160 on the K2
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I would like to hear some comentary about addimg 160 to my K2.
I have never worked 160 because of the severe antenna requirements. What does the reflector think? tnx 73 Bill _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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I would like to hear some commentary about adding 160 to my K2. I have never
worked 160 because of the severe antenna requirements. What does the reflector think? tnx 73 Bill _______________________________________________ ------------------------ I'm with you, Bill. My antenna limitations make working 160 impractical at this QTH, although it can always be done. Shoot, I know a lot of guys who have run 160 mobile in motion with a whip no more that 10 or so feet long. (Actually, the more successful ones of the '50s ran a long whip tied to the rear bumper looped over and tied to the front bumper to form a loop with the car body, but they were still very small antennas. Even so, the most useful feature of my 160 module is the second receive antenna. It lets me mess with small tuned loops, active antennas, etc., as an option to the main antenna for receive. That can be a real plus when dealing with severe antenna restrictions in which the best transmitting might not be the best receiving antenna. Ron AC7AC _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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I used to run 160 many years ago off of a Butternut HF6V when I was
QRO. I did not make a whole lot of contacts on it, but it was fun. It *is* a different animal. I am currently adding 160 to K2 #1981 (along with a ton of other things). I doubt I will do much there, but it will be there just in case I ever want to. Anyway, the antenna requirements are not that bad. Yes, if you want to do it "the right way" it is. But to play on you can build a cheap vertical out of some tubing and make a few contacts and it won't take up all that much room. I was also of the impression that the guys on 160 would go a little farther to try to make a contact - that is, they will listen more. That's just the thing for QRP. Randy Rathbun, NV0U [hidden email] On Jun 10, 2005, at 5:59 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: > I would like to hear some commentary about adding 160 to my K2. I > have never > worked 160 because of the severe antenna requirements. What does the > reflector think? tnx 73 Bill > _______________________________________________ > ------------------------ > > I'm with you, Bill. My antenna limitations make working 160 > impractical at > this QTH, although it can always be done. Shoot, I know a lot of > guys who > have run 160 mobile in motion with a whip no more that 10 or so > feet long. > (Actually, the more successful ones of the '50s ran a long whip > tied to the > rear bumper looped over and tied to the front bumper to form a loop > with the > car body, but they were still very small antennas. > > Even so, the most useful feature of my 160 module is the second > receive > antenna. It lets me mess with small tuned loops, active antennas, > etc., as > an option to the main antenna for receive. That can be a real plus > when > dealing with severe antenna restrictions in which the best > transmitting > might not be the best receiving antenna. > > Ron AC7AC > > > > _______________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Post to: [hidden email] > You must be a subscriber to post to the list. > Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm > Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by Ron D'Eau Claire-2
I was first licensed as G3UTY in 1964.
My first rugs were home brew, 2 tube Rx and 2 tube Tx on "Top Band" (1.8 Mhz). We used to run mobile using a center loaded 8 ft whip attached to the rear bumper. I could work a lot of europe with that configuration... You don't know what you can do until you try :-) Dave KK7SS > Shoot, I know a lot of guys > who have run 160 mobile in motion with a whip no more that 10 > or so feet long. (Actually, the more successful ones of the > '50s ran a long whip tied to the rear bumper looped over and > tied to the front bumper to form a loop with the car body, but > they were still very small antennas. _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Interesting words from another domain -- K2 presentation
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In reply to this post by William E. Twaddell
I was reading my daily RSS feed and happened to encounter the following.
While the author isn't an operator (to my knowlege), I was struck by the strong resonance with the *craft* part of "Elecraft". So many of these points apply to the Elecraft experience that I though I'd share it with you folks. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Draft Craft Manifesto I’ve been trying to pin down what is driving the increasing popularity of crafting for a while now. This is what I’ve got so far: 1. People get satisfaction for being able to create/craft things because they can see themselves in the objects they make. This is not possible in purchased products. 2. The things that people have made themselves have magic powers. They have hidden meanings that other people can’t see. 3. The things people make they usually want to keep and update. Crafting is not against consumption. It is against throwing things away. 4. People seek recognition for the things they have made. Primarily it comes from their friends and family. This manifests as an economy of gifts. 5. People who believe they are producing genuinely cool things seek broader exposure for their products. This creates opportunities for alternative publishing channels. 6. Work inspires work. Seeing what other people have made generates new ideas and designs. 7. Essential for crafting are tools, which are accessible, portable, and easy to learn. 8. Materials become important. Knowledge of what they are made of and where to get them becomes essential. 9. Recipes become important. The ability to create and distribute interesting recipes becomes valuable. 10. Learning techniques brings people together. This creates online and offline communities of practice. 11. Craft-oriented people seek opportunities to discover interesting things and meet their makers. This creates marketplaces. 12. At the bottom, crafting is a form of play. http://ullamaaria.typepad.com/hobbyprincess/2005/03/draft_craft_man.html By the way, next Wednesday I'll be doing a presentation at the Phil-Mont Mobile Radio club meeting on my K2 experience. Folks who are in the Philadelphia area that evening who might like to attend can contact me for information. 73 de Maggie K3XS Editor, Phil-Mont Mobile Radio Club Blurb - http://www.phil-mont.org Elecraft K2 #1641 -- -----/___. _)Margaret Stephanie Leber CCP, SCJP/"The art of progress / ----/(, /| /| http://voicenet.com/~maggie SCWCD/ is to preserve order/ ---/ / | / | _ _ _ ` _ AOPA 925383/ amid change and to / --/ ) / |/ |_(_(_(_/_(_/__(__(/_ K3XS / preserve change amid/ -/ (_/ ' .-/ .-/ ARRL 39280 /order."-A.N.Whitehead/ /________________(_/_(_/_______AMSAT 32844_/<[hidden email]>/ _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by William E. Twaddell
I have not put the 160m module in my K2 but I do have some experience in
operating QRP on 160m from my antenna restricted QTH. I found that the feedline run I placed in my house from basement to attic (when the house was being framed) will tune up with my external Z11 ATU on 160m and I run my FT-817 at 5w on that band. I only can make contacts during the contests and the majority of those are with stations with very large antennas. Still, a lot of fun doing more with less. 73/72 Dan NØTK Highlands Ranch, CO K2 #3652 _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by William E. Twaddell
Well, the kit sure doesn't cost too much extra to add and you get to
solder some more, so those are a couple of benefits right off. The separate Rx port was also intriguing to me and while I haven't used it yet on my fairly new K2 I would be interested in trying it with a magnetically shielded loop or someday when I have more space again some Beverages. I wouldn't say that I am currently antenna limited, though, as I do have a Carolina Windom 160 up about 40 to 45 feet. It has worked quite well. I've always found that even with 100W on 160m I felt like I was QRP as so many folk are running KW+ on the top band. I've been told not to bother with 160m when I was trying to answer somebody's CQ (he was running a KW and I had my standard 100W) and he couldn't hear me very well. I mean, some folk there are just plain rude, maybe not as rude as some on 75m or so on but sure enough, rudeness isn't limited anywhere that I've found. With all of that "bad experience" I still decided to install the 160m module. I figured maybe at least I can listen. Well, my first night out with it I tried it out on Tx as well, just 5W CW. Have worked several states so far, almost every time I've spend a few minutes calling CQ on 1810 kHz somebody comes back to me (usually running nearly 100W). Had a nice 2x599 QSO with a guy in Alexandria, Virginia last night (I live in Allentown, PA, so no great shakes, but was nice anyway). My favorite QSO of all so far was with a station in Greece! I could only give him a 559 even though he was running about 800W I think, but he gave me a 569! How did he do that? His Rx was with a 1000' long Beverage (one of four) pointed at USA. Also, he claimed band conditions were quite good that night. I'll tell you, if you made just one contact like that it would be worth the price and effort to install! Every time I make a QSO on 160m while QRP I'm always amazed. Also, with a compromised antenna situation when I was a kid living in Michigan in the mid-80s one night I heard a big pileup on the Marshall Islands. Well, I didn't bother trying to bust the pileup running 100W and a poor antenna, but I tuned around a bit figuring maybe other stations from that area would be active as well and maybe easier to get since there were so many stations in the pileup. I was right! First worked KH6VT in Hawaii, got him on about the 2nd or 3rd call. Then I heard a station that I had no idea where they were but I remembered the advice from my Elmer "Work 'em first, worry about 'em later." The callsign was UV1OO. Turns out they were on Franz Josef Land in the Arctic Sea. Imagine, the band being open to the Pacific and completely opposite direction to the Arctic areas as well, simultaneously! Rather than tuning around to see what else I might find I just shut the rig down and went to bed happy that night! 160 is truly amazing, give it a shot. Mark, NK8Q K2 4786 William E. Twaddell wrote: > I would like to hear some comentary about addimg 160 to my K2. > I have never worked 160 because of the severe antenna requirements. > What does the reflector think? > tnx > 73 > Bill > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by William E. Twaddell
William,
Come join the fun at 160 and it is not all that daunting to get on the air. I use an Inverted-L antenna that is 130 feet long...about 60 foot up the tower and then 70 feet to a tree. The horizontal leg is sloping down quite a bit and it works well. Now, I am not working DX on the first call, but I've done plenty of damage with the antenna in 160 meter contest state-side. Although it is called an Inverted-L...and 130 foot length of wire is going to tune somewhere with a little ham radio engineering. The thing you need is a counterpoise or radials on the ground. The more the better (to a point). I have 17 radials...random length that fits on my city lot...in a half-moon because my house is on the lot and I have not taken the time to snake radials under the house and around the basement. The K2/100 along with the KAT100 loads grand into the wire. I work many, many stations on 160 meters. The K2 is very HOT on 160. The Inverted-L could be a long-wire too...just a hunk of wire 130 feet long or so fed against a counterpoise or a good ground. IT does not have to be in a straight line either. The KAT100 at the QRP version of the tuner is an LC Network which will load just about anything...even your rain guttlers (not plastic ones though). Any antenna you get on 160 (except for the big ones) will have limited bandwidth, but that is OK. Use the tuner. It won't be ideal, but heck, ham radio is full of trade-offs. If you can't get the 130 feet out in the yard, you might try to add a lump inductance at the end of the wire with about 10 feet after the inductor. The inductor could be say 2 feet long made out of 2" PVC pipe with #12 wire wrapped around out...the taped. It is not an exact science but it works. With the inductor, the bandwidth gets real slim. I've been on 160 by feeding the coax shield on my 80 meter dipole...using the feedline shield as a radiator and one leg of the 80 meter dipole. If you have a tower with a beam on it....use a gamma match wire connected to the top of the tower on a 3 foot arm...and a small variable capacitor at the bottom. I've ran 100 watts using this configuration and the capacitor was a ganged 365 pf BC capacitor. You just have to tune the capacitor for the part of the band you want to work. These are just a few ways I've gotten on 160 meters. As far as the K2 is concerned, fantasstic on 160, The KAT100 tuner or the QRP tuner is also fantastic on the band too. I've used the 130 foot Inverted-L (long wire) on 80, 40 and 30 meters too with great success with the KAT 100. Have fun...and get on Top Band. It is pretty poor conditions in the summer, but you will be surprised in the fall and winter what you can do with simple antennas on 160 meters. Plan now. I always work on the 160 meter antenna when it is very cold outside. Try not to do that. 73 Lee - K0WA Common sense is in short supply - get some and use it. If you can't find any common sense, ask for help from somebody that has some common sense. - Lee Buller _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by William E. Twaddell
On Friday 10 June 2005 18:45, William E. Twaddell wrote:
> I would like to hear some comentary about addimg 160 to my K2. > I have never worked 160 because of the severe antenna requirements. > What does the reflector think? I wonder why 160m is an option on the K2 other than the fact that it won't fit on the main PCB. To me, an HF transceiver doesn't deserve the name if it doesn't have "Top Band". I finished my K2 just a couple of days ago and have not been on 160m, except into the dummy load for aligning. I didn't buy the 160m option just to 'complete' the K2 - I intend to use it. Ian, K2 #4962 -- _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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On Fri, 2005-10-06 at 22:30 -0400, Ian Stirling G4ICV, AB2GR wrote:
> To me, an HF transceiver doesn't deserve the name > if it doesn't have "Top Band". 1 - 160m isn't HF, it's MF. 2 - You don't call the K1 or KX1 HF rigs? How about a homebrew mononband QRP rig? If a radio meets the design goals, and those goals didn't include covering every single band, I don't think that makes it undeserving. 3 - Don't take this email too seriously - it's not intended to be! -- 73, Brian VE7NGR _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by William E. Twaddell
Bill
The K2 is a fantastic QRP radio for 160m. I have one of the few 160m QRP WAS certificates issued by ARRL. And that's doing it from the left coast :-) Go for it and enjoy. Good luck and 73 Bob N6WG -----Original Message----- From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]]On Behalf Of William E. Twaddell Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 3:46 PM To: [hidden email] Subject: [Elecraft] 160 on the K2 I would like to hear some comentary about addimg 160 to my K2. I have never worked 160 because of the severe antenna requirements. What does the reflector think? tnx 73 Bill _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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