[Elecraft] Do I need to upgrade my QRP-K2/ Clean Signals...

[Earl W Cunningham]

Hi, Trev,

You wrote:

"Well, I'm going to order the mod kit for my K2 and compare it to Don
NK6A's unmodified K2 on Ernie N6HY's IC-756 Pro 2 and see if we can hear
the difference."
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Have Ernie set his filter bandwidth to 50 Hz when you do the click tests
with the K2s.  If Ernie tunes +/-1 kHz out of the filter passband, he'll
hear the clicks from the unmodified K2 and he'll hear none from the
modified K2 until he is only about +/-200 Hz or less out of the
receiver's filter passband.

IC-756Pros also have clicks +/-1 kHz with the default rise time menu
setting of 4 msec.  A bit less with the menu set to 6 msec and almost
perfectly clean with the menu set to 8 msec (but still not quite as good
as a click-modified K2).  I run my Pro2 at the 8 msec setting and have no
problems being copied QRQ.
==========

"Now, one question I have is what is the impact when running QRP? Is it
going to be harder for me to get a signal through or since it's a
narrower bandwidth, is it going to be a more efficient punchy signal?"
----------
A wider BW CW signal is no stronger than a clean signal to the listener
when he is tuned to copy your CW.  
Your modified K2 will be just a punchy as a clicky K2.  I would hesitate
to call a clicky signal "efficient".

73, de Earl, K6SE