Francis Belliveau wrote:
It seems to me that you are talking yourself into a K2.
Might well be.
You say that backpacking is not a big priority, but you may want that
option. The K2 is definately the heaviest of the three but it also has the
best receiver. I took one up a mountain for field day. It is not all that
heavy by my standards, but others will likely say otherwise.
I'll look into this. While it wouldn't be the primary item if I went
K2, it is definitely something I want to be able to do when I wish.
I am not a great physical specimen and like all too many of us, need to
be in better shape. Way better.
However, I am smart enough to at least train for major expeditions that
involve carrying a lot of weight. I carry full packs for at least a
week before going to the Boundary Waters, for instance.
IIRC, I carried about 52 pounds in my pack last year and the Kevlar
canoe was 45 or so. Longest portage was a mile with two half milers in
there as well. If you saw a picture of me, you'd wonder how I made it.
So, I can carry weight if I need to, but if I'm walking up a hill in a
public park of some kind, I'll presumably be carrying a battery of some
heft one way or another, I presume, if we're assuming operating for a
long enough time it's going to be more than the built-in options. I
haven't done this with ham gear yet, but surely, batteries aren't
lightweight.
So, obviously, the less the rig weighs the better. The more CW I send,
the better, in that circumstance.
What puzzles me about your lists is that they include a KXAT1, and a KAT1;
yet when you strip the KPA100 off your list, you leave in the K160RX but do
not include a KAT2. If you have little need for 80 why 160?
Optimizing a little different. The "maxed out" K2, which I probably
won't get anyway, "leans" a litte more towards the base station role
deliberately. At home, I do operate 80. I have a Harris military amp
that needs some fix or other, but when it runs, it (amazingly enough)
takes 150 mA all the way up to the legal limit. That boat anchor,
however, obviously does not go up the hill. Currently, runing an
Ameritron amp, which has its place even when the Harris is working.
Also, for
field work having the internal tuner is a major benefit since you want to
spend more time operating than tuning an antenna.
Definitely a consideration.
Certainly dropping the KPA100 and KDSP2 from the original list is the best
way to minimize the price of the K2. This will still give you more power
than either of the other two choices and is also the best choice for a
replacement base station.
Good Luck with making your choice.
Fran
K2 s/n 314
Thanks. The main issue really will probably turn out to be how much I
want tied up in the backup rig. Won't see much use as the base station
rig (the SDR has been wonderfully stable and forgiving), so the
backpacking/mobiling considerations will be an issue, here and I really
have to weigh out both roles. The real question might turn on how often
I'll be operating out of a cabin / motel room instead of a true back
pack. That, I don't really know. But, if I'd have had a KX1, I
probably would have taken it on last year's trip. K2 also, but that's
not as much of a slam dunk as the KX1 would have been. OTOH, the K2
would be a better choice if it does turn out to be a "normal" location
most often. Still, I presume operating on some park's hilltop takes
minimal prep and permissions. . .
Larry WO0Z
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