Century 22 vs. K2.
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I picked up a used C22 last night. Had one years ago and remember it
fondly. So, partly for old time's sake, I got another. I hooked it up next to the K2 and began tuning around. Wow, was 40 meters alive with signals. The lower end of the band was packed. I narrowed the C22's audio filter down almost all the way before I started to hear the open spaces between the signals. The rig sounds pretty good and has nice big knobs. I miss big knobs. I listened to the C22 for a bit then switched to the K2. Wow, what a difference. Suddenly 40 meters is not alive with signals, but has quite a bit of open space between each signal. The background sounds quieter, smoother in the K2. AF hiss is much lower in the K2 than the C22 which was a bit of a surprise. I had expected the rather simple receiver design in the C22 to produce minimal AF hiss. Not so. QSK in the C22 is not as good as the K2. The C22 gives thumps and pops in the headphones and speaker during QSK. K2 is far smoother and quieter. Certainly, it is not a fair comparison but just the same, having another rig has renewed my my "Wow Factor" for the K2. - Keith KD1E - - K2 5411 - _______________________________________________ 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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Darwin, Keith wrote: QSK in the C22 is not as good as the K2. The C22 gives thumps and pops > in the headphones and speaker during QSK. K2 is far smoother and > quieter. I am surprised! Ten Tec is known for QSK rigs. Perhaps some aging components are in need of service. > Certainly, it is not a fair comparison but just the same, having another > rig has renewed my my "Wow Factor" for the K2. hey man, it's the fun in doing so that counts! When doing comparisons between your "first" radio re-acquired and your current love affair with the K2 it's always exciting to do comparisons from yesteryear to today. Think how much older you are too! (smile). Ron, wb1hga owner of several fine radios from Ten Tec including the fun-est radio of all time: K1! _______________________________________________ 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 Darwin, Keith
In defense of the Ten Tec:
- The Century 22 is a design from about 20 years ago. A lot has changed! - The C22 was the bottom-of-the-line for Ten Tec when it was made.Lots of compromises in the design. - IIRC, the C22 receiver is not a superhet like the K2 or K1. It's a form of direct conversion, which means you hear both sides of zero beat, doubling the apparent QRM. All the selectivity is audio, and so is the AGC. - The tuning rate of the C22 is about 18 kHz per turn of the knob. That's a lot faster than the K2, making the band seem more crowded, since one turn takes you through a lot more signals. Both are good rigs. 73 de Jim, N2EY _______________________________________________ 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 Darwin, Keith
I said: >> QSK in the C22 is not as good as the K2. The C22 gives thumps and pops >> in the headphones and speaker during QSK. K2 is far smoother and >> quieter. Ron Replied: > I am surprised! Ten Tec is known for QSK rigs. > Perhaps some aging components are in need of service. Well, it could be that. Or maybe a prior owner modified the rig. I noticed the variable filter has a center freq that seems about 500 Hz rather than the as-designed 750 Hz. I'm thinking I'll open it up and have a look around in the area of that circuit to see if there are any changed components. Still, the QSK on every TenTec rig I've had has been just a bit thumpy. Argo 515 (sold it - stupid, stupid, stupid) , Argo 509, Omni D, Omni V, Corsair II, Century 21 and now the Century 22. All sweet rigs, all had good QSK but each one was a bit on the thumpy side. The Century 21 was really bad. Still they are far better than a non-QSK rig. The K2 I find to generate less extraneous nose on TR switch than those rigs, although it is not completely "clean" either. I was actually quite happy with TenTec's QSK. I'm even happier with Elecraft's. I'm getting' a hankerin' for a K1. And YES, I am quite a bit older. I had my first C22 in about 1987 or 1988. Yikes. - Keith KD1E - - K2 5411 - _______________________________________________ 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 Darwin, Keith
All true Jim. Actually I enjoy the C22. Yes, it has a direct
conversion receiver but I find the rig's simplicity enjoyable. RX performance really isn't too bad at all. It handles the crud on 40 meters far better than the Century 21. VFO tuning rate to me is just right. I'm an old school guy who actually expects to turn the knob slowly to tune slowly through the band. The crowded band issue was obviously due to the DC receiver picking up "twice" the signals. Well, that coupled with signals leaking around the filter producing high freq tones. But, crank the filter to it's narrowest setting and most of these issues go away. And the rig has the key jack on the front! How totally cool! - Keith KD1E - - K2 5411, my real rig. - - Century 22, just for fun - -----Original Message----- From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of [hidden email] Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 6:32 AM To: [hidden email] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Century 22 vs. K2. In defense of the Ten Tec: - The Century 22 is a design from about 20 years ago. A lot has changed! - The C22 was the bottom-of-the-line for Ten Tec when it was made.Lots of compromises in the design. - IIRC, the C22 receiver is not a superhet like the K2 or K1. It's a form of direct conversion, which means you hear both sides of zero beat, doubling the apparent QRM. All the selectivity is audio, and so is the AGC. - The tuning rate of the C22 is about 18 kHz per turn of the knob. That's a lot faster than the K2, making the band seem more crowded, since one turn takes you through a lot more signals. Both are good rigs. 73 de Jim, N2EY _______________________________________________ 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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