Re: [Elecraft] New K1 Born Yesterday
Ian wrote: > The K1 is not a K2 lite... Very true words indeed! A K2 doesn't meet many of my requirements for performance and versatility in a lightweight, compact, low power consumption rig. The K2 doesn't tempt me. I ordered a K1 because of its impressive features soon after I saw the prototype at Dayton 2000, even though it was a kit. I've built many kits in the past 40 years (mostly Heath), but kits consume too much of my time for the rewards gained. The K1 was a very worthy exception. I doubt that any other rig, kit ot non-kit, equals the K1's high ratio of performance-to-power consumption. 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
Re: [Elecraft] New K1 Born Yesterday
On Thursday 15 February 2007 09:17, Don Wilhelm wrote: > Check out Wes Hayward's comments at the beginning of The "Western > Mountaineer" article on page 12.7 of Experimental Methods in RF Design. Don, I bought EMiRFD just a week ago. It's a great book. I've yet to explore the CD that comes with it. Ian, G4ICV, AB2GR, K2 #4962, LP-100 #278 -- ___ 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
RE: [Elecraft] New K1 Born Yesterday
Ian, You are correct about the NE/SA602/612 mixer - it generally performs well, but is not the ultimate. Its biggest drawback IMHO is that the performance suffers in the presence of strong signals such as European SW broadcast stations. I have not encountered problem here in North Carolina, but I am 150 miles from the coast, and I would expect those in Europe would have a lesser opinion of the capabilities of the NE612 mixer. Check out Wes Hayward's comments at the beginning of The "Western Mountaineer" article on page 12.7 of Experimental Methods in RF Design. Like everything else, the Gilbert cell mixer has its limitations. Diode ring mixers (as used in the K2) are much better, but require a larger LO input and are not be as adaptable to a simple front end receiver design. Compromises, compromises, compromises - that is the name of the game, one must trade off complexity, cost and performance every step of the way in a design. If one wants the ultimate, it will be complex (and likely much larger than the K1 or even the K2). 73, Don W3FPR > -Original Message- > > On Wednesday 07 February 2007 10:15, Sandy W5TVW wrote: > > You will find the receiver supurb during heavy QRM situations > like contests! > > ? with the first mixer being an NE or SA 602 or 612? > > The K1 is not a K2 lite: > domestic kittens, no matter how much fun they are, > don't grow up to be tigers. > > Ian, G4ICV, AB2GR, K2 #4962, LP-100 #278 > -- > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.441 / Virus Database: 268.17.39/686 - Release Date: 2/14/2007 7:54 AM ___ 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
Re: [Elecraft] New K1 Born Yesterday
On Wednesday 07 February 2007 10:15, Sandy W5TVW wrote: > You will find the receiver supurb during heavy QRM situations like contests! ? with the first mixer being an NE or SA 602 or 612? The K1 is not a K2 lite: domestic kittens, no matter how much fun they are, don't grow up to be tigers. Ian, G4ICV, AB2GR, K2 #4962, LP-100 #278 -- ___ 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
Re: [Elecraft] New K1 Born Yesterday
I did that also. Old trick to retain spacers. Still, I like 80 meters a lot and when the 160/80 2 band board is used, the tuner is virtually useless unless you just want a more accurate indication of output watts. The T1 tuner has a couple more "elements" and should cover a much wider range, especially on the two lowest bands. When I built my K1, the T1 wasn't available and I opted for the KAT1. It does a dynamite job in the field with temporary antennas on 40-15 meters. Wish it had the same matching range as the T1. (But then, who works 160 and 80 QRP except us 'hard core' QRPers?) 73, Sandy W5TVW - Original Message - From: "Dave G4AON" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2007 11:55 AM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] New K1 Born Yesterday Sandy W5TVW wrote: "I'd opt for the little external tuner (T1?) instead of the internal tuner. It would make changing the band boards simplier and easier" I did the simple "mod" of threading an elastic band through the KAT1 spacers to retain them on the bolts (cut the ends short to avoid it sticking out of the ends and acting as an insulator), it works superbly and makes changing the band boards an easy task. 73 Dave, G4AON K1 #1154 ___ 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 -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.30/674 - Release Date: 2/7/2007 3:33 PM ___ 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
Re: [Elecraft] New K1 Born Yesterday
Sandy W5TVW wrote: "I'd opt for the little external tuner (T1?) instead of the internal tuner. It would make changing the band boards simplier and easier" I did the simple "mod" of threading an elastic band through the KAT1 spacers to retain them on the bolts (cut the ends short to avoid it sticking out of the ends and acting as an insulator), it works superbly and makes changing the band boards an easy task. 73 Dave, G4AON K1 #1154 ___ 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
Re: [Elecraft] New K1 Born Yesterday
I too tried the KBT1. One "minus" was my hearing asn't that good anymore after years of working around jet aircraft and doing a lot of shooting under a range shed (before cheap ear protectors were available! They were $125 or more then...early 60's) Anyway the smaller speaker's output too low for me! Another "minus" was the aggravation of getting the batteries in and out.. I opted for an external 8 cell "AA" holder for NiMH 2 A/H cells. Also have a small pack of two 6 volt 3.5 A/H gel-cells that works great. The internal KAT1 coupler isn't very good for 80 or 160 meters. I use an external "L" coupler that is heavier but about the ame size as the K1! Don't do any "portable" 160/80 meter operation anyway as a rule. I may try the "T1" seperate coupler anyway sometime this year just for fun. 73, Sandy W5TVW - Original Message - From: "Mike Morrow" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 11:19 AM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] New K1 Born Yesterday wa5pgl wrote: K1 Serial Number 2305 operational on 2/6/07. 2-Band (20&40)w/Antenna Tuner That's 2130 K1 units since my number 175 arrived in November, 2000. I ordered it in June, so I waited five months. It was worth it. I'm not all that fond of the monotony of stuffing resistors and capacitors on a PCB, so I bought the K1 in spite of it being a kit, rather than because of it. Sandy wrote: You will find the receiver supurb during heavy QRM situations like contests! Best QRP rig I ever owned. It's a real gem in the Elecraft line. I know of no other QRP rig that I'd rather carry portable. I have 4 band board (40/30/20/15) and a 2 band 160/80 meter board. The roll-off of the elliptical low pass filters on the four-band filter board is much sharper and deeper than that of the very simple filters of the two-band board. I've never seen any spurious-output specs for a four-band K1, but since the two-band K1 has the best figure for spurious output of any Elecraft rig, the four-band K1 can only be even better. It has better performance than the two-band 40m/20m board, and twice the the available bands (including 15m, IMHO the best QRP band when open). How could one beat that combination of *both* improved versatility and improved performance? If I did it all over again, I'd opt for the little external tuner (T1?) instead of the internal tuner. I really like the internal tuner, even though currently mine has recently developed a yet un-diagnosed problem and now never returns a VSWR less than 9.99, even into a dummy load. I tried the KBT1 for more than a year, but eventually discarded it. I don't like sources of chemical leakage and outgassing next to printed circuits. 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 -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.28/672 - Release Date: 2/6/2007 10:22 AM ___ 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
Re: [Elecraft] New K1 Born Yesterday
wa5pgl wrote: > K1 Serial Number 2305 operational on 2/6/07. > 2-Band (20&40)w/Antenna Tuner That's 2130 K1 units since my number 175 arrived in November, 2000. I ordered it in June, so I waited five months. It was worth it. I'm not all that fond of the monotony of stuffing resistors and capacitors on a PCB, so I bought the K1 in spite of it being a kit, rather than because of it. Sandy wrote: >You will find the receiver supurb during heavy QRM situations like contests! >Best QRP rig I ever owned. It's a real gem in the Elecraft line. I know of no other QRP rig that I'd rather carry portable. >I have 4 band board (40/30/20/15) and a 2 band >160/80 meter board. The roll-off of the elliptical low pass filters on the four-band filter board is much sharper and deeper than that of the very simple filters of the two-band board. I've never seen any spurious-output specs for a four-band K1, but since the two-band K1 has the best figure for spurious output of any Elecraft rig, the four-band K1 can only be even better. It has better performance than the two-band 40m/20m board, and twice the the available bands (including 15m, IMHO the best QRP band when open). How could one beat that combination of *both* improved versatility and improved performance? >If I did it all over again, I'd opt for the little >external tuner (T1?) instead of the internal tuner. I really like the internal tuner, even though currently mine has recently developed a yet un-diagnosed problem and now never returns a VSWR less than 9.99, even into a dummy load. I tried the KBT1 for more than a year, but eventually discarded it. I don't like sources of chemical leakage and outgassing next to printed circuits. 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
Re: [Elecraft] New K1 Born Yesterday
You will find the receiver supurb during heavy QRM situations like contests! Best QRP rig I ever owned. I have 4 band board (40/30/20/15) and a 2 band 160/80 meter board. If I did it all over again, I'd opt for the little external tuner (T1?) instead of the internal tuner. It would make changing the band boards simplier and easier. 73, Sandy W5TVW - Original Message - From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 8:14 AM Subject: [Elecraft] New K1 Born Yesterday K1 Serial Number 2305 operational on 2/6/07. 2-Band (20&40)w/Antenna Tuner Antenna: 30-ft long wire strung over tree branches. First QRP Contact: W4IT (Steve) From: Dallas, TX to Gray Court, SC This little rig is A BLAST! mail2web.com - Enhanced email for the mobile individual based on Microsoft® Exchange - http://link.mail2web.com/Personal/EnhancedEmail ___ 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 -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.28/672 - Release Date: 2/6/2007 10:22 AM ___ 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
