Re: [Elecraft] They Laughed At My K1
FB - I haven't finished my K1 yet. Maybe I'll bring it next year. On Sun, Jun 29, 2008 at 3:46 PM, Jon Perelstein [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: All the big radios laughed at my K1 when I set it up at the club Field Day site. But they stopped laughing when it churned out QSO after QSO on 40 and 20 meters -- mainly because it has a better receiver for CW than ICOM 746 and 756 base stations. And they especially stopped laughing when one of the generators died, knocking one of the big rigs off the air. The K1 stepped in and ran for 12+ hours on batteries (overnight) and a solar cell (daylight). Plus, just think of those multiplier points for QRP and for solar power. KB1QBZ K1 #2552 ___ 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
Re: [Elecraft] They Laughed At My K1
Great story Jon! Jon Perelstein wrote: All the big radios laughed at my K1 when I set it up at the club Field Day site. But they stopped laughing when it churned out QSO after QSO on 40 and 20 meters -- mainly because it has a better receiver for CW than ICOM 746 and 756 base stations. And they especially stopped laughing when one of the generators died, knocking one of the big rigs off the air. The K1 stepped in and ran for 12+ hours on batteries (overnight) and a solar cell (daylight). Plus, just think of those multiplier points for QRP and for solar power. KB1QBZ K1 #2552 ___ 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
RE: [Elecraft] They Laughed At My K1
Geat Jon! That power issue has gone on since I made my first QSO back in '52. There are so many ops convinced that there's a huge difference between 5 or 10 watts and 100 watts or so they can't believe that it's almost impossible to spot the difference on the air under many circumstances. Back then I knew ops who laughed at my rig running 50 watts out saying they obviously had a much bigger signal running about 70 watts output. Ha! There are even some today who think there's a useful difference between 80 and 120 watts. Sure, in a contest there's a lot more QRM. But, as you noted, that's better handled by a superior receiver than superior power, especially when it takes a huge increase in power to be noticeable at the other end. Besides, in a contest, one doesn't have complex QSO's - just a simple little exchange of a few numbers snuck between the QRN and QRM and it's time to go on to the next station. And the multipliers you gain by not giving into the high power fantasy are a real bonus. Perhaps we shouldn't make the minimal advantage of high power widely known or the QRP/Battery/Solar multipliers might go away ;-) Naw, educating others with solid examples is more important. Keep setting the great example - and having great fun! Ron AC7AC -Original Message- All the big radios laughed at my K1 when I set it up at the club Field Day site. But they stopped laughing when it churned out QSO after QSO on 40 and 20 meters -- mainly because it has a better receiver for CW than ICOM 746 and 756 base stations. And they especially stopped laughing when one of the generators died, knocking one of the big rigs off the air. The K1 stepped in and ran for 12+ hours on batteries (overnight) and a solar cell (daylight). Plus, just think of those multiplier points for QRP and for solar power. KB1QBZ K1 #2552 ___ 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] They Laughed At My K1
They laughed at my K1 too and said that life was too short for QRP. Then as they were putting up the antenna I proceeded to make a contact from the Oregon coast to southern California at 7 watts with the antenna still laying on the ground. Then I got to have a LOT of fun making about 250+ contacts on the K3 before it died and would no longer produce RF output. We had a K2 and put that into its place afterward and kept the action alive but it just wasn't the same with my baby dead. I've only had it a week. Most of the guys were amazed at how well I knew the radio for someone that had only owned it a week. My pat answer to that was when you have to wait 5 months to get a rig after the order process you get a chance to review the manual a few times in there! :) I think I sold 3 K3's this field day. The guys were also quite surprised at how happy I remained even after it broke. They were saying boy I'd be worried that things were going to be taken care of ok and what not if my YaeComWood went down like that. One thing about owning an Elecraft is that you KNOW the manufacturer is going to stand behind you! Elecraft was well represented at our FD. We had everything there but a KX1. Even had a few guys with Elecraft test gear. Had a noise gen, a S-Meter calibrator, and a WM1 there. :) The heavy operators tent looked like a Elecraft booth at a hamfest. :) On Sun, 2008-06-29 at 14:07 -0700, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: Geat Jon! That power issue has gone on since I made my first QSO back in '52. There are so many ops convinced that there's a huge difference between 5 or 10 watts and 100 watts or so they can't believe that it's almost impossible to spot the difference on the air under many circumstances. Back then I knew ops who laughed at my rig running 50 watts out saying they obviously had a much bigger signal running about 70 watts output. Ha! There are even some today who think there's a useful difference between 80 and 120 watts. Sure, in a contest there's a lot more QRM. But, as you noted, that's better handled by a superior receiver than superior power, especially when it takes a huge increase in power to be noticeable at the other end. Besides, in a contest, one doesn't have complex QSO's - just a simple little exchange of a few numbers snuck between the QRN and QRM and it's time to go on to the next station. And the multipliers you gain by not giving into the high power fantasy are a real bonus. Perhaps we shouldn't make the minimal advantage of high power widely known or the QRP/Battery/Solar multipliers might go away ;-) Naw, educating others with solid examples is more important. Keep setting the great example - and having great fun! Ron AC7AC -Original Message- All the big radios laughed at my K1 when I set it up at the club Field Day site. But they stopped laughing when it churned out QSO after QSO on 40 and 20 meters -- mainly because it has a better receiver for CW than ICOM 746 and 756 base stations. And they especially stopped laughing when one of the generators died, knocking one of the big rigs off the air. The K1 stepped in and ran for 12+ hours on batteries (overnight) and a solar cell (daylight). Plus, just think of those multiplier points for QRP and for solar power. KB1QBZ K1 #2552 ___ 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
Re: [Elecraft] They Laughed At My K1
In a message dated 6/29/08 3:47:46 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Plus, just think of those multiplier points for QRP and for solar power. Unfortunately, there probably weren't any. The way the Field Day rules are written, the power of the most-powerful rig in an FD setup is the power of all the rigs. All QSOs get the same power multiplier. IOW you don't get the QRP-battery multiplier unless every FD QSO is made running QRP-battery. There's a 100 point natural power bonus (not a multiplier) for making at least 5 QSOs with a rig powered by an alternative energy source (usually a solar panel). At K3TU we earned this bonus with a K2 and solar panel. IMHO it would be a great thing if a multi-rig FD setup could have different power levels on different band/modes. 73 de Jim, N2EY ** Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut000507) ___ 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: RE: [Elecraft] They Laughed At My K1
Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: That power issue has gone on since I made my first QSO back in '52. There are so many ops convinced that there's a huge difference between 5 or 10 watts and 100 watts or so they can't believe that it's almost impossible to spot the difference on the air under many circumstances. Back then I knew ops who laughed at my rig running 50 watts out saying they obviously had a much bigger signal running about 70 watts output. Ha! Ahh, but as a 13 year-old Novice, it felt s good when I got 75W input to the 807 rig I had painfully constructed. Way better than the 6L6. My buddies said I was weaker, but that's just what boys do to each other, I KNEW I was louder than they were ... after all 807's were taller than 6L6's. NOTE TO NEW FOLKS: Never ever pull a metal 6L6 out of the TX with bare hands if you've just been transmitting. There are even some today who think there's a useful difference between 80 and 120 watts. There is. He answers someone else at 80W, I turn it to 120W and he answers me. Clearly a difference :-) And the multipliers you gain by not giving into the high power fantasy are a real bonus. Yep, the electric bill is a bit less. I'm fairly stunned right now by the performance of my K3. Did 1D in FD for maybe 10-11 hours on and off ... too much smoke in N. Cal. to go outside. I keep learning things. Maybe the most amazing thing for an OF like me who can remember when dirt was young is that installing invisible firmware [I can't see a thing going through that shielded cable] changes the radio so much. Wish I knew what the parameter values for NB and NR meant ... then again, maybe I don't need to. I just find the one that does the best job. I guess I'm pretty happy with my new radio. Oh, one thing I figured out ... tune around in the contest with NR on. You'll copy signals you won't hear with it off. And, notwithstanding all the hype to the contrary, any operating event where you keep score IS a contest. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2008 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 08 - www.cqp.org ___ 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] They Laughed At My K1
Wish I knew what the parameter values for NB and NR meant ... then again, maybe I don't need to. I just find the one that does the best job... Exactly, Fred! The values could be A, B C, D, ... Adjust until things are the best you can make them at the moment. You have found the correct setting for those conditions (noise, signal, propagation, your ears,... ). Might be very different next time. 73, Lyle KK7P ___ 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: RE: [Elecraft] They Laughed At My K1
In 1976 I operated Field Day with the Connecticut Wireless Association, W1TX. That year we decided to go 2A battery class, running QRP, CW only. Our score of 8865 won not only 2A-battery but would easily have won the regular 2A class as well! Using mostly wire antennas we were able to maintain good rates, even running pileups at times. That was the one and only time I have participated in a serious FD effort, where the score was all-important. Every other group I have gone with has concentrated more on the food and camaraderie. Both approaches are fun, just in different ways. Al N1AL On Sun, 2008-06-29 at 16:50, Fred Jensen wrote: Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: That power issue has gone on since I made my first QSO back in '52. There are so many ops convinced that there's a huge difference between 5 or 10 watts and 100 watts or so they can't believe that it's almost impossible to spot the difference on the air under many circumstances. Back then I knew ops who laughed at my rig running 50 watts out saying they obviously had a much bigger signal running about 70 watts output. Ha! Ahh, but as a 13 year-old Novice, it felt s good when I got 75W input to the 807 rig I had painfully constructed. Way better than the 6L6. My buddies said I was weaker, but that's just what boys do to each other, I KNEW I was louder than they were ... after all 807's were taller than 6L6's. NOTE TO NEW FOLKS: Never ever pull a metal 6L6 out of the TX with bare hands if you've just been transmitting. There are even some today who think there's a useful difference between 80 and 120 watts. There is. He answers someone else at 80W, I turn it to 120W and he answers me. Clearly a difference :-) And the multipliers you gain by not giving into the high power fantasy are a real bonus. Yep, the electric bill is a bit less. I'm fairly stunned right now by the performance of my K3. Did 1D in FD for maybe 10-11 hours on and off ... too much smoke in N. Cal. to go outside. I keep learning things. Maybe the most amazing thing for an OF like me who can remember when dirt was young is that installing invisible firmware [I can't see a thing going through that shielded cable] changes the radio so much. Wish I knew what the parameter values for NB and NR meant ... then again, maybe I don't need to. I just find the one that does the best job. I guess I'm pretty happy with my new radio. Oh, one thing I figured out ... tune around in the contest with NR on. You'll copy signals you won't hear with it off. And, notwithstanding all the hype to the contrary, any operating event where you keep score IS a contest. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2008 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 08 - www.cqp.org ___ 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
