Randy - My situation is not dissimilar to yours, as I was licensed in the '60s, inactive for an extended period, and became fully active again just a couple years ago. At that time, the IC-7300 seemed like the ideal rig for me, and I have not been disappointed. In fact, I now own two of them. Interfacing with a PC is as seamless as you can get, and requires only a proper USB cable and installation of the correct driver for it. I operate in all digital modes as well as conventional analog modes. The 7300's menu system allows fine tuning of all the relevant options, and the settings can be saved to an SD card for immediate retrieval ... which makes mode changing very fast.
I was also "HOA challenged" until I was elected to the HOA board and managed to get the rules changed. I operated for nearly two years on a modified G5RV Jr in an inverted V configuration in the attic. I used the Icom AH-4 tuner connected to the 450 ohm feedline in the attic and the results were nothing short of fantastic, considering all the handicaps. I literally had no problem matching any frequency from 160 thru 6 meters (a subsequent MARS modification to the 7300 also gave me very narrow 630m coverage). If you are planning any kind of balanced or unbalanced wire antenna, as long as it is at least 24 feet long, I would highly recommend the same. While I have no firsthand experience with LDG tuners, I have spoken with several users who have had bad experiences with the IT-100. I also used my AH-4 with a 360 foot EDZ for a period of months with even better results, but changed to the KAT500 this Summer in order to accommodate more power (KPA500). While the KAT500 is great for what it does, I really miss the performance the AH-4 offered at low power. Incidentally, the KPA/KAT500 combination also works seamlessly with the 7300. It's the best of both worlds, and kudos to the Elecraft engineers for making a fine product that "plays well" with non-Elecraft products. 73 Lyn, WØLEN -----Original Message----- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Randy Heise Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2019 10:59 PM To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Blasphemy maybe but looking for an honest assessment of the K2 vs. Icom 7300 ... So, background! I have just returned to the air after an 18 year hiatus other than keeping my license up to date. What lured me back was retirement and FT-8. For the past several days I have been operating with my Rev. A K2 (all options) built in 2001, a SignaLink USB interface, WSJT-X, MacLoggerDX and JT-Bridge. Because I am "antenna challenged³ due to the HOA it has become obvious that except in perfect conditions I could use a little more horsepower. I¹m faced with a $1,170 bill to do the Rev. A/B mods, build the Kat-100 and KPA-100 ?or ?$1,215 for an Icom 7300 and an LDG IT100 external tuner. I¹d really appreciate thoughts from anyone who is knowledgeable on both rigs. The Icom gives me a waterfall display and 6 meters ?WSJT-X gives my K2 a waterfall display. It¹s a toss up in price but I can¹t help wondering about the 20 year difference in technology. Thanks, Randy - NB7E ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
