[Elecraft] K1 #2973 on the Air

[Doug Person]

Hi Eric,

I'm not a great cw op either.  But the K1 draws me into it. It's making 
me get better with my cw copying. Also, most cw ops are pretty patient - 
especially the FISTS group.  Good org to get involved with if you're 
looking to get better.
The K2 on cw is a sports car. Its hot and slick and handles like a 
dream. The K1 is a high-quality economy car. Its small, comparatively 
simple, and gets the job done.
I have the ATU on its way and I'm thinking about the NB.  I have 2 
two-band modules because I wanted 80 meters.
Right now, I have a small LDG tuner to tune my 160 ft open wire-fed 
doublet.  Works great. I get 7 watts out.  I'm going to try it with a 
simple long wire just to see what happens.  I have a couple of 12v 
lithium ion battery packs I bought on ebay from Hong Kong.  They should 
get me a couple of solid hours of operation when the snow finally goes 
(I'm at 8200' in the Rockies of NW Colorado).
I guess the K1 is still pretty popular. Great kit. I built one when it 
first came out; sold it a few years ago knowing I would eventually just 
build another.

gl & 73, Doug -- K0DXV


On 4/3/2011 9:20 PM, Eric Champine wrote:
> Congrats on the build Doug.
> Man it was a very fun build for me too.
> I finished mine 09-15-10. Serial# 2908.
> I was just thinking that in a little more than 6 months they sold 65 
> of them.
> On average 11 a month. I would say that they are still moving very 
> nicely off the shelf after all these years.
> They must be will loved too because I hardly ever see them for sale 
> used. I know I'll die with mine :-)
> It has the 4 band module and I added the noise blanker, ATU and 
> battery kit.
> I love how it works and sounds. I take it to work with me sometimes 
> and toss some wire up and across our 12' ceilings for lunch and make 
> some contacts even though I stink at CW.
> I am getting better and it is fun on this nice little rig.
> I like it so much I am now building the K2.
> Anyhow I just wanted to add in how much fun it was to build.
> Have a good evening.
>
> 73 de W2EEC
>
> Eric