Bill Tippett
2003-12-27 16:12:01 UTC
In one way, the K2 goes back to even earlier, single-band superhet
design. That's why its dynamic range figures are so good. Most rig
manufacturers aren't likely to move back to this simpler design, largely
because they don't want to give up general coverage receive.
I hope your last statement is wrong. I believe the K2 and Orion'sdesign. That's why its dynamic range figures are so good. Most rig
manufacturers aren't likely to move back to this simpler design, largely
because they don't want to give up general coverage receive.
Main RX
are so superior that they may cause some manufacturers to rethink the need for
general coverage. Elecraft's K2 design has the basics of an excellent contest
radio, but it needs attention in two main areas to be truly competitive:
1. Ergonomics...for someone whose hand span exceeds the entire front panel
width by 1.5" and with finger size to match....for someone who typically spends
hours in front of the radio in a contest and wants a minimum of menu changes
(e.g. single-touch access to different filter BW's, etc)...panel readability
for someone whose eyesight is not what it once was.
2. Replacing the programmable crystal filter with fixed BW 8-pole filters
and <2:1 shape factors (quite achievable at the K2's IF). The current filter
has a ~3:1 shape factor which may be one reason the K2's performance degrades
for IMD and BDR at signal spacings under 5 kHz. From 5 kHz to 1 kHz signal
spacings, IMD goes from 88 to 67 dB and BDR goes from 124 dB TO 116 dB. That
data is from the swept graphs on pages 19 and 20 of ARRL's Expanded Test
Report
done in 2000...pending update of ETR data for the new K2/100 review.
http://www2.arrl.org/members-only/prodrev/pdf/lab/k2.pdf
With the addition of a K2+ model for performance-oriented contesters
and DXers in the <$2k range, I believe Elecraft could dramatically expand their
market while maintaining their original target market for the K2. Someone is
going to do this eventually, and it might as well be Elecraft since the K2 is
already very close to what is needed IMHO.
73, Bill W4ZV
--- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts ---
multipart/mixed
text/plain (text body -- kept)
The reason this message is shown is because the post was in HTML
or had an attachment. Attachments are not allowed. To learn how
to post in Plain-Text go to: http://www.expita.com/nomime.html ---