[Elecraft] Re: comparison of K1 and KX1
Chris, I started my HF career with a KX1. It was perfect - right price point, good volume for my temporary shack. But as I got more proficient, I found it lacking - the tuner is good but not great, the audio is pretty quiet, the filter is effective but simplistic. It's also not really great for a mostly-permanent desktop operation, which is what I was trying to build - you might want a small tilt stand to be able to see it, for example. I upgraded to a K2, which I find much much nicer for day-to-day work. But that's not what you asked. I recently bought a K1 for our vacation QTH. I've only had it on the air a little bit. I think it's a better desktop radio than the KX1, but the display is even more limited :-) So ... it all depends. I will continue to take my KX1 into the field when size is an issue; I think it's a much better package than the K1 for that purpose. But at a desk, I'd rather use the K1. 73 de chris K6DBG ___ 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
[Elecraft] Re: Comparison: K3 and SDR 5000A
Lyle Johnson wrote: 2b) In the typical QSD/ISD system, a quadrature signal is generated by a DDS. DDSes can have very low phase noise, but typically have numerous spurs. While mitigation techniques exist, the fact remains that there are usually several spurs only 70 or 80 dB down inside a given 200 kHz wide passband. These spurs can mix with other signals. Just a quick follow-up to Lyle's posting. The K3's synthesizer uses a DDS, too, but it's almost completely isolated from the signal path, in two ways. First, it is followed by a very narrow 4-pole crystal filter (about 2.5 kHz wide), which removes harmonics as well as both narrowband spurs (over a carefully selected tuning range) and wideband Nyquist sampling spurs. Second, the DDS drives a PLL and very low-noise VCO. The VCO has a high C-to-L ratio, and very little of the capacitance is represented by the varactor diodes. This is accomplished by breaking the VCO tuning range into 128 bands. All of the above makes life difficult for your MCU firmware guy, but the result is a *very* clean signal. And this code was finished a long time ago:) 73, Wayne N6KR --- http://www.elecraft.com ___ 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
[Elecraft] Re: Comparison: K3 and SDR 5000A
N6KR: Just a quick follow-up to Lyle's posting. You guys are simply awesome! Now get my K3 shipped! :-) 73, Bill W4ZV ___ 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
[Elecraft] Re: Comparison
On Jan 13, 2005, at 10:25 AM, William E. Twaddell wrote: I know I ask this before, but do not remember as response. Is there, was there, a K2 to Argonaut V side by side ever done? Hi William (Bill?), There probably are independent comparisons out there somewhere. Meanwhile, both the K2 and the Argo V are listed in our receiver performance comparison tables: http://www.elecraft.com/K2_perf.htm This information is taken entirely from published ARRL lab tests except as noted in footnotes. We believe it to be accurate and unbiased. In the larger table (near the top of the page), transceivers are listed roughly in order of decreasing receive performance. It's a bit of an apples/oranges comparison because the rigs near the top are each best in class in one or two categories. For example, the K2 has the best 5-kHz blocking dynamic range (135 dB), and the Orion has the lowest phase noise (-138 dBc), and the IC-7800 has the best IP3 (+37 dBm). The K2 is also distinguished by having far lower current drain than any other top-rated transceiver. 73, Wayne N6KR --- http://www.elecraft.com ___ 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] Re: Comparison
Hi William - If you are a member of the ARRL you can download the reviews of each radio plus the detailed reports too. I've owned an ArgoV, Orion and K2.Orion had best receiver but did not copy anything during close-in contest QRM/DX pileups that the K2 couldn't copy too. The ArgoV was poor compared to K2.The roofing filter in the ArgoV has to be wide enough to pass AM and FM signals relying on the DSP for selectivity. I had to move 17kHz up from W1AW before I could stop the AGC from pumping on the ArgoV. It was useless trying to copy DX on 160M when W1AW was on. With the K2/100 I can copy weak top band Europeans less than 1kHz away from the 45db over S9 W1AW signal here in NY with no problem. Here is my ArgonautV portable station with built-in paddle and auto-antenna tuner... http://www.k2ta.com/argonaut.jpg Here is my K2 portable station with built-in paddle and auto-antenna tuner...same money spent. http://www.k2ta.com/k2plus1_front2.jpg If you were trying to decide between the Orion and the K2 it would be a tough choice. I owned both and ended up keeping the K2 and selling the Orion. There's really no comparison in RX performance between the ArgoV and the K2...unless you really want general coverage, FM and only mode B keying along with poorer selectivity and close-in performance. The green LED readout of the ArgoV, however, is better than the Orion or the K2...It was readable across the room without my glasses and the best readout of any radio that I have ever owned. 73 de Tom K2TA - Original Message - From: wayne burdick [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: William E. Twaddell [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: Elecraft Reflector elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2005 2:25 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Re: Comparison On Jan 13, 2005, at 10:25 AM, William E. Twaddell wrote: I know I ask this before, but do not remember as response. Is there, was there, a K2 to Argonaut V side by side ever done? Hi William (Bill?), There probably are independent comparisons out there somewhere. Meanwhile, both the K2 and the Argo V are listed in our receiver performance comparison tables: http://www.elecraft.com/K2_perf.htm This information is taken entirely from published ARRL lab tests except as noted in footnotes. We believe it to be accurate and unbiased. In the larger table (near the top of the page), transceivers are listed roughly in order of decreasing receive performance. It's a bit of an apples/oranges comparison because the rigs near the top are each best in class in one or two categories. For example, the K2 has the best 5-kHz blocking dynamic range (135 dB), and the Orion has the lowest phase noise (-138 dBc), and the IC-7800 has the best IP3 (+37 dBm). The K2 is also distinguished by having far lower current drain than any other top-rated transceiver. 73, Wayne N6KR --- http://www.elecraft.com ___ 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 ___ 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
