bistromatics at work: KX1 EU-US price comparison

[Andrea Borgia-2]

Hello.

I am considering the purchase of a full-option KX1 (or a K1, see later)
and have spent some  time comparing the prices on the main Elecraft site
and on that of the German distributor at http://www.qrpproject.de/

Here comes the price breakdown:

US)
-base KX1: 279 USD
-ATU: 52.93 USD (special offer until Sep.30th)
-30m kit: 29 USD
-shipping: 93.87 USD
pre-tax total: 454.8 USD, or 370.38 EUR (rate conversion by oanda.com)
Italy vat: +20% (on pre-tax total)
total, vat included: 444.45 EUR

Europe)
-base KX1: 335 EUR
-ATU: 82 EUR (full price)
-30m kit: 31 EUR
-shipping: 8 EUR (whoa!)
total, vat included: 456 EUR

It would appear that even without the ATU special discount, the EU price
is nearly the same as the US one, plus the customs fees still have to be
taken into account and the German distributor allows payment on delivery
via intra-EU bank transfers (free of charge, with my online bank).

Funny thing is, only the KX1 prices are _so_ close: the K1 (+atu) comes
in at 497 EUR from the US and at 573 EUR from Germany and the K2 (+atu,
ssb and serial) at 987 EUR from the US and at 1187 from the US. I can't
really afford the K2 (hell, even the KX1 price isn't pocket money!) and
I wasn't really looking for it, but Andrea IK1PMR (from the T33C Banaba
dxpedition) really praised it so much that I had to at least evaluate
the full costs 8-)

Has anyone from the EU, or even better from Italy, purchased the KX1
kits direct from Elecraft? Any comments wrt recent customs experiences
and such? From my little research on the list archives, it would appear
that the gap was much wider in the not-so-distant past, so I'm quite
surprised it has shrunk to the point where it is now nearly negative
(just exclude the discount for the ATU and recalculate), albeit for the
KX1 only.

Another (partially related) question: would you recommend the KX1 over
the K1 to someone who only marginally appreciates the extremely limited
weight? I do appreciate not having to bother with an external battery or
with a rather expensive option, though, and most of my activity is on 20
and 40m. When it comes to filtering and rx performance, is the K1 really
so much better than the KX1 or can the difference be ignored for
practical purposes?

TIA & B73,
Andrea

--
Homepage: http://andrea.borgia.bo.it     /    Amateur radio: IZ4FHT
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
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A: Top-posting.
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[Mike WA8BXN]

 
 Weight is but one difference, there are others that may be more important
to you. KX1 has an illuminated display (LED vs K1 LCD). K1 antenna tuner
wider range. K1 is digitally synthesized (no drift), K1 has freerunning VFO.
KX1 has variable selectivity, K1 has a speaker. K1 can do 80 M and other
bands the KX1 cannot, the KX1 tunes the entire bands it does and beyond, can
easily copy SSB. The only way to get all the features of these radios is to
buy them all (K2 has many superior chracteristics over the others, and its
disadvantages too). Good luck!

73/72 - Mike WA8BXN
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[Andrea Borgia-2]

Mike WA8BXN wrote:


> easily copy SSB. The only way to get all the features of these radios is to
> buy them all (K2 has many superior chracteristics over the others, and its
> disadvantages too). Good luck!

Unfortunately, buying them all isn't an option and never was, though it
would probably make me the Elecraft User of the Year <grin>

I've had quite a lengthy discussion with Walter DK8KV off-list mostly
about the intricacies of international shipping and now I must make up
my mind wrt the kit to buy since going for the K2, as recommended by a
few people directly to me, requires quite a bit of effort, moneywise.

B73,
Andrea.

--
Homepage: http://andrea.borgia.bo.it     /    Amateur radio: IZ4FHT
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet and in e-mail?
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[Michael Babineau]

Andrea Borgia <[hidden email]> wrote:

 >Another (partially related) question: would you recommend the KX1 over
 >the K1 to someone who only marginally appreciates the extremely limited
 >weight? I do appreciate not having to bother with an external battery
or
 >with a rather expensive option, though, and most of my activity is on
20
 >and 40m. When it comes to filtering and rx performance, is the K1
really
 >so much better than the KX1 or can the difference be ignored for
 >practical purposes?

The two rigs are different but there is some overlap.
Performance is pretty similar although after using both rigs for
some time I think the the K1 RX is a bit more sensitive and
selective but the difference is not large.

My suggestion is to look at how you intend to use the rig
and use that criteria to choose which rig to buy.

Will this rig be used primarily in the shack or for portable / field
operations?

The K1 is probably a better all round QRP rig suitable for both home
and field use, however if you intend to primarily operate the rig
portable
or perhaps stationary mobile most of the time then the KX1 form factor
and size are a plus. If you are into backpacking then the KX1 wins.
The K1 is a very compact and light rig in its own right and makes an
excellent portable rig that is equally at home in the shack.

It is a tough decision, thats why I have both rigs ;-) !


Michael VE3WMB

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