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| Reviews Summary for Elecraft KX1 |
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Reviews: 64
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Average rating: 4.8/5
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MSRP: $279
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Description: A unique 3-band HF CW transceiver optimized for backbacking and lightweight travel; only 9 oz., 1.3"H x 5.2"W x 3"D. Includes DDS VFO, internal battery, optional internal automatic antenna tuner, plug-in keyer paddle. Covers entire 20/30/30 m ham bands (30 m optional), plus SWL segments.
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More info: http://www.elecraft.com
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write your own review of the Elecraft KX1.
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KB3I
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 4, 2008 10:10
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QRP bliss
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I picked up my KX1 at Dayton this year, after being bitten by the QRP bug. I got the auto tuner, paddle, and the 30-80 kit, the latter on sale for 1/2 price at Dayton.
The kit instructions were crystal clear, and the radio went together perfectly. It's amazing how well engineered this radio is both electronically and mechanically.
Everything worked the first time, and the receiver performance is excellent for a rig this size and price. I couldn't be more pleased.
I took the radio to work and was up on the garage roof top working 40 and 20 in 5 minutes. Running on LiPo external batteries did great for Field Day as a 1B station.
I can't recommend this radio any more highly.
73, Ira KB3I
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W8YT
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 14, 2008 08:21
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Great Rig!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought my KX-1 used from another ham who is an engineer, and the construction looks as if it is factory built. I absolutely love this rig as it is easy to use once you get used to it, and it only takes about five minutes to be transmitting anywhere. It likes 12 volts or more better than the internal batteries, but with an 82 foot random wire, I was getting 599 reports that one ham said sounded astounding for only 3 watts. My radio has 4 bands, the internal tuner, and the paddle; also get the Pomona male BNC to binding post adapter and connect directly to the random wire as you don't lose power in coax. The beauty of this rig is that you can travel light and be ready to transmit anywhere on a moment's notice.
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N7OQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 23, 2008 18:12
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Great radio from a Exceptional company
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought my Kit (SN1993) from the Elecraft group at Radiofest 2008 from a very nice lady. I spent a couple of evenings putting it together. The Kit reminded me of the good old Heathkit days in fact the manual was better than a Heathkit manual. I did have a problem with low power out but a email to the Elecraft guys got me a fix that brought it up to full power.
It is such a cool little rig with so many options for such a small package, and the receiver performance is great, very quite and the signals just come out of no where. I just have the basic unit but plan on adding the tuner and maybe the 30/80 meter module.
I plan on building the K2 or maybe the K3 in the future. Thanks Elecraft for such a great radio! 73
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KR1S
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 20, 2008 13:02
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Great radio for simple portable operation
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've had my KX1 for more than a year, and have used it dozens of times, at home and afield. Even took it to Europe last year, with no airport hassles!
I got all the options, 80-30, ATU, paddle. My antennas vary from random-length wires hung in trees or from a 20-foot "crappie pole," to inverted-vee dipoles and ground planes at up to 50 feet (16 m). I try to avoid using the tuner, but I have always been able to find a random wire length it would match.
I don't mind the menu system. There is a cheat sheet available for download and you quickly memorize the functions you use most often. I enjoy the simplicity of the rig, and the performance is quite good, especially for its size.
From South Florida I've worked more than 50 DXCC entities on 40, 30 and 20, again with nothing more than wire dipoles or verticals, including EL, SU, TA, 3B8 and 3DA. (QSOs with at least three countries were with a KX1 on the other end!) I wish it could do "split" but have used the RIT for that when the split was within range.
This is an expensive rig for sure, especially when you add the options. But I live in a condo and can't operate from home during the day. I easily can carry the KX1 to a local park and toss up a good antenna for a few hours of ragchewing and DXing. I consider it a good investment.
My QRP site, http://qrp.kearman.com/, has a writeup on the KX1, that I've been adding to over time. You'll also find a few photos of the rig in use. Most of the time, though, I'm too busy operating to take pictures!
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AK2B
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 24, 2008 08:34
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Freedom machine
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The KX1 offers one really important thing – spontaneity. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been places with time to kill and wished I could get on the air. I keep my KX1 in a small “fanny pack”, wrapped in a bubble wrap bag, ready to go at any time. I keep some wire and an extra set of Energizer lithium batteries in the same bag. I am now prepared for any situation. While visiting relatives, if I’m told I will be left alone for a bit of time while they go to work or shopping, I just smile. The instant they’re gone, their back yard is turned into a ham shack. One wire goes to any convenient high point and the other is tossed on the ground and I’m in business. This, to me, is the whole point of the KX1. It is a totally self-contained radio with ATU and paddles. You don’t need a picnic table, a tent or even a place to sit. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes to set up and about the same time to take down. I find myself using this radio in scenarios that would be very inconvenient with any other rig. If you have time to plan your expeditions and know what, when and where, then buy a K1 - it has a better receiver, a better ATU and a little more power. If, on the other hand, you just want to take advantage of circumstances as they arise, get a KX1. Then next time Uncle Ed is starting on his second six pack and launches into a speech on presidential politics, remember what I said.
Trail friendly radio? It’s all relative :-).
Tom, AK2B
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KF4IZE
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 1, 2008 04:41
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Just finished #2!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have just finished my KX1, serial number 01978. This was my second KX1 kit and, just like the first time, was very exciting. Nothing compares to the pride you experience upon completion and more so when making contacts around the globe. It's important to pay close attention to detail to the well-laid out instructions and the various components. There's no need to rush;take your time and savour each moment. My KX1 has the 80/30 add-on and the ATU features and took me all together about 17 hours during the course of two weekends. Kudos to the Elecraft staff, namely Madelyn, Scott, Christina, and Gary. They were of tremendous assistance during the shipping process and technical help. I highly recommend all hams to try any of their kits and experience the truest adventure of Amateur Radio as in its early days.
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WA2DTW
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Rating: 4/5
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Oct 12, 2007 12:53
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Fun little rig
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I guess it's time to write my review. This rig was fun and rewarding to build. I have the 80/30 add-on, the ATU and the paddles also. It is a lot of rig packed into a very compact package. Can get 4-5 watts out with external battery, and about 1-5-2.5 watts with internal batteries. I've never taken it camping or backpacking. Its low current draw is refreshing. The bandwidth adjustment is a real plus, and with wide settings, can decipher AM broadcasts.
The rig lacks the versatility of the FT817, which is comparable in price to the fully loaded KX1, and puts out a "full QRP gallon", and has all-band capability including 2 meters and 440.
The KX1 has no built-in loudspeaker. Its menu is very complex, and non-intuitive, necessitating many trips to the manual.
All-in-all, the KX1 is a fun rig. It is quite usable and practical.
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N9GRG
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Rating: 2/5
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Sep 15, 2007 19:48
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Fun to build - hard to use and expensive
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I really like building this radio but it's really a novelty and an expensive one at that. I found that it's a cool radio a cool concept and even looks cool, but it's not practical for any use except if you really, really want to pack light or use this as an emergency backup.
It's OK but I look at it as spending $300 for the fun & therapy of building it but I don't use this at all and have sold it.
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GEIIM
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Rating: 3/5
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Sep 8, 2007 10:28
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A good niche product - has it's flaw though
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This radio is certainly a neat idea and well executed overall - all the positive comments thus far are proof-positive of the great product that Elecraft provides. As a portable it's very well rounded and provides something no other radio does - the size of a paperback, runs on batteries xmits to 4 watts, huge range of bands, internal tuner & integrated paddle as options. It is very stable and doesn't drift much if at all. The DDS design makes alignment simple and sure!
It's also a great kit that's relatively easy to build. You will be proud of it when you're done - I know, I've built two of them.
Still there are some things that I don't see mentioned that you may want to consider. Not that it makes this a poor radio, to the contrary it's a great radio & Elecraft is the best company bar none. I've built over dozens of their kits and found them to be a great group of people and a credit to the hobby!
Still, everything has its flaw and knowing them ahead of time is easier to accept than to find out later and be disappointed.
- The side tone is a square wave. It's very raspy sounding compared to the silky smooth sound of the other Elecraft radio's side tone. The transmitted signal is fine, it's just the side tone sound that's rough and it's tiring after any period of time. It is adjustable so you may find a more pleasing side tone freq but see the next point.
- The radio always transmits with the offset of 600hz. So even though you change the side tone to another frequency, the radio will always xmit on 600hz offset. If you like to zero beat the other signal this is can't be done and so you're basically stuck at 600hz square wave side tone.
- There is no speaker so you must use headphones (ear buds actually). The audio output level is very low so you need very sensitive ear buds and even then it doesn't get very loud. So if you working in windy or noisy conditions you will have a hard time hearing signals.
- The display is only 3 digits. I would have preferred smaller digits and more of them. 3 digits make sense for a single band radio, but with four bands it's a real pain to use if you’re tuning around a lot.
- SWL use, though mentioned in the documentation, is relatively poor. You can do it, but only the strongest of signals gets through well. So while it technically does do SWL, you're better off with a small Sangean or Eton for that.
- Expensive. Sure the $299 for the base model is a good price, but then the options really add up. The ATU is $89.00 and it's good but not very sophisticated. LDG sells a full features model for little more. Sure it won't fit in the case like the Elecraft will but you'll be able to tune up more. You really need the tuner though as the KX1 generates spurious emission into a mismatch and is a no-no. The Key is $65.00 whereas a Bencher BY1 (not portable of course but you get a lot more)is a little over $100 and you get a much better key. All the costs I've mentioned speaks nothing for the time put in to build it. By the time your done buying all the options and time spent building, you could buy a FT-817 and get a lot more features or an IC-718 and get a lot more radio for the buck (not portable of course)- but then you don't have the pride or experience in building it yourself.
- Internal batteries are a great feature but you will not get full 4 watts with them. You must use external 12 volts to get 4 watts. You can come up with some method to get internal 12 volts but then you'll probably be removing the internal battery holders so you'll lose this feature. Actually, this is a great area for experimentation if you're so inclined.
- This radio is neither rugged nor weatherproofed in any way. The case is metal and relatively tough but the knobs & pots are not tough and can be damaged in your pack. Do not get this near water or snow as there are no seals on this. Especially keep that in mind if you’re using gloves in the snow.
- Ergonomics are rough. Maybe it's inherent to this kind of radio but I find it hard to use regularly with having to press two keys at the same time, etc.
As I've mentioned before for what it is designed for it is the most feature filled radio kit out there & it's a great radio.
I have found this to be true of Elecraft - I love building their kits a lot more than I like using the completed product. I've built over a dozen of their kits (3 K2, 3 KPA100s, 2 KX1, etc) and found it true in every case and so I've sold them all. I hope the new K3 changes all that.
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KG6IYX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 15, 2007 01:54
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KX1 Build
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The Elecraft KX-1
I admit it. I am one of those guys that took the general exam 3 times thinking I would “get around to taking the code.” Every time I let it lapse.
The 4th time is a charm, as I have my newly minted General and a strong desire to learn the code. I will not be “no code” for long. The catalyst for getting into the code was a new rig, the Elecraft KX-1.
Presently I live the life of an airline pilot. Based in Chicago, a place I stay in California about 2 times a year, and living in Thailand. Home is where my suitcase is. Unfortunately I am still struggling to get my Thai license issues straightened out, but that is another story.
I purchased the KX-1 for several reasons. One being in my past I was a “techi” before changing occupations to flying for the airlines (maybe, not a smart move). My 26 years of aircraft maintenance experience with the navy reserve (Aircraft Electrician Chief-retired), and being in charge of maintenance on a non-motion simulator (called an FTD) at my present airline as well as flying the line, helps keep my soldering technique and tech skills up to par.
I was looking for a rig that was smaller than my FT-817. I do like it, but it’s power hungry, heavy, not very rugged, and just too large (antenna, tuner, power supply, etc.), for daily airline “bag dragging.” Looking into the KX-1, the extremely small footprint, light weight, built in tuner option, and fits nicely in a “bag drag proof” protective pelican case small enough to squeeze into my flight case made the decision for me. Not to mention the ultra light random wire antenna would be perfect for dangling from some of the hotels we overnight at.
First impressions… What can I say? In an age where it seems like “quality control,” is very lacking. I received every part, a comprehensive manual, and all the errata sheets in a well protected box! If only some of the aircraft Mod’s I did in the past had this going for them! As I do not really have any place to build the KX-1, I brought it with me before a maintenance period on the FTD and built it in the company lab (off the clock of course)!
The manual and instructions were excellent. The checklist for construction was natural, well organized and logical. I did break a golden rule once and paid the price. In the airlines, an interrupted checklist requires starting over from the beginning. During the construction, I was preparing to install the R-Packs. I checked them carefully and decided to make some coffee. Coming back with my steaming mug, I grabbed the one I thought I should and promptly soldered it in place. Looking it over and admiring my work, I was horrified when I realized I put the wrong one in the spot! In shame, I cut it up into pieces and removed it.
I took it over to the company avionics shop to show it off and they could look it over. They admired the KX-1 and made some cracks about my solder joints (these guys are expert at it). So the mumbled “not bad” comment I received from them was high praise. Telling them the story about the R-Pack, they laughed and told me I should have brought it over “before” I chopped it up as they can remove whole components with little problem! I cannot print my thoughts about that!
I called Elecraft Technical support to order the part I hacked apart during the extraction process. When I called a human being answered! Yes, I was shocked. Then they transferred me to Tech support without extensive holding (maybe 1 minute), then to my amazement, another human being answered the phone. He had complete command of English and did not insult my intelligence by asking me questions like… Is it plugged in? Did you install the flux capacitor correctly? Or what kind of soup did you drop it into?
The rep I talked to was very sharp, professional, and located at Elecraft here in the USA. He only hesitated once when I told him I was using a 100 watt soldering iron to build my KX-1 (yes… I was joking)! He told me it was alright to continue populating the board while waiting for the R-Pack which I could not find anywhere in Fresno California. The Rep was a former navy pilot so we had some common background and was a pleasure to talk to.
The construction continued and on the second day I had completed the radio with the exception of the R-Pack. I then went to work on the ATU, paddles, and band expansion boards. I cheated and ordered the pre wound toroids. No shame in that. I know my forte, and it made things move right along. One the third day my R-Pack came it. I installed it and turned the unit on. I am sure you have heard this before… but the sound of static and seeing the unit test as advertised from the moment I turned on the power on a rig I built was very rewarding!
I used the Elecraft RF oscillator and dummy load mini-modules for test and alignment. Then I gave it the final outside test to check it out using a random long wire. The ATU tuned it up nicely. Unfortunately, I have not made any contacts as my code skills are developing. I plan to test the transmit side for contacts in the next few weeks when I get back to the USA.
You have most likely read all the detailed reviews so I will give you my “short form” impressions
1. Wonderful Rig. Very easy to use, (comparing to my FT-817, 706-MKIIG).
2. Building was easy and straight forward. Follow the checklist with the exception to item 3 below.
3. NOTE! Look for the documents for the upgraded power output and install those resisters first! I had to remove the ones I originally installed and reinstall the new ones.
4. Sound quality must be mentioned! Maybe it is because I built it, but even the background noise sounds good. The reception was head to head with my 706, and seriously, it just sounds smoother to me.
5. What a motivator to learn CW!
6. Short of dropping this in the ocean by accident, I will be holding on to this rig!
The Con’s:
There are always some. I have only 2 comments.
1. The unit is expensive and I recommend adding the ATU into the cost. I went with the extra two bands as it adds flexibility. You get what you pay for, and I could find nothing else out there this portable, in a single box, sports a digital display, and low power consumption. I consider this not really a "con," but a consideration.
2. The internal batteries. I did install the internal battery packs and used Li-Ion cells. But I wish Elecraft would mod this radio to accept slightly greater input voltage, like 14.5 instead of 14. This would allow ease of hooking it up to a higher power Li-Ion external battery pack without the bother of adding power supply to put out 14 VDC. Also, a Li-Ion charge circuit for the internal batteries would be nice! (In a perfect world)…
Wish list:
My military back ground comes to the surface when I think how nice this rig would look in a machined anodized aluminum case. Water and dust proof of course! I have been considering looking into having a case manufactured myself. Not because it needs it, just because it would be “right.”
73's
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