[Elecraft] K1 quick comparison to other rigs

[Mark J. Dulcey]

BobDobson@aol.com wrote:

> I just compared the K1 #690 receive sensitivity to
> a Yaesu FT-817 and a Kenwood TS-570SG.  I 
> used some weak signals (due to rotten antennas
> most signals are weak here) and the Calibrated
> Eardrum (okay, the S-meter, too).  The K1 receiver 
> is, at least in theory, less robust than its "full-featured" 
> brethren, yet IS EVERY BIT AS CAPABLE OF DIGGING 
> OUT WEAK SIGNALS.  And I have heard the K2
> receiver is significantly better; K2 #2537 awaits
> assembly in the shack.  
> 
> My question at this point is not so much "What is
> Elecraft doing right?" but rather "What are Kenwood,
> Yaesu, and Icom doing wrong?"  I expected the more
> expensive receivers to be at least a bit more sensitive,
> but are not, at least by my reckoning.


Sensitivity of receivers is unlikely to be an issue for any reasonable 
design for the HF bands. HF reception (especially with the preamp on) is 
usually limited by band noise, not receiver noise. I would expect all 
your radios, including your not-yet-built K2, to be just about equal there.

The differennces show up in STRONG signal reception, not with weak 
signals. That's where the K2 really shines. A naive guess is that your 
K1 would hold its own with the FT-817, and be slightly bested by the 
TS-570, and that your K2, when completed, will handily defeat them all.