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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: 140MSRP: 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
151404.9
F8WBD Rating: 2015-04-30
Small but wirey Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I purchased a couple used K1s last summer and am very happy with them. The noise level is low compared to my FT-817 and the 3-levels of DSP do a better job of filtering than the 500 HZ installed in the 817. The menu operation required some getting used to, but now the basic learning curve is over. I don't do portable, outdoor operations so it is my desktop rig next to my Argonaut 509. Big difference in size and weight. To keep the K1 from moving around the desk, I put a dab of rubber cement under each pad...keeps it in place. I have worked the Americas and Australia running about 4 watts to a Par EF-20 low wire. I can't think of any other QRP transceiver that I could possibly want as the K1 meets all my needs.
WK8M Rating: 2015-02-20
Quite the Rig Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Recently purchased K1 assembeled and used. Very impressed with the performance .Made several transatlantic qso's with a homemade 125 ft.Zepp wire antenna. The rig has the tuner built in and it works well with my setup.I am new to qrp and glad I got this radio as a starter. Mainly because of the tuner, built in, which works better than I thought it would. As you can tell this is more of an emotional review as compared to a technical review . This radio does enough to make cw fun without being complex THANKS Wk8m Tom
W3NCR Rating: 2015-01-10
great little rig Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've been having a blast with the K1 since I built it last fall. Have the ATU and NB; 40/20 board. I bought it to take hiking and on vacations because my other portable rig (a KX3) has become my base station. But increasingly I've been using the K1 at home just for kicks, including in CQWW last year. It's intuitive, sturdy and has a great receiver. I initially had some drift but it seems to have worked itself out -- I don't notice it at all once the K1 has been on for a few minutes. I previously owned a KX1 and considered buying another one but I wanted a NB for some of the places I operate. Otherwise, I think they're fairly comparable. I feel like you can't go wrong with anything from Elecraft.
VE3FN Rating: 2014-09-18
Wonderful little radio! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought my 4-band K1 second hand because 4-band boards are no longer available from Elecraft. I have previously owned a TenTec (YouKits) R4020 and an MFJ 9040. Both have filters comprised of 4-crystals which I found to be inadequate, so I was concerned about the K1 which also has only 4 crystals in its filter.

I need not have worried! The selectivity of the K1 blows away both these radios. Its filter works very well. And its quality of construction (especially its solidity) is an order of magnitude better than the TenTec or MFJ radios. It costs a lot more but is worth every penny.

I am having a ball seeing what I can work with only 5 Watts!

73

Ray Perrin VE3FN
N0TES Rating: 2014-09-13
The one to have Time Owned: N.A.
A rig that's sure to be a classic and already is for me. As a CW only station for 31 years, I know this rig is a keeper. I've got one for show and one to abuse; I mean use. Receiver sensitivity is outstanding and you can't beat the performance when paired with a portable 10-40 meter loop antenna. This rig uses very little battery, so I enjoy a full day of operation before needing to recharge!
MM0AMV Rating: 2014-06-10
Superb Service Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I built my K1-4 about two weeks ago, and during the build I directed a few questions at Elecraft.
Bowled over by the almost immediate response from California.
I have just finished building a T1 ATU to go with the radio, and I had some questions on this also.
Once again immediate response from Elecraft.
This company cares.

So,to my review.

Quality of Elecraft products, excellent.
Top class boards, superb idiotproof instructions.
More than enough wire, extra hardware etc.
All the little details that matter.

Delivery very fast.

Communications, top class.

Service, top class.

Thinking about buying from Elecraft ?
Go ahead, you will not be disappointed.

GM0HKS Rating: 2014-05-30
Elecraft K1 Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned my K1 (Serial No.01672) a little under two years now. It is fitted out with a four band module including 17 metres. It also has a noise blanker, auto ATU and battery pack fitted. The K1 stand is very innovative too. I was slightly perturbed about the drift in this rig but, having read Dave (G4AON's article), I went and bought, built and installed Cumbria Design's X Lock VFO stabilisation circuit board. Available @ http://www.cumbriadesigns.co.uk/. It has completely eliminated drift as a noticeable feature and the K1 is rock solid from switch on. Unlike most, I use my rig as a main station transceiver and have great fun working Stateside, the caribbean and all round Europe with it. I do, from time to time, use the K1 to "excite" my home made solid state amplifier which, with low level drive, radiates 15 to 45 watts carrier. Its a great combination, giving the K1 an easy ride at 200 to 300 mw output and has landed me some great DX. The K1 is great for /p operating and, with its low current draw, means you get hours of operating with a 7 a/h SLA battery. The auto ATU is really handy and, provided you don't rig up wire aerials which prove difficult to neutralise reactance on, you end up with a great portable station which will reel in great results. I really like the QSK feature in this little box; having used some older transceivers and been driven nuts with the clunking of those old Omron relays, this is a really nice experience with total silence ! Yes, the receiver is limited but nonetheless, for inter G and European working, it is very acceptable and with the 14db attenuator and variable bandwidth filters, this little fella holds up very nicely indeed. Try putting a Datong FL3 external audio filter ahead of the output and you really do notice a significant difference in receiver performance. I applaud Elecraft for bringing such a good performer to the stage as it ticks a significant number of boxes here in my shack. The only downside for me is that if you wish to work say 80 metres, it involves a bit of "jiggery pokery" to swap out the boards. Not ideal if working portable as some of those washers are kind of small and hard to see; if you drop one, that's it !! Packing everything back together is not as simple as it sounds but nonetheless, its possible and should not deter you from doing so. The K1 gets my vote.
MI0SRR Rating: 2014-03-24
best radio ever Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
brilliant radio just got a 559 report from a k9 station and was just running 1 watt and a gp antenna
KC4URI Rating: 2014-01-10
Work Horse Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I built this K1 12 years ago and it is a great portable or at home HF rig. Great keying and wonderful receive audio and filters are worth the price of admission.
I installed ATU and NB, I opted out of the internal battery. My wife calls it the little radio and she always asks if the little radio is going on vacation with us. I use it as a daily driver while my other hf rigs gather dust. Simple to operate and with internal ATU has a very small foot print.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KC4URI on 2001-02-05

Thank you elecraft, for bring such a great kit to the market. Makes we do the happy dance. The product support at elecraft is the standard against which retail service can be judged. I only wish the company I work for could do as well and we are rated at the top of our industry. K1 serial # 460 performs to the letter of spec and beyond. 73 KC4URI
AC4BN Rating: 2013-04-02
A great QRP transceiver Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was looking for a small CW transceiver to use in my camper, but wanted one that had an excellent receiver, and a decent frequency readout. Also very important was that the current drain be very low on receive. And even better if it was available in kit form.

I settled on a K1. These days everyone knows about high quality of the innovative Elecraft products, and after I completed building it (and trouble shooting it!), and trying it out, I can say that I am exceptionally pleased with the result. My K1 is for 40m and 20m, and I ordered and built (but have not yet tried out) the antenna tuner.

The LCD readout is perfect, showing the three digits I need on the CW band. With the microcontroller everything can be set up and displayed on this little three digit readout. Very nice indeed.

Front panel space is at a premium, and getting my paws on the volume and RIT knobs is a little tight, but I will get used to it. Elecraft has done an exceptional job of putting all functions on only six pushbuttons, with a lot of careful thought put into making the most frequently used functions easy to reach... such as be able to change the morse code keyer speed, and read the speed while sending. Good job! And I’ve gotten good signal reports on the air. The receiver sensitivity and low noise seem exceptional to my ear.