[Elecraft] K2/100 or K3/10?

2007-09-26 Thread wb2srf
I built the K2 with internal battery and all accessories for a compact stand alone QRP rig and the KPA100/ KAT100 in a separate EC2 enclosure for QRO base operation. Enjoyed assembling the kits, lots of toroid winding and soldering. I find that I use the K2 QRP the most when spending time outdo

[Elecraft] K2/100 or K3/10?

2007-09-26 Thread Kristinn Andersen
I own neither yet, but I have an IC746 that serves me fine for now as a 100W base rig. In this situation I am leaning towards the K2/QRP as a next rig, for the reason of portability. An excellent transceiver with a battery pack, an antenna tuner and all, ready to take along on travels or put up w

RE: [Elecraft] K2/100 or K3/10?

2007-09-26 Thread Ron D'Eau Claire
Quite so! One can think of it in terms of bandwidth too, since the bandwidth varies in proportion to the data rate. Wider bandwidth signals, such as SSB, can be thought of as spreading the same RF power over a wider frequency expanse of noise, so the S/N suffers. Elecraft designed the K2 with a m

RE: [Elecraft] K2/100 or K3/10?

2007-09-26 Thread Solosko, Robert B (Bob)
ptember 25, 2007 4:13 PM To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: RE: [Elecraft] K2/100 or K3/10? Another way to look at it is that 10 watts is 10 dB (about 1.5 S-units) below 100 watts. That's enough to make a difference, but not a huge difference in who you can work and when, especially on CW. S

Re: [Elecraft] K2/100 or K3/10?

2007-09-26 Thread Julian G4ILO
If the idea of needing to use CW to make QRP contacts seems off-putting, you can always use PSK31. It's very popular now, and just as effective as CW at low power levels. In that respect, the K3 with its built in PSK31 support (and built-in CW decoder too) might be the better choice. -- Julian, G4

Re: [Elecraft] K2/100 or K3/10

2007-09-25 Thread Gary D Krause
I would get the K3 for the same reason that Dave gave. If you get the K2 it won't be long before you are wondering about the K3 and you'll probably end up with both. If you get the K3 you can save some money. When everyone starts getting their K3's, you'll be reading about them and that will

RE: [Elecraft] K2/100 or K3/10?

2007-09-25 Thread Ron D'Eau Claire
Another way to look at it is that 10 watts is 10 dB (about 1.5 S-units) below 100 watts. That's enough to make a difference, but not a huge difference in who you can work and when, especially on CW. SSB is perhaps a little more of a challenge, but that might be because I'm a CW op too and only ge

RE: [Elecraft] K2/100 or K3/10?

2007-09-25 Thread Dave Van Wallaghen
Hey Keith, I'm a new ham, so take this for what its worth. I have K2/100 #5099 and it is my first transceiver. I did the split of the KPA100 into the EC2 with the KAT100. This summer I operated almost exclusively outside in my yard with my basic K2 and a small wire doublet up in a tree. I ran 5 wa

Re: [Elecraft] K2/100 or K3/10?

2007-09-25 Thread Dave G4AON
Keith My favourite rig since 2001 is my ten Watt K2. There's plenty of DX to be worked on 10 Watts of CW, even with my simple wire antennas I've worked dozens of countries out as far as ZL. SSB would be another issue, ten Watts of SSB is hard work compared to ten Watts of CW. Given the impro

[Elecraft] K2/100 or K3/10

2007-09-25 Thread DOUGLAS ZWIEBEL
Keith: Not having a K3 in hand, I am just making a "best guess," but I would say, based on your self-description as a cw ragchewer, casual DXer, and contester-light, I'd say go for the K2/100. This recommendation takes into account that you want 100 watts. But if you're happy with the K3/10 powe

[Elecraft] K2/100 or K3/10?

2007-09-25 Thread Darwin, Keith
So, assuming it is one or the other, which do you think would be a better choice for a CW operator who is mostly an east-coast rag chewer with occasional DX chasing and light duty contesting? I'm leaning toward the K3/10 since it can eventually be upgraded to 100 watts, but I wonder if 10 watts (