I love my K2 for its intended use, but it
will not replace the following 2 categories of
rigs in my shack:
I. Contests & Low Band DX - Orion & TS-930S. Why?
1. It does not have good close-in RX performance.
I first discovered this when listening for YA8G on
1814.0 only to hear traces of W1AW from 1817.5.
Also, if you check its phase noise performance,
it limits the 1-2 kHz IMD performance to ~80 dB
versus mid-90's for Orion.
2. CW Pitch limited to 400 Hz minimum. This
is a show-stopper for many rigs for me and one of
the reasons I love both Orion and the TS-930S. Both
allow setting CW Pitch well below 300 Hz which
is where my ears' S/N peaks for extremely weak
signals (240-270 Hz). I know that is very low but
it does work well for me (319 DXCC confirmed
on 160m, 339 confirmed on 80m and current record
for copying N2XE's QRP beacon on 80m - 27 uW at
~550 miles distance).
3. Size. My big hands and weak eyes like larger
controls and displays both for contests and extended
hours of low band DX-ing.
II. Ultralight QRP - KD1JV's ATS-3. Why?
1. 3.5 oz weight for Spartan Sprints and
backpacking operation.
2. Sexiness of a complete rig in an Altoids tin,
although it is somewhat cumbersome to use.
The K2 was born of FD QRP operating
and is undoubtedly the best rig there is for that
type of operation but it does have shortcomings
in other areas. I would love to see Elecraft do a
physically larger version, address the phase noise
issues and allow CW Pitch of at least 300 Hz
(preferably down to 250 Hz). Meanwhile I still
love it for the "most fun" in portable operating!
73, Bill W4ZV
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