[Elecraft] Re: SS experience

[John Webster]

Lee asked:

>I am interested in how K2's did in SS-CW and SS-SSB this year.  Just a
couple
>of sentences would really be interesting to read.
>
>Lee, K0WA

and earlier, Milt said:

>Arrived home shortly after 0000 hours Z this evening.  Wanted to do a
little
>SS so I put the K-2 on 40 Meters.  Somewhat crazy to try 5 Watts amongst
the
>KWs and the BC carriers but I wanted to see what the little radio would do.
>
>In five hours of casual S & P I worked the obligatory 100 Qs.  Section
total
>was 43 with a score of 8,600. Best DX was WP2Z with one call.  Worked NH,
>VT, RI, EMA, WMA, and DE.  Not bad from Soutwest NM.  About 70% of the
>contacts were single exchange with no repeats. I did not work another Q
power
>station.  I only heard one and he was working the RI station.
>
>BTW, the antenna does help.  2 element Cushcraft at 100'.
>
>Milt, N5IA

Hi Lee, Milt and List:

Lee, you asked :)

I have never operated seriously in a contest.  Sure I have tried
to work a few new ones in a DX contest or two, but never
submitted a log.  But the K2 can be seductive.

I tried out my hand at copying fast CW (by listening over
and over to the same station before working them) in the
CW SS a few weeks back, but only had time for a few
contacts.  The K2 is by far the best CW rig I have ever
owned (e.g. most recently, the TS-850 with filters, which
is not all that shabby itself).  But I've always thought SSB
is something else again.

This weekend I thought I would try out the K2, QRP, in a
phone contest.  Nothing serious you understand, just a few
contacts in the ARRL Phone SS.  Well . . .

Several hours, and 151 contacts later, I came away with a
new appreciation of the K2 as a darn good "phone toy" too.

--Very quiet RX (low IMD, phase noise, etc) makes it
much easier to distinguish vital information, even when
you have three or more S9 plus forty signals almost on
the same frequency.  A quick switch back and forth
with the TS-850 confirmed this.

--On a few occasions the DSP unit came in handy
either to use along with the crystal filters to narrow
down the bandwidth to 1.8 or even 1.6, or to use the
ability to adjust the high and low cutoffs of the filter
to produce a sort of "passband tuning" effect.

--Even though the K2 is a kit-radio and "I" built it,
its performance was rock solid.  Absolutely nothing
unexpected or untoward happened.  It gives you
quite an insight when a guy on contact 1300 and
something (a serious contester!) stops the rapid fire
exchange long enough to ask you, "what rig are you
using?" and then come back to compliment you on
the quality of the audio (for contest purposes, of
course)!

--I developed a new appreciation for the ergonomics
of the rig.  While I still like the second smaller encoder
to the right of the tuning knob on the TS-850 which
moves you around in 10Khz steps, I found that I
became adept at using the rate button, RIT/XIT, and
tuning knob (I like it), all with one hand to much the
same level of efficiency.  I can't, but don't need to,
spin the knob on either rig to get around fast.

Like Milt, I worked just casual S&P (although I did
try to call CQ SS once on 15 and got two quick
contacts, both surprised to learn I was QRP from
the exchange).

I did not have the advantage of a beam (my tower
and TH-7 await erection), just a 210', end-fed,
"long wire" which the KAT2 matched on all bands
from 80 to 10 (with or without counterpoise or
ground, although the latter causes the K2 to "bite"
on odd bands :(  Best "DX" from CA on forty was
East Coast (from Florida up to CT), Virgin Islands
& Puerto Rico, Alaska and Ontario (Canada).  I
learned quickly:  to work a "B" (high power) station
over S9 plus 20, would probably take one call;
"B" over S9, a few calls; "B" less than S9, be
prepared to work!

I heard several operators working "Q" stations, but
only heard one for myself.  Like Milt, I actually
worked none.  But guess what?  . . .

You got it!  The one I heard was Milt, N5IA on
40 at 2:40z while I was on nr.149 looking for
nr. 150 (my goal by the end).  Of course, he was
S&P and I couldn't call him.  But at the time I
thought how sweet the signal sounded, weaker
than the other guy, but crystal clear and perfectly
intelligible.  In fact, he sounded serene!  I wrote
in my log, "I wonder whether he's using a K2?"
Thanks Milt for confirming my suspicions!

BTW:  I did not use a computer to control the
K2 or to log.  I did it the old-fashioned way,
with pencil and paper!  And I kept a complete
log with exchange, time and frequency for each
contact.  Toward the end, avoiding dupes was
both a colossal waste of time and a headache.

Sorry for the length, and "gushy tone", that's
what happens when you play with a K2 in a
contest.

Lee, you asked for it . . . :)

Thanks,

73

John, N6JW

P.S.  Is it sort of proper that I submit a log, desite
the relatively few contacts I made?  I don't really
relish putting all that into the PC, but want to do
the right thing.  Expert contesters please enlighten
me.