[Elecraft] My K2 is unbelievable!

[Gary D Krause]

Oh come on Kent! :-) You are missing the point.  I know it's mostly about 
propagation but, when you build a rig yourself and it performs better than 
your expectations, it's hard not to react like a novice (which I am not) with 
your first contact.  You may look at it as just progagation, a bunch of 
diodes, capacitors, resistors, etc., but, there is a lot more to it than just 
that.  For me, ham radio is about making new friends, talking with people in 
far away places, imagining what it's like where they are, what they look like, 
spending time in the glow of the radio on a dark winter night.  It's about 
sending and receiving QSL cards, building antennas, sharing ideas and learning 
about different cultures and people.  It's about connecting with someone that 
you have never met and probably never will.  Yep, for me there is a lot more 
to ham radio than just technical stuff.

Gary, N7HTS




On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:03:19 -0500
  K9ZTV <k9ztv at socket.net> wrote:
> Gary . . .
> 
> The rig is indeed fantastic, but RF is RF regardless of what brand produces 
>it.
> 
> Chalk up your Maine QSO to propagation.  Any other 10 watt rig and a 
>vertical would have sounded just the same to him.
> 
> What sets the K2 apart from other rigs are the dynamics of the receiver 
>during contest conditions.
> 
> Since his signal was "booming in with a 20 over nine signal," with no 
>crowded band, the K2's close-in advantage contributed nothing.  Any other rig 
>would have heard him just as well.
> 
> I'm not writing in order to "rain on your parade," but to temper your 
>knowledge of what contributes to successful QSOs.  In a contest, the K2 
>shines by itself.  In other situations, it shines equally with most other 
>modern rigs.
> 
> My opinion only . . .
> 
> 73,
> 
> Kent  K9ZTV
> 
> 
> 
>