[Elecraft] Re: K2 vs K1 for strong station resistance?

[James Duffey]

Peter - The K-1 has much poorer strong signal handling 
capabilities than does the K-2 . This is due  to the choice of mixers 
in the front end, which in turn is driven by economics. As the carny 
barker says, you pays your money and takes your choice.

At the 2002 Duke City Hamfest , Fred, KT5X, had his K-2 set up 
with a Moxon rectangle.  To the rear of the rectangle about 100 feet 
away was N5M the hamfest station; an Icom Pro2 running 100 
watts. Fred could work to within 5 kHz of N5M with no trace of 
interference. When I hooked up my K-1 to the same antenna I had 
trouble 35 kHz away with the attentuation kicked in and the AGC 
off. I could work stations, but there was noticible interference from 
N5M, largely noise floor pumping, some distortion, and an 
occasional click or thump. We made no measurements, so  this is 
anecdotal information, but it was an impressive difference.

I suspect that it is difficult for the K-1 to share a band with  another 
rig without noticing it. 

It it easier for two rigs to coexist on different bands.  Single band 
antennas  with high rejection on the other band, such as dipoles 
working on even harmonics will work, as will cross polarized 
antennas, a vertical on one band and a dipole on the other. Band 
pass filters are also useful in this case.

I have successfully shared a band with me in the CW portion and 
another station on SSB using a OHR Classic (20 M and 40 M dual 
bander with double balanced diode mixer front end) and a TS-850 
with narrow CW filters.  From my experience, these are 
comparable to the K-2 in handling strong signals in a multistation 
situation. I am sure that there are others as well. 

As Tom pointed out, antenna and station layout  and antenna 
selection can play a big role in how much interference will occur. 
Tom's end to end orientation of dipoles is one approach, cross 
polarized antennas ( vertical for one, horizontal for the other) is 
another, and physical distance etween the stations is a third.

The K-1 is a fun rig to travel, camp, and backpack with.  There are 
better choices for multirig operatons though, including the K-2.

Will any Elecrafters be at Lobstercon? I am in Ballston Spa, New 
York visiting my daughter and will leave for Maine on Friday 
morning. See you there. - Dr. Megacycle KK6MC