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Reviews For: Elecraft KX1

Category: QRP Radios (5 watts or less)

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Review Summary For : Elecraft KX1
Reviews: 92MSRP: 279
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 20/30/40m ham bands (30 m optional) plus SWL segments.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.elecraft.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
15924.8
WA5ZNU Rating: 2004-09-10
I carry mine like an HT Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought a KX1 kit when I heard Wayne Burdick N6KR was going to speak at the local PAARA club meeting. It arrived Wednesday night and I built and tested the first stage (front panel) and second stage (receiver) by Friday. I spent the weekend finishing the kit and the 30M option.

After using it for a week, I sprang for the tuner and paddles, since I saw the value. Wayne said he had hikers and wilderness hams in mind, but also people on the go in urban settings as well. I now carry it in a waist-pack with some thin Teflon-coated wire and an external 10-pack of NiMH cells for about 4W out.

Sometimes if I have a spare 20 minutes on the way to the grocery store, or at lunch, I head outside or stop at a park, throw a wire and a hex nut over a tree limb, and work CW on 20, 30, or 40. Sometimes I bring a Radio Shack amplified speaker with me so I can let people hear, and I think it generates some interest in ham radio.

Two surprising 20M QSOs: Mallorca from a pier in Lake Ontario, New York with a short vertical, and Estonia from Central Californa with about half of a 28ft wire thrown from a second-story window into a tree, both this year.

Two things I don't like: I had to put a plastic shell inside my waist pack to protect the three pots from being pressed on, but once you take that minor precaution it's hardy in the pack. Some of the functions (such as autotune) are two button press-and-hold combinations, and the finger timing is a little tricky. Hopefully they will fix that in a firmware upgrade.

It works great, was fun to build, and is fun to use. And it's actually smaller than an old 5W HT I used to carry!
VE3GLA Rating: 2004-08-29
As much fun as it gets! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just finished building my KX1 (s/n 797) including the paddle, 30 meter, and antenna tuner accessories this past weekend. I took my time assembling the kit and it went together with no difficulty at all. The instruction manual is exceptional and there were no missing parts.

Everything worked the first time. My first contact was across the continent from VE3 to California. I then proceeded to work a couple of Europeans.

This is one fun little radio! The receiver is sensitive, with a very good variable bandwidth crystal filter. The automatic tuner makes getting on the air very easy.

My new goal is QRP DXCC and I think it will be easier than I had expected now that I am learning the capabilities of this terrific little radio.

Bob VE3GLA
SM5JAB Rating: 2004-08-12
Really /P for once Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Great kit, careful and clever physical as well as electrical design. Also easy to build. Took me three evenings. Worked first time. Over the months I have had two problems, both self-induced:

1. I didn't cut the excess wire lengths flush enough, so when the ATU was installed one of the toroidwires shorted against it. Stupid of me. Space is crammed so one really has to be meticulous when putting it together.

2. The 1N5711 diodes in the turned into resistors one night. I had stupidly left the antenna connected overnight. Apparently some static killed them in their sleep. It also shorted the bypass capacitor after the PA transistor.

On both occasions the support from Elecraft has been rapid as helpful. They really care for my kit!

I have used it /P with a vertical fishingpole antenna and have no trouble covering entire Europe with it. Some DX too but not too many. I use 2x7.2V NiMH-cells and get some 4 watts out.

Due to its small physical size and weight I can carry it everywhere. And use it with success. I also listen to BBC world service with it.

Get one!
/Micke
NB7I Rating: 2004-08-05
What better rig for packing? Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Built the KX1, paddles, 30m board, and ATU last week. Amazing functionality in a small package.
I use iambic A mode. Although the KX1 allows you to select either A or B modes, I don't notice an iota of difference. It appears to function like mode B all the time. Be careful mounting the power transistor. Look at it with the panhead screw out, and think about how close the pan head screw gets to the transistor collector if it bottoms out. Supply voltage is right there, microns away from a short circuit. Mine shorted, and burned a trace in two. Surprised this hasn't been an issue before, as I didn't tweak the screw very tight....I added a thick mica insulator and compound to prevent this. Otherwise, operation is excellent. The RX is good for a rig of this type.
I put mine in a Pelican hardcase, the 1060 Micro (about $15). This has enough room for the KX1, Paddle, BNC to Banana Plug adapter, ear buds, and extra batteries or antenna wire.
I'll be calling CQ from the wilderness, or in-laws porch....
73,
Ken, NB7I


AE5X Rating: 2004-07-21
Will replace all my monobanders and the K1 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've pondered long & hard before giving this 5.0 rating, trying to find a reason for a lesser score. Not out of spite mind you, but because 20+ reviews with a perfect rating seems unrealistic and "gushing". I've now had my KX1 for 2 months and can honestly say that this rig certainly deserves the praise it's received here.

Assembly instructions were concise, logically ordered and illustrated. Tech support (when my 43 yo eyes failed me and yielded a mis-installed transistor) was speedy. Fit & finish of the rig are such that it doesn't seem like a kit to someone who doesn't know otherwise. Very impressive is the ingenuity that went into mapping the parts layout so that all the options could fit into such a tiny case.

How does it operate? After the extremely simple tune-up was completed (5 minutes), I strung a very "compromise" antenna at my workplace - a 25' wire attached to a steel tower at the 20' point and one 25' radial. The internal tuner matched it w/no problem and I talked to two stations in VA (from my NY QTH) on 40m. Other contacts on 20 and 30m followed. On a camping trip in Texas last week, I put up an inverted V at 15' and had a nice 20m QSO with another QRP camper in Maine. All contacts so far have been powered by 6 internal AA batteries and about 1 to 1 1/2 watts out. This is my favorite rig, bar none and will relegate my monobanders to some serious shelf time, I think. And, to paraphrase a memorable quote from yesteryear, it beats the Norcal 20 in every way!

Beware: If you're not an "outdoorsy" type, owning this rig may make you one! Elecraft, you sure did your homework.
NE1RD Rating: 2004-07-12
Hot receiver, great kit Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Half the fun of Elecraft kits is in the building. Assembly time for the radio was approximately 12 hours including the 30m module and the optional paddles. I took my time and savored every minute. The instructions are crystal clear, well organized, and there are "sanity check" stops along the way to ensure what you've built to that point is OK. These small confidence building pauses are very helpful!

The other half of the fun is operating. I'm new to CW and made my first CW contact with the KX1 on my deck yesterday. I got back a great signal report and only on my QSL card did I mention it was with a 2watt radio and a random wire.

If you enjoy building kits and have done the "Pixie" and "RockMite" thing, try this rig. Building, and now using it, has been one of the most rewarding hamming experiences.

-- Scott (NE1RD)
KI4DGH Rating: 2004-06-16
Great Radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have tried other QRP kits that end up as paperweights. Previous kit builds were fun to build, but I really was on my own and they usually required test equipment that I did not have access to in order to make the radio perform to its potential. Everything from Elecraft was fantastic, the components, instruction book, CUSTOMER SUPPORT. I had a few minor problems; some of them were my fault because I got ahead of the instruction, one bad component that was overnighted to my house after a phone call. The features on this little rig are nothing short of incredible. I got all the options Automatic Antenna Tuner, 30 meter band module and after I tried it at a Hamfest the KXPD1 paddle. My brief Ham experience has been strictly straight key. I never thought I would be able to operate a key or much less a paddle from anywhere other than a table. The audio and filtering are great. My first QSO with the KX1 was my first time working a paddle (other than practice at the table) and in the back yard working a Buddipole with a ham 450 miles away. The filter let me cut down the QRM and maintain the contact for 35 minutes. Never mind that it is a kit this is a great radio.
G4GTU Rating: 2004-06-16
Go buy, go build & enjoy! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Sentiments below all echoed. As a veteran of Heath HW7/8/9 and more recently the K1, I couldn't wait to my paws on the KX1. It took me 22 hours in total to build (inc ATU/30m board) over three days which seems quite long compared to others, but I am perhaps overly pedantic (or maybe it's because I savour the build which is *fun*)! Instructions are exemplary and the few 'doh' moments were entirely my own fault. Top Tips: (1) Do read each complete section of the manual in advance, before soldering, to get a feel for what's coming up (2) Do use a fine (temp-controlled) soldering iron bit (3) Do use a magnifying glass to check your work - some areas are quite small to work in, and (4) Get your toroids pre-wound from Mychael (toroidguy) - trust me, it'll save you lots of time and effort and the prices are excellent. Alignment is straightforward too, especially using the Elecraft XG1 Sig Gen kit (9cm x 4cm, built in under an hour) which I cannot recommend highly enough. With 1uV/50uV outputs it makes signal peaking and s-meter calibration a total snap. The KXPD1 plug-in paddle is also really nice to use. Bascially, get all the bells and whistles for the rig from the get-go. Oh, and to round things off, download the MiniLog template from the Elecraft site (laminate if you want) and attach to the base of the rig for a built-in log as well! Brilliant.
KC8TYA Rating: 2004-06-08
Excellent Kit and superb support Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This was by far the most enjoyable build of a kit I have ever experienced. No missing parts, 3 stages with testing at each, amazing fit and finish. The rig your are left with is so amazing, it is hard to believe it was a kit. Had to call for support once, and the guys at Elecraft really came through with excellent customer care. I am actually having more fun using the rig, than I had building it, now thats a switch!

KC8TYA

KX1 #681
N6XI Rating: 2004-05-24
Best in Class Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I tried to believe my XYL who insisted that I had too many QRP rigs. I held off on the KX1 as long as I could. But with several long trips coming up, I just couldn't resist. KX1 #680 is the most fun of any of Wayne's (N6KR) great little radios and I think I have them all. Rock solid receiver, wonderful variable bandwidth, plenty of headphone audio, very good AGC, excellent SWL performance, nice keyer and built-in paddle, easy assembly and it all fits in a coat pocket. In fact, it fits in the accessory pouch of my Bose airline headset case! This will be a great travelling companion from now on ... whenever the XYL is sleeping!