Tag Archives: Elecraft K1

Field Reports, Morse Code, News, Portable, POTA, QRP, Videos

Pairing the Elecraft K1 and AX1 for low-profile, low-impact portable POTA!

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Friday, February 28, 2025, felt like another “rinse and repeat” day—a pattern I’ve grown used to over the past few weeks.

That morning, I woke up early, published a post on QRPer.com, and by 7:30 AM I was outside with my chainsaw, preparing piles of tree debris for the skid steer operator we hired to move it to the roadside.

As you might imagine, he can collect debris much faster than I can cut and prepare it, so my goal has been to stay ahead of him. I worked steadily all morning and, combined with what I had cut the previous day, managed to prepare enough to keep him busy for the rest of the day. That was fortunate because I needed to help my daughters with activities in town all afternoon.

Finding POTA time

I’ll be honest—after grabbing a quick lunch and a shower, I was pretty worn out. Part of me wanted to use any spare time to sneak in a nap. But I also knew I could use a little POTA therapy, and the weather was unseasonably gorgeous—almost spring-like.

Looking at my schedule, I realized I had about an hour to spare, enough time to detour and activate Pisgah National Forest (US-4510) at the Sycamore Flats Picnic Area. It was the most convenient spot along my route that afternoon.

As for radio gear, I already had my Elecraft K1 packed from an earlier activation that week (which I also recorded and will post soon—obviously, out of chronological order!).

For variety, I didn’t want to use the same antenna as the previous activation. Instead, I grabbed one of my favorite compact antennas to see how well it would pair with the K1: the Elecraft AX1.

If you’ve followed QRPer for long, you’ll know I often use the AX1 during both POTA and SOTA activations. Despite its extreme size compromise, it has always performed well for me.

Loaded verticals like the AX1 typically have a high Q (narrow bandwidth) and benefit from an ATU or capacity hat to help with impedance matching. Luckily, my new-to-me Elecraft K1 has the optional built-in ATU, meaning I could attach the AX1 directly to the back of the radio.

I’ll save the full story of how I acquired this particular K1 for my next field report, but let’s just say I’d been hunting one for a long time—and this one showed up locally. It’s a four-band version (40, 30, 20, and 15 meters) with both the ATU and internal AA battery pack options.

Sycamore Flats Picnic Area

I arrived on site around 13:35 local time and had about 45 minutes to play radio.

I started the activation video and walked through the picnic area until I found a good table. Truthfully, though, the beauty of using the AX1 is that almost any flat surface will do—it’s that low-profile and low-impact.

Once I found a table, setup was super quick: I placed the K1 on the table, connected a battery, attached my Palm Mini paddle (its maiden POTA voyage!), and plugged the AX1 directly into the back of the radio. I wasn’t in a hurry–and it truly shows in the video–but I’m confident I could have deployed the entire station in about 60-90 seconds if required. That’s the magic of the AX1—minimal setup time.

With everything connected, it was time to hit the airwaves!

Gear

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Radio

  • Elecraft K1 (four band version with optional ATU and internal AA battery pack)

Key

  • Palm Mini Paddle with new connection cord

Antenna

Pack and Case

Logging Supplies

Battery

Camera/Audio Gear

On The Air

Once on the air, I was thrilled to have no problem collecting hunters for the logs. Continue reading Pairing the Elecraft K1 and AX1 for low-profile, low-impact portable POTA! →

Field Reports, News, POTA, QRP, QRP Radios

Reunited with the venerable Elecraft K1 at Hawk’s Nest State Park

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As you might have guessed, I’m a bit of a QRP radio addict.

Over the years, I’ve owned and sold quite a few rigs; there are some models that gave me instant seller’s remorse.

In the past, I sold good QRP radios to buy “better” ones: transceivers that had a more compact form factor, better feature set, better battery management, or other desirable updates/upgrades.

Boomerang!

In almost every case when I experienced seller’s remorse, that particular model of radio has eventually found its way back into my field kit.

A few examples:

  • I sold my original Yaesu FT-817 to purchase an Elecraft KX1. In 2020 I purchased a used FT-817ND then the following year a second FT-817ND for full duplex satellite work.
  • I sold my Elecraft KX1 to help fund the purchase of the Elecraft KX2. I purchased another KX1 in 2020.
  • I sold my Elecraft K2/100 to fund the purchase of my Elecraft KXPA100. I don’t regret purchasing the KXPA100 in the slightest (even though I so rarely use it), but I do regret selling not one, but two K2s over the years! I’ll snap one up if I find a good deal.

I also sold my Elecraft K1 to help fund the purchase of my Elecraft KX3 in 2013.

At the time, the seller’s remorse wasn’t immediate because the KX3 was such a revolutionary portable radio in almost every respect. The K1 seemed so limited in comparison.

Still, since I started doing CW POTA and SOTA activations, I’ve been keeping an eye out for a good deal on another 4 band/ATU Elecraft K1.

Why does the K1 have appeal when I have so many “superior” radios at my disposal–?

Good question! I reckon I just like it.

(Image via WD8RIF)

The K1 feels more like an analog radio rather than a digital one; no doubt, this is due to its VFO’s limited range. It’s more akin to an analog radio with a digital frequency display.

The K1 is also super compact for a radio with a traditional tabletop form factor. The menus and features take a bit of time to learn–they’re cleverly implemented, but you definitely need an owner’s manual or cheat sheet to master them.

The K1 is not general coverage; it can only be configured to operate on a maximum of four CW bands. It does have an internal ATU option, but I don’t think it’s on par with the KX-series internal ATUs in terms of matching range. It works well with a variety of field antennas, though!

The K1 does have a very low noise floor and wonderful audio. Those are perhaps the two things I love most about it.

Hawks Nest State Park (K-1813)

During my West Virginia POTA expedition with Eric (WD8RIF), Miles (KD8KNC), and Theo (The “Great Warg”) dog we hit  Hawk’s Nest State Park on Friday, May 20, 2022; this was our second park of the day (New River Gorge was our first).

En route to the site, Eric suggested I use his Elecraft K1 travel kit during this activation and I quickly accepted the offer!

I used everything in Eric’s Kit save the antenna.

Photo courtesy of WD8RIF.com

Instead, I paired the K1 with the homemade 40M End-Fed Half-Wave MW0SAW kindly sent me.

I also used a 50′ of feedline so that I could move the antenna as far away as possible from the picnic shelter Eric and I would both be using during the activation.

The long feedline also made it possible to set up the antenna in a way that it wouldn’t interfere with any park guests who might walk by.

Gear:

On the Air

The separation/distance from Eric’s Tri-Bander antenna worked a charm: there was very little interference between our two stations.

I started the activation by calling CQ POTA on 20 meters. Funny: I actually thought I was on 40 meters; the K1 display (much like that of the KX1) only shows the last three digits of the frequency display; when I saw “61.1” I assumed “7061.1” but of course it was actually 14061.1. I realized this as I later changed meter bands.

Although the propagation forecast was pretty dismal, the EFHW performed very well.

Within 18 minutes, I logged 16 hunters (including WD8RIF some 20 feet away).

I then moved to the 40 meter band (so Eric could move to 20) and worked an additional six stations in six minutes!

The final contact was both an HF and eyeball QSO with WD8RIF. I got that on video–very much a fun first for me!

QSO Map

Here’s what my five watts into an end-fed half-wave looked like on a QSO Map:

Activation video

Here’s my real-time, real-life video of the entire activation with WD8RIF. I include a bit about Eric’s station and also his QRPguys Tri-Bander antenna after I go QRT. As with all of my videos, there are no ads and I don’t edit out any of the activation:

Click here to view on YouTube.

WD8RIF’s report

Make sure to check out Eric’s field report which includes details about his KX3 set-up that you’ll see in the video above.

Thank you!

We spotted this little guy on a hike after completing the Hawks Nest activation.

Thank you for joining me (and Eric, Miles, & Theo) on this POTA activation.

Although detailed field reports take a few hours to write-up and publish (along with activation videos), I truly enjoy the process. It gives me a chance to re-live an activation and share the whole experience with kindred spirits. This was such a fun activation.

Of course, I’d also like to send a special thanks to those of you who have been supporting the site and channel through Patreon and the Coffee Fund. While certainly not a requirement as my content will always be free, I really appreciate the support.

Oh, and if you have a four band Elecraft K1 with ATU you’d like to part with? Get in touch with me! 🙂

Cheers & 72/73,

Thomas (K4SWL)

Field Reports, Morse Code, News, Portable, QRP, QRP Radios

Keith is impressed with the Elecraft K1’s selectivity

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Many thanks to Keith (GW4OKT) who recently contacted me, noting that his took his Elecraft K1 to Llyn Brenig (Lake Brenig) in North Wales last weekend, and was impressed with its performance.

His outing coincided with the CQ Worldwide CW contest–a true test of any radio as this is one of the most RF-dense environments you’ll encounter on the CW portions of the HF bands.

Many lesser radios simply fall apart in contest environments like the CQWW.

Not the Elecraft K1, though! Keith noted that he was operating on 20 meters with his GWhip antenna on the roof of his car.

He made the following video:

Wow! I owned the K1 for a number of years and was incredibly impressed with its receiver although I can’t remember if I ever used it in a contest. It’s a brilliant field radio and sports a bullet-proof front end.

I should add, Keith, that I’m not the least bit envious of your Caterham Seven 310 SV. Not a bit. Not me.  🙂

Anyone else love the Elecraft K1 (or the Caterham Seven 310?) Please comment!

News, QRP

Elecraft discontinues the K1 and KX1

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My Elecraft KX1

After rumors surfaced about the demise of the Elecraft “K1” line, Wayne Burdick (N6KR) made the following announcement on the Elecraft email reflector, specifically mentioning the original K1:

We should have made a formal announcement here. Yes, we discontinued it because certain parts are hard to come by now, making it no longer cost effective for us to manufacture.

It was a great product for us, and I used mine for years, taking it on many trips. I thought of it as a “Sierra on Steroids” at the time (referring to an earlier design I did for the NorCal QRP Club). But we’ve moved on to more versatile field radios, including the KX2 and KX3.

73,
Wayne
N6KR

I’ve owned both the K1 and KX1 and they performed amazingly well. I suppose that’s why I also invested in both the KX3 and KX2 transceivers. I suppose all good things must come to an end.

I still own a K2/100 and I certainly hope Elecraft continues to support this fine transceiver. It’s unique in that it’s about the only American-made transceiver kit on the market that’s easily serviceable by a non-technician.  It’s also a rock-solid performer and, frankly, has a cult following of its own.

Vive le K2!