KX1 #884 nw QRV

[Sergej Kindsvater DF6MU]

having recently bought an assembled K2 I shortly afterwards decided to
have some fun too and ordered the KX1 kit.

To start with it got delivered from the US to Germany in only two days
after I placed the order online, wow! That was my first electronic
project in the last 15 years (I did some before). I assembled the kit
with the 30m and ATU options in three days, while spending 5 to 6 hours
a day, not more. It was fun! Everything went very smoothly thanks to the
excellent assembling manual.

I ran two QSOs on 40m yesterday after having finished the assembly and
got 599 from YU and UR, using an endfed 20m wire! Today I used 8m of
wire with two 10m radials and worked LZ with 599 on 20m band right out
of my office. Later tonight at a club station I got 339 from an RA1A
while running on batteries at abt 1.5W into an 2x17m duplet.

One problem I have encountered is with the plug-in keyer paddle option.
The paddle itself works just great, but the captive thumbscrew that is
there to lock the paddle to the KX1 frontpanel appears to have been not
threaded properly till the very end of its thread. As I didn't have a
non-metric threading die at hand I applied some force (with plyers :)
trying to get the screw through the threads in one of the aluminium
bracket's holes.
As a result I now have a screw that is twisted and slightly bent to a
side but still doesn't go through the threads in the bracket. I've
checked for an imperial threading dye in a hardware shop today... to no
avail ... shall I ask Elecraft for a replacement (kind of silly to have
only one screw shipped overseas)?

Some other notes that maybe somebody on the list can comment on:

The current drain I have measured having assembled KX1 and the 30m
option with LED set to L3 was 41 mA, I guess it is OK? A little bit more
than specified in the manual/errata (should be 35 mA typical, max. 40 mA
with headphones and LED out).

Also the power I measure on the 50 Ohm load is 5 W on 20m, 6.3 W on 30m
and 5.7 W on 40m (ATU in CAL, bypassed). Too high? Dangerous for the PA
transistor? I set the R1 and R2 of the ATU to 60% setting as in the
errata, but didn't do the optional power calibration yet.

During the tests after accomplishing of each stage of the assembly I
also sometimes had results that were differing from those given in the
manual:

After assembly part I (control, display and audio stages): while
checking AC voltage on D2 anode I measured 25.9 mV and 25.3mV on D2
cathode (should be less than 20 mV AC rms in both cases).

After finishing Assembly Part II (Receiver) resistance checks measured
following values that differ from those printed:

U4 all other pins: my case 7k (should be more than 10k)
U5 all other pins: my case 7k (should be more than 10k)
U6 all other pins: my case 8k (should be more than 10k)

During the Assembly Part III (Transmitter), resistance checks as
outlined on Manual Page 54, those that did not match with these in the
manual:

Q4 Base in my case 6k (should be more than 10k)
Q4 Collector in my case 5.6k (should be more than 10k)
Q5 Base in my case 5.6K (should be more than 10k)

I still need to calibrate the S-Meter, BFO and DDS.

All in all I guess I am happy with this lttle transceiver. Assembling it
has been a superb experience, I like its looks, it's powerful package
that includes the memory keyer and the ATU, and just can't wait to get
qrv it in the field asap

Thanks for any replies/comments.

73 de Sergej, DF6MU (ex DL1ABD, UA9CTP)

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[Alan Dewey]

Wow...  I guess that is not a QRP rig if you have that much power !

My external power meter said I was getting nearly 4 watt from my KX1.
The test equipment at work said it was 3.1 W.  It is hard to make
accurate measurements at these lower power levels with typical equipment
"designed" for "hams".

My kx1 paddles the screw was "just barely long enough".  I had used a
lockwasher that
was just too thick.  I have put a very thin one in there.  It is not the
strongest attachment
a person could design, but this rig was designed for portability, not
combat.  I guess
I am getting two hole turns in there.

Isn't the female threads for the paddles a pressed-in nut ? (In the U.S.
they are called
"PEM nuts"  (the initials of a popular screw manufacturer ).   You might
find a capable
amateur machinist and see if that one could be pressed out and a metric one
installed in
it's place.   Perhaps you could even let us yankees know how to obtain
metric versions of
the pressed-in nut and the screw :-)

Congratulations on your kit.
You will surely use it on the air a lot !

de WB9JTK  KX1 s.n. 861



>The paddle itself works just great, but the captive thumbscrew that is
>there to lock the paddle to the KX1 frontpanel appears to have been not
>threaded properly till the very end of its thread. As I didn't have a
>non-metric threading die at hand I applied some force (with plyers Some
>other notes that maybe somebody on the list can comment on:
>

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