Thing is,the 9A VAT of 25% is a killer,plus the costums fee of god know how much if i ordered from outside EU.Thats why im gonna see whats gonna wait until FH.
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Ah gotcha. Didn’t note that. That’s a shame as the IOSS bit really helps.
Still. You know the drill, a KX2 main course with an FT-891 chaser!
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I dont really need 2 radios,Ive already got a trusdx 
Here is the screnshot of a brand new ic705 price from hamradio.co.uk:
100€ cheaper if i go a few hrs by car to the dealer in S5.
If i find a 705 for 1k at FH id be grabbing that.
What does ‘need’ have to do with it!? 
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Exactly! Why wouldn’t you want an FT-891 too? The crème de la menthe! 
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Noooooo,you wont get me into that rabbit hole.
Well not yet hahaha.
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I have a QMX too. That one is great as you can chuck it up on a wire and WSPR it, or do a bit of Digi. Or SSB even. Very versatile little device.
Also Hans says you can modify them to work on 8 meters!
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Well…
You need the KX2 and the ATU from Elecraft.
You don’t need an MH3 microphone, there are many microphones that work excellently. Lots of people use all sorts of mics from other radios.
You don’t need the Elecraft battery and external charger.
You don’t need the Elecraft internal charger.
There are many possible external battery options that will work out much, much cheaper. Sure the internal charger and battery is nice and a little more convenient but you can go with surplus 18650 or 21700 cells now and add internal options later.
Do you need the Elecraft paddle? I’ve not used one but prefer a paddle that is on a cable not attached to the radio FWIW. You may already have a paddle you can use. I had a Palm Paddle from my 817 days.
You don’t need the Elecraft branded case, the same case from Lowepro without Elecraft branding a 1/4 of the cost.
By only buying the essentials you can keep the price significantly lower. You can add an internal charger later and you can make your own 3x 18650 battery pack or buy the very pricey Elecraft one. You buy an MH3 if you think you’re worth it 
The only essential extra I think you cannot do without are the extended side panels and the plastic cover. I have the genuine original Side KX panels and cover and not the cheaper Windcamp copies.
I looked at Elecraft’s site and a KX2 and KXAT2-F together is about $1470US or €1270 +taxes and shipping. It gives you a starting point to compare with prices from the various EU distributors.
You’re going to be rather gutted when you discover there are over a hundred radios with better performing receivers in the Sherwood data. Such as an FT-710 which is only around £300 more expensive than an 891 and 90+ places above it.
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Yeah, I got the KXBT2 and the KXIBC2, but in hindsight I could do without them, they’re very expensive for the value they provide.
The ATU is non negotiable, it’s better than any external one you could add, it gives you band agility and proactively switches to the correct tuning solution, unlike most of the others that only do that upon transmission.
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I think (you should check) but there should not be any fees for sales from the UK to EU on amateur radio equipment other than VAT and handling charges for collecting VAT. I don’t know what the current tariffs are (actually implemented or merely threatened) for imports to Orangeland from the EU and whether the EU have called Orangeman’s bluff and raised him. 'coz he’s playing poker with our pension savings and investments isn’t he?
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IC-705 vs KX2, a very interesting question, which will attract many different answers, and good feedback.
I have both radios, and I’ve used them for the past 3 years, on many different activations.
In my eyes, the IC-705 is the best radio for a long SOTA day, in good weather, if you’re planning to stay on the same summit, and work as many stations as you can. The scope helps with this, finding the busy frequencies. The radio itself is fairly heavy, and hasn’t even got a built in tuner. You also have to carry a separate battery if you want to make the most out of the full 10w. This adds weight to your rucksack!
The KX2, what can I say, the perfect portable/SOTA light weight radio, which has a built in tuner (if you chose this option) and a battery which is equipped to push 10w out for a couple of hours. All weighing much lighter than the bare 705 unit itself.
The quality of both radios is pretty similar, but for me, doing multiple summits in a day, the KX2 wins hands down. I find it better in bad weather, when your pole snaps, or you have antenna issues, a press of the tuner button, and your on air within seconds. It’s very lightweight, so you don’t notice it in the rucksack so much. It will always be my go to SOTA radio!
I must confess, I always use the IC-705 when doing top band activations at night with @MW0KXN, because I found out the hard way, the KX2 doesn’t have 160m transmit capabilities so 80m it was that night!
73, Ben
GW4BML
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Thank you all for the info and opinions.Considering what im looking for and pricing wise,I think ill definetly go for a new 705 in case i can’t find anyhting used in FH.
73 Karlo
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I too prefer to use separate twin paddles (Palm Pico, in my case) on my operating board (a large kitchen cutting board with small steel plate) on my thighs/knees. But I do have the KXPD2 paddles (always attached to my KX2) for ‘rain mode’ where the rig stays inside a large transparent toilet bag (on its side) with my keying hand working the paddles through the open zip. The KXPD2 paddles are large enough for troll-size hands but they work fine and even I could probably make them sing or cry wearing thin gloves.
IMO they are not essential although they look nice. I suppose they provide some protection should the KX2 fall from a height and happen to land on one end. As I’ve said many times [in the face of criticism about the KX2’s lack of ruggedness] the solution is to keep the KX2 close to the ground on something soft like your rucksack AND reinforce the habit of taking off headphones before you stand up to fiddle with the antenna.
It seems that US judges have more sense than the US president, but we will have to see what the Supreme Court says in due course.
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Interesting analysis Ben, thanks. What is the real-world power consumption like on an activation like the above? Seems like the display woudl be pretty thirsty. My KX2 is a camel in that regard. Would a 3ah Bioenno do the trick?
Also how is the display in sunlight?
TIA
Eric KG6MZS
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No problem for me. See this report.
I have a 4Ah LiFePo + the standard 705 battery. That combo will last a long, long time. Also you can turn off the display to save power.
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Hi Eric,
When I say a long SOTA day on the same summit, I mean calling out CQ SOTA for approx 3 hours. I use the below battery connected to the IC-705, with the internal battery attached as well, and I get the full 10w out for the full duration:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PLQ14G4?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Regarding the display, you are quite right. When in the sun, it is rather hard to see. I have had to shade the screen with my hands on a few occasions to change band or mode. The lucky or maybe unlucky thing about living in Wales, UK, is that we don’t get a great deal of sun, so we wouldn’t have this issue as much as others 
KX2 is the ultimate SOTA/portable radio in my eyes too! 
73, Ben
GW4BML
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Thanks guys for the in-the-field reports. Sounds like you could’ve used Elecraft’s magic autotuner on Tinto Andy. I wonder what I would need to drag along to match my doublet with the 705. Hate to use the rig as an antenna analyzer with a manual tuner, but I guess that’s what autotuners do, albeit at very low power. Car camping I use a manual tuner with my RigExpert to get a match.
I do like the idea of having all those modes on all those bands. Looks like fun.
Thanks again!
Eric
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I was using an Elecraft T1.
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Ah! Okay. +$350. Cha-ching. Thanks Andy