I like to hike in areas where 2m is mostly useless. The weight I can carry
is extremely limited, and the KX1 is about right. Hiking is slow and it
takes time to get anywhere. Cooking and other tasks take time. I seldom have
more than one hour to operate after everything else is done, including
station setup. At my age I am not comfortable setting up the radio on the
ground, or sitting on the ground. I will find a rock or fallen tree to sit
on. If I am lucky, there is another such surface nearby that can serve as
operating table. If not, I will hold the radio in one hand. An external
tuner or external paddles would be unacceptable - not enough hands. If an
"operating table" is available, only one box can be balanced on top of it.
Connect two items together with a cord on top of the "table", and one item
will be on a slope and start sliding down. Also, the pull of the earphone
cord or antenna feedline will cause one of the items to slide down. Once one
item slides, the rest will follow. External batteries would be possible only
if placed on the ground with a long-enough cord, but they are too heavy
compared to the Lithium batteries I use inside the KX1. Normally the radio
is for typical qso's, but the ability to call for help *is* important.
With the foregoing as background, how do I look at the KX3? The extra power
is a plus, but even at 10 W I would not need any external battery based on
the operating time estimates I have seen here. The extra size/weight is not
a plus, and might cause me to take the KX1 over the KX3 on a given trip.
However, as a K3 user, I really want the nice user interface and selectivity
performance I expect to see in the KX3 whenever I can carry the bigger
radio. I hope the internal tuner option will be available before the 2m
option.
73,
Erik K7TV
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