[1000mp] MP vs MK-V vs K2 vs Etc.- Let's Roll

[lhlousek]

Yes indeed, the K2/100 is out there. I've seen a number of them and worked a few too.  My K2 doesn't have the 100W
option.  I figure if I get an amp with high gain like an Alpha 99 or AL-800H, 10W out of the K2 should give 300+ Watts ,
my K1 should yield 150+W and my SST 60+ Watts. HI!

RX wise, the K2 does very well and I find the CW filters completely adequate compared to the full house of Inrad filters
in my MkV.  Heck, I paid more for the filters in my MkV than I did for my K2!  The K2's audio peaking filter does a
great job too.

The biggest problem with the K2 compared to a full size rig like the MP is the user interface. Only limited info can be
displayed and what is displayed can be cryptic.  Another example is filter selection.  Tapping one button steps through
the four filters, (4 different filters depending on mode CW, CWR, LSB and USB) but pressing the button for 1/2 second
increments you through the three audio filter settings. To display what the current filter setting is requires that you
press and hold two adjacent buttons.  This function is not labeled on the front panel.

The setting resolution of the BFO and VCO is 10 Hz so when you step through filters you can get shifts in the CW note of
up to 20 Hz between from filter to filter.  This is tolerable but not ideal.

I find the frequency accuracy of my MkV to be within a few Hz on all WWV frequencies.  The K2 is very close at 10 MHz
and below but up to 250 Hz off on 10 meters.  Mine drifts maybe 10 or 20 Hz from warm-up but other K2s drift 100 or more
Hz.  Again, tolerable but not ideal.

The AGC on the K2 doesn't have as much loop gain as on the MkV so it doesn't hold the signal level as constant.  It also
doesn't respond to crashes as much as the MkV's AGC.  Turning down the RF gain on the MkV reduces the loop gain and
makes it less responsive to crashes.  Narrowing the filter also helps the AGC to respond primarily to the signal instead
of variations in noise.  I find the action of the AGCs to be different but don't really prefer one over the other.

Lou W7dzn