Dave wrote: >I am interested in your opinions on the differences between the K-1 and >KX-1 transceivers, beyond the band coverage issues; for example, which >has the better receiver?
I built my K1 (#175) in November, 2000, for backpack portable use. If I were buying a rig today, now that the KX1 is available, I'd still go for the K1. The band coverage issue *is* important. From the start, I'll take a rig that covers 15m over one that does not...end of story. When open, 15m is the finest of QRP bands. With my K1, I can cover six HF CW bands with two "officially" available filter boards (160, 12, 10 meters aren't available from Elecraft). The K1 has a better IF filter (four-pole, bandwidth variable in three adjustable steps). The lack of the characteristic spurious output of a DDS local oscillator also improves overall receiver performance. The K1 has a decent internal speaker (if the KBT1 option isn't installed) with plenty of audio output. The K1 has a better transmitter with the best (lowest) spurious output of any Elecraft rig (including the K2). It can also be set for significantly higher power output than the KX1. The K1 has a much wider range auto antenna tuner. The K1 has a noise blanker option, though I've found it to be of limited effectiveness and wouldn't miss it if it were gone. The K1 VFO tuning is continuous rather than in the incremental steps of a DDS. The K1 has its controls on the front, where they should be. Top-mounted controls as "trail-friendly" is something of a left-coast idea, IMHO. It is harder to protect the controls on the KX1 in a backpack than it is on the K1. Why someone hasn't come up with a clamshell cover for the KX1 yet, I don't understand. I've used direct DDS rigs before (I have three DSW monoband rigs) and enjoy them, but I prefer a multiband rig to concentrate on ham CW band performance. If ham CW band performance is the most important criteria, then the K1 wins over the KX1 without question except on the issue of VFO stability. You just can't hardly beat a DDS for stability. Still, the KX1 is very frequency stable and small, and has that shortwave coverage with selectable sidebands. Plus, it's kind of cute. It stole the spotlight away from the K1, with some even reporting the KX1 (incorrectly) as an improvement upon or a replacement for the K1. In short, I really like the K1. I like it better than the K2. But...if the K1 wasn't available, I'd definitely get a KX1 as my second choice. They are both fine rigs, so you really can't make that much of a mistake either way. 73, Mike / KK5F _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
