[Elecraft] Working Split with a K1

[Michael Babineau]

Anyone who owns a K1 and has tried to work DX with it quickly realizes that this radio, unlike the K2/K3/KX3, doesn’t have multiple VFOs.
All that you have at your disposal is RIT and XIT.  The most obvious method when tuning a DX station working SPLIT is to engage the XIT to
move your Transmit frequency somewhere into the range (usually 1 to 2 Khz up) where the DX station is listening. 

Last night I was tuning around on 30m and encountered a TG9 station working SPLIT UP 2.  When I went to engage the XIT on my K1 
I realized that at some point I had overridden the front panel XIT with a PFn function for spotting. A quick trip through the menus didn’t reveal
how to enable XIT.   What I then did was to note the DX stations TX frequency, tuned up about 2KHZ to a clear spot then I enabled RIT and moved
my RX frequency back to listen to the TG9 using the RIT offset.  A couple of calls later and  he was in the log … not a bad catch for 5 watts. 

It occurred to me after that there is one big advantage of using RIT in this scenario; you can actually hear the frequency you are transmitting on by
temporarily disabling RIT.  Anyone who DXes at QRP power levels knows how important that this is as the DX station is not going to hear your measly
5W unless you are totally in the clear.  In this case the RIT button acts like an A/B button, allowing you to switch between listening to your 
RX and TX frequencies. Using XIT doesn’t give you this capability.  The one obvious negative side-effect of using RIT over XIT in this sort of scenario 
is that the RIT offset is referenced off of your VFO frequency. This means if you move the VFO to change your TX frequency you have to
readjust the RIT as well or you will lose the DX station. Presumably if you are trying to work DX at 5W, you have picked a station that is reasonably strong
(otherwise your are likely wasting your time) so finding him again shouldn’t be a big issue.  

The moral of the story is, as the old saying goes, “There is more than one way to skin a cat”. 

Michael VE3WMB / VA2NB