[Elecraft] KX-2 wish list

[Erik Basilier]

K2DLJ wrote:

"Creeping featurism would compromise the basic beauty of the KX-1.  It works
anywhere with a 25-foot wire.  I've discovered that calling CQ is more
productive than trying to reply to someone else in competition with more
powerful stations."

 

I vividly remember a camping trip just over a year ago when I was at a high
elevation (6000 feet or so, but not as high as nearby mountain tops), and
used the 25 foot wire and counterpoise. We were just below the tree line, so
I used a tree to hoist the wire. I don't like external batteries, so my KX1
put out about 2 watts from the lithium AA cells. The only time the XYL
allowed me to set up and operate was during the lunch stop. Effective
operating time about 30 minutes. I tried 20, 30 and 40. As we all know,
those bands don't tend to be their best at mid-day. Conditions weren't good
either. I tried CQ's as well as calling others. There was no contest on.
Bottom line: Only one station acknowledged hearing me, and I was such a bad
copy that he gave up on the qso before it started. I think with 5 or 10
watts I would have made it.

 

Another memory: I had operated qrp successfully several times from a low
mountain top near home. This time we went to the same mountain range but to
a saddle point where a crude rock hut was located. This was a nice location
to stop for a snack, and it provided a place to sit while operating. Again,
someone could barely hear me, but I could not complete a qso. It was in the
afternoon when 20 usually works well. I blamed the failure on some sheet
metal embedded as a ring in the top of the building. It may have been too
close to the antenna, and it may have had lossy joints. 

 

QRP operating success depends greatly on finding great locations and
operating at the best times. When I operate portable I may not be at a good
radio location, and the time of day for radio operation is often not the
best. I want to be able to make a contact from anywhere, at any time, for
emergency purposes (and to be able to operate when the xyl  wants to stop
for a break). The reality is that no QRP HF radio easily makes contacts
under these conditions, and I need every little edge I can get. A few dB of
signal improvement means a lot.

 

73,

Erik K7TV