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Reviews For: Elecraft K1

Category: QRP Radios (5 watts or less)

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Review Summary For : Elecraft K1
Reviews: 139MSRP: 279
Description:
4-band QRP CW kit
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.elecraft.com/K1/K1.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001394.9
KD5OGZ Rating: 2001-12-18
The Best!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just when I was having a blast putting # 987 together I looked in the parts box and there were no more pieces, the radio was finished. I followed the very clear instructions for aligning the radio, turned it on and my first CQ was answered with a 569 1500 miles away. This is a great radio for first timers AND old timers.
Next... the K2!
K8NQQ Rating: 2001-10-31
easy to build Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
received the kit on 4 oct, finshed it on the 31 oct,no problems in the building or in setting it up,recommend you take your time and double check before SOLDERING.before I got it in the case and was still playing around with adjustments I worked 4 countries and 11 states,all reports were great.I am 75 yrs old been a ham for 55 yrs so all you OT take heart, you can do it.I have in the past built many rigs ,HB Heath TenTec,this one was by far the best presented and easeist to build. good job Elecraft.
AA5CH Rating: 2001-08-16
Obnoxiously Proud Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had not built a kit since I was a kid in the 70's and wanted to build a K2, but was a little intimidated. I thought I would start with the K1 and see how it went.

All parts for the K1, the optional noise blanker, and the ATU were present. The manual was well written and easy to follow. Some really great folks hang out on the Elecraft email reflector, and are available for assistance or encouragement if you need it. I would recommend purchasing all of the equipment suggested in the Elecraft literature as it made assembly much easier.

I took my time with the kit, taking breaks whenever my eyes got fatigued. I checked and rechecked the orientation and values of the components before I soldered them. I reflowed any solder joint that didn't look perfect to me. The result... the rig performed flawlessly!

The K1 seems to hear as well as my TS2000 and frankly, I prefer the filtering and audio quality of the K1. Number 830 and I have been visiting local hams, and I know the guys around here are already saying, "Oh God, here comes Brad with that K1!" I can't help it...I'm very proud of it. I built it and it works great...this is what ham radio should feel like for everybody.

73,

Brad
AA5CH
KY6R Rating: 2001-07-22
Wow Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I wanted a QRP rig that was a step up from my SST - with low power drain, and small in size. Something that would be fun to camp or backpack with.

I just finished this rig, tuned it up, and my first QSO's were 9V1 and DU8 on 14 mhz, and locals on 40M.

This radio reminds me of the Argonaut 509 - great QSK, hot receiver and great audio. The tuning pot is a little funky, but for the money, this is one super radio.

And Gary at Elecraft provided super support when I had a problem. With his help, I fixed it myself. (Be extra careful with the poly styrene caps in the VFO!).
KB7IOG Rating: 2001-07-03
Great Project, Very Fun to Build! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The Elecraft K1 Transceiver is a great little QRP CW only radio, packed with loads of features. I built #805 right out of the box in just a couple days. Seven of us did a group purchase and received a discount. Great club project (VARC). I also installed the noise blanker, and auto antenna tuner, making for very smooth operation. We installed 80m & 20m. Have a look at their on line manual and photos. Nicely done. 73'
G3CWI Rating: 2001-05-21
Great Adventure Radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Nr 730 was easy to build and worked first time. Performance is good for the intended type of operation (low current drain/portable). I would recommend this to anyone!
F6GKQ Rating: 2001-05-18
Easy to build, works great ! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just achieved to build my K1 so #721 is on air now. My comments :
Very easy to build. I had the same feeling as with the old Heathkit I built in the past. User manual is terrific ! If you follow it, there is no way to make a mistake. I had fun with solding iron in hand. All tests were green, receiver works OK and I just had to retune a bit the filters in order to get full power with the transmitter. I spent 20 hours to do the full job including carefully checking all parts.
As I promised one of my friends to be the first QSO on 40 m, I had to wait for him to be QRV before sending the first CQ ! Happy he was - me too - when we exchanged our RST !
Now, I’m going to install the ATU and NB boards. I’ll finish with the 30/15 m addon filter board I ordered.
Why do I give a 4/5 instead of 5/5 ? Just because it doesn't seem so easy to change the bands (filter board) when the ATU is installed... Of course, that's a minor problem as most of us will carefully choose the band they use most often.
Last word, only one part was missing in my kit (a Toko inductor). I e-mailed Elecraft and received it in France within one week.
Please, apologize my poor english.
Cu sn in cw with K1, this wonderful QRP rig !
72/73 from Denis, F6GKQ
KB7OEX Rating: 2001-04-27
Absolutely wonderful rig! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I built the K1 without a hitch, including the noise blanker and the antenna tuner. I also added a little mod to the AGC per Elecraft's great resource page. In a word, this rig worked beautifully the minute I turned it on. I like Elecraft equipment so much that I have ordered a second K2 which will have their upcoming 100 watt amp permanently installed. There is nothing quite like your first QSO on a rig you built. If you are in doubt regrading building a first rig, this is your kit. If I can build it anybody can build it.
KD7IZZ Rating: 2001-04-19
Fantastic radio and great fun Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Elecraft K-1 #654 has been on the air for three weeks. My first qso with the radio was with another K-1 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. What a great radio! I was astonished that it went together without a hitch and all the tests checked out as assembly progressed. The manual has a well earned reputation for clarity and excellence but that is nothing compared to the product support. When I had a question about the toroid windings, I called elecraft and talked to the designer of the product...it was like talking to a good friend. Enormously helpful and fun to chat with. The rig fired up perfectly when I was finished and made my first qso within a couple of minutes. I also built the internal antenna tuner which I also like very much. Also easy to construct and add to the K-1 although the first time I tuned it up the noise of the relays scared me to death...I was sure I had ruined my radio! No, it tuned to a 1:1 swr and off I went. Over three dozen QSOs later, it is a joy on receive (I especially like the progressively narrower filters which are so easy to step up in selectivity) and I get great reports on the transmit. I actually find the speaker is great but with a set of headphones this rig is unbelieveable.

I haven't put a kit together for almost 20 years (Heathkit days) but this is a joy to put together and a joy to operate. I am about to order another filter board (kit was originally ordered with 20/40 and I will be ordering 15/30) and will also be getting the noise blanker. What a lot of fun and congrads to Elecraft and many thanks to them.
KC4TXR Rating: 2001-04-16
The radio is great but the mechanics are phenominal Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Add me to the list of K1 afficianados. The performance of this rig is great by any standard. TX performance is also nice and you can pump out more than the QRP full gallon if you want!

What is truly amazing however is the mechanical design. It's pretty ingenious and so easy to build, use and work on. I make my living on electronic card assembly, test and reliability. Elecraft uses top shelf components and the circuit boards... oh those circuit boards... heaven. They also must cost a fortune. In terms of guts, innards, Elecraft spared no expense. In fact, it's hard to believe they're making any money off the K1. My quick back-of-the-envelop calculation for the bill of material, packaging, documentation and support adds up to more than what I bought it for. This rig could sell for $350 and it would still be worth twice that.

The circuit design is very robust and effective. Every feature does what it is supposed to and then some. Elecraft didn't scrimp on the design, components or packaging. The rig will last forever and in my opinion, it was designed to last forever. I've been in the bowels of many a radio, this is as good as it can get.

Well done, the K1 gets 6 stars!