I too have noticed my K2 (5411) seems to be a bit deaf, getting worse as you go up the bands. When I compared it side by side with the 830s, the 830s detected and decoded a lot more atmospheric noise than the K2 did.
After some pondering I've come to believe what I'm hearing is not necessarily a lack of sensitivity, but a difference in AGC action. My 830s had and aggressive AGC. So did the Drake 2B. Each of them aggressively reduces gain for even the smallest signals which means the signal will always be turned down to a level that approaches that of the noise. Big signal get squashed in a big way. Even the background noise on the higher bands was amplified enough to get into the AGC. With such aggressive AGC action, the rig is run with AF gain a bit higher making the presence of static very obvious. The K2 seems to be different. The AGC isn't as aggressive so a weak signal actually *sounds* weaker and a strong one is stronger. I run the AF gain lower since average to strong signals are strong and you want to turn them down. This keeps the noise level quieter than the Kenwood / Icom / Drake / TenTec stuff I've owned which is exactly why the K2 is so nice to use. There may be a lack of sensitivity on 10 meters, but there's a preamp built right into the rig. That way when you don't need the extra sensitivity, you can turn it off and enjoy the quiet performance and better dynamic range of a rig with a tad less overall (excess?) gain. Just some random ramblings, I guess... 73! - Keith N1AS - - K2 5411.ssb.100 - -----Original Message----- From: Paul, N2PD ... However, the K2 is the only receiver (that I have owned) that has ever "failed" this test on 10 meters (meaning that more gain was needed so the preamp should be turned on) and I am wondering if others experience the same thing or there is something not right with my particular K2. _______________________________________________ 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
