A BRACE OF BEAUTIES...
...AND THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
I've said all along that the Elecraft KX3 is a magnificent radio but I also said that it feels a little vulnerable for using in the rugged outdoors. Not that it's flimsy or poorly built - it's most definitely not, but compared to other QRP field radios I own (or have owned in the past), there's always a nervousness about handling it outdoors. I guess a lot of that is due to the unusually high cost of the unit. To repeat myself (I do that a lot), I liken it to driving a Rolls Royce Wraith up to the top of a hill when you know that you should have taken the Land Rover Defender!
So maybe the smaller Elecraft KX2 (the smallest fully featured HF radio in the world) is better suited to the job?
The KX3 is about $400 more expensive and weighs almost twice as much as the KX2, but it benefits from having two extra bands (160M & 6M) as standard. It can also benefit from having an optional Roofing Filter and charger installed which aren't available for the KX2. The KX3 can also be fitted with an optional VHF Transverter for $340 and it has FM mode. Finally, the KX3 has an IQ-Out and panadapter-socket allowing you to connect it to Elecraft's PX3. An internal ATU is available for both radios at a cost of $300.So the KX3 kit can very quickly get super expensive and I personally consider it to be better suited as something you'd use for low-risk Field Days where you'd have the radio in a Pelican Case in the back of your car and virtually drive right up to a picnic table and set up your station.
The KX2 on the other hand is much more an outdoor radio. It's incredibly small and light and has an amazing battery life (at QRP levels) using the internal Li-ion battery. The screen is identical on both radios but the idle current drain is fractionally lower on the KX2. It doesn't have any special damage-protection or weatherproofing, but its dimensions just make it easy to handle and reduce the risk of it being dropped I guess.
My KX2 has a slightly better sounding speaker than my KX3 but it's still not great. I know that Elecraft claim most operators will be using headphones and the speaker is more of an emergency backup, but that's a load of tosh to me! If Belka can fit a perfectly good speaker in their tiny receiver, I'm sure Elecraft could have done the same. Jeez, I've got a $20 Chinese UV5R with a superb speaker in it!! If I'm not using headphones, I tend to use a separate speaker with the KX2 and KX3.The KX2 has a built-in microphone but the vast majority of users plug a hand-mic in. Considering that Elecraft went to so much trouble to build such a tiny transceiver, including an internal battery pack and an internal ATU, I'm staggered that they didn't create a matching microphone! To pair the KX2 with their MH3 is like putting a size 12 Boot on a baby!! Every time I pick it up I find myself shaking my head. Compared to Yaesu's smaller microphones (or Icoms or Kenwoods), the MH3 is a brick! And it's not even a speaker mic (although the inners indicate that it was possibly meant to have that option)!
I know nothing about electronics, but I'm going to see if I can find some help from more advanced operators to find out if the little Yaesu Spkr-Mic can be modified to allow it to be used with the KX radios. If it can, it would be a wonderful upgrade - even if it's only as a mic.
The ATU in the KX2 is definitely not as good as the one in the KX3, but to be honest, it's good enough for any antenna that I use. It also seems a tiny bit slower than the KX3 tuner, although that might just be my imagination.
Like most other QRP operators, I do my best to use resonant antennas because I don't want to waste a single milliwatt, but sometimes you don't have a choice and also, some "resonant" antennas are only resonant at one end of a band and need a bit of tuning at the opposite end.
My SotaBeams 20/40 Linked Dipole and BandHopper EFHW both benefit from a little fine-tuning, so it's good to have the ATU installed. The KXAT2 would really come into its own when users employ a random length wire and I feel quite confident that a usable match would be achieved on virtually any band.
The tiny KX2 fits inside a very small soft case, complete with the (oversize) mic and the very capable AX1 antenna which covers 40, 20, 17 and 15M. This is for sure the most compact HF kit around and although that AX1 is a compromise antenna, it has proved itself to be a very capable performer if the conditions are right.
I think perhaps too many people expect too much from this antenna and don't put enough effort into helping it work well. I've even seen people try to use it without the supplied counterpoise wires (there's one for 20M and another for 40M). It can be negatively affected by body capacitance and height, so wherever possible, I use it away from my operating position and often on a raised tripod. That's not always convenient though and sometimes I have to have it connected directly to my radio using Elecraft's little support legs, which add a surprising amount of stability.
For power, the KX2 uses a great 2600mAh Lipo battery, which I prefer to the KX3's Nicad arrangement. The only good thing about the KX3 battery arrangement is that you can recharge them without removing them from the radio - that's not the case with the KX2. It's a small hardship having to remove the Lipo to use an external charger, but one I wish they'd have overcome at the design stage. If there's one thing I don't like doing with either of these radios, it's opening them up routinely. It's just not a good thing as far as I'm concerned. And there's STATIC sensitive boards in there!
Thankfully, I tend not to rely on internal batteries, preferring instead to use a lightweight 13.2V LifePO. I have two of those, one 8.4Ah and one 4.8Ah. I got these from HobbyKing and over 3 years later, they're still going strong - amazing!
The KX3 performs better with a good, strong battery and I think Nicads only ever give problems. Don't bother with them - use a good external battery.
The radio itself displays no difference in receive performance to its bigger brother and the only tangible difference (to me at least) is the addition of the dual roofing filter in the KX3. They both receive fabulously well, making it easier to pull out those very weak stations from the noise. It's always a pleasure to use Elecraft radios and I never feel like I'm compromised in any way by operating a portable when it's one of these beauties. It's like having a top-end radio in your rucksack.
It's worth pointing out that these two Elecrafts share the same wonderful screen from the K3S Base Station! So opting for the much smaller radio doesn't mean that you're stuck with a much smaller screen - no - they both share one of the best high-contrast LCD screens on the market. No matter how bright and sunny it is outdoors, the screen is always perfectly readable.
The KX3 benefits from being able to provide a 15W output, (with a good external battery or PSU) whereas the KX2 can only manage 12W. Having said that, the KX2 can produce 10W from the internal battery, whereas the KX3 can only manage 5W. To be fair, many buyers of these QRP radios will probably want to use 5W or less anyway!
When out and about, after establishing a contact, my goal is to try and reduce power to the mW range and see how low I can go (that's if the other operator is willing to oblige me). Most operators are good willed enough to play the game and they're often surprised and entertained by it.
So of the two Elecrafts, which one is the best? Well clearly, that would be the KX3 for sure. It's just got more options available for it and is more fully featured. It could easily be used as your main radio in the shack (with a 100W amplifier if you wanted). But you've got to accept that such a fully featured radio would cost an awful lot of money (£2,500 fully loaded) and you'd probably be worried sick every time you took it with you on a hike - but then again maybe not.
The KX2 on the other hand has no Top Band, no 6M, no 4M/2M option and no roofing filter option. It also lacks the superb optical encoders of the KX3. But my word, it's TINY!! And it's a good performer.
Both radios can be fitted with Elecraft's brilliant Paddles which are very compact but not restrictively so. Sadly, I cannot work CW but it's a great desire of mine to learn it one day.
At 63yrs old I'm not altogether sure that I am capable of learning what is effectively a whole new language, but then again, retirement is hopefully not too far away. These Paddles can be used with a sidetone on either radio to practise sending morse, so I might give it a go.
As much as I would LOVE to keep the Elecrafts, I have to admit to the excessiveness of having both models. One of them will have to go - it's the KX2.
The KX3 is simply too amazing to let go!
So where does this leave the Icom IC-705?
The IC-705 is so different to the Elecraft that I feel I can justify keeping two radios. The IC-705 not only covers HF but it includes the Top Band, 6M, 2M, 70cm and even provides DSTAR operation. The IC-705 is a full SDR radio with a staggering range of features including a full-colour touch screen with a real-time Bandscope & Waterfall - something which can be an amazing help finding a signal on a quiet band or finding a quiet spot in a crowded band.
It also has GPS, Wi-Fi, SoundCard, BlueTooth, QSO Recorder, Remote Operation capability, SD-Card and even a compact Speaker-Mic! Like the KX2 it has a built-in Lipo battery but it can only produce 5W unless you attach an external supply to it, whereupon it will happily go up to 10W. The only thing that people complain about is the lack of a built-in tuner. Personally, I think that's a very unfair complaint considering all those other amazing features which are included. I think buyers should remember that a fully loaded KX3 would cost around £1,000 more than a 705 and it would still be lacking many of it's fine features - you don't even get a microphone with a KX3!!
You can use a variety of ATUs with the Icom and they are all simple to setup and use. Personally, I use an LDG around the house with it and a little Elecraft AT1 when I go outdoors. Needless to say, the LDG is infinitely cheaper than the Elecraft.
So yes, I will be keeping my Icom IC-705 alongside an Elecraft KX3 because they're both amazing in their own rights. The 705 could easily be considered good enough to be the only radio you need in or out of your shack - it's that flexible!
Some readers might wonder why I've not mentioned the YAESU FT-817, FT-818 or XIEGU G90 in this post about QRP radios. Well that's because I've reviewed those elsewhere (click the links). They're great radios and I wish I could have kept hold of them, but I sold them after investing in a 705.
Finally, I'd like to acknowledge that I am incredibly fortunate to be in a position to afford these radios and appreciate that many Hams can only ever afford a single radio (some can't afford any). Then again, some people annually spend similar amounts to me on things like Cigarettes, Booze, Football Season Tickets, and other costly hobbies.
AND FINALLY, can I just say that everyone has the right to an opinion and most people are quick to give it, but the best opinions come from those who've put their hand inside their wallet, spent their hard-earned money on something and actually spent time with it before spouting off about it. Too many people bad-mouth or recommend equipment that they've never even owned.
Make hay while the sun shines and enjoy whatever you can afford at the time!
73, Tom, M7MCQ.
Feel free to comment below :-)
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