > 50 > > ohm pure resistive load, one can go a bit higher without harm, but as the > > SWR increases, the voltages in the low pass filter will also increase and > > could exceed their voltage ratings. > > In other words, don't try to push the KX1 power too high - the difference > > between 3.5 watts and 5 watts is almost imperceptible on the receiving > end. > > > > 73, > > Don W3FPR > > > > > > On 12/4/2010 4:20 PM, John Overbaugh wrote: > > > >> In researching the KX1, I thought I had read that it's possible to get 4 > >> watts of output. However, the manual shows 2 watts as the max from > >> internal > >> batteries. Is 4 watts possible? Does it require external batteries? > >> > >> > > > -- > John Overbaugh > blog: http://kf7dvj.blogspot.com > ______________________________________________________________ > 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
