We agree to disagree.
He was just unpacking the new toy.
The next step is of course to read the full manual carefully while charging the batteryā¦
Wouldnāt you do the same ? 
8 Likes
Iām wondering what the H in the KH1 designation stands for. Handheld device?
73 Chris
Thatās correct; Wayne one of the co-funders of Elecraft confirmed this.
3 Likes
It didnāt like my 58ā EFRW on 40m w/9:1 giving me 11:1 SWR but I still was able to work my buddy Shane 100-miles away he was 579 I was 229 to him and KH1 folding back to less than a watt? My guessing? this week I need to play with some lengths of wire and find the optimal KH1 lengths!
4 Likes
I was told by a friend that the price of the Elecraft KH1 handheld radio is more than Ā£1000 if the radio if purchased from an EU dealer and imported into the UK, and that was without accessories.
What do Yorkshiremen and Scotsmen think of the price I wondered?! I know what I think, but I am keeping my own council. As an owner of the Elecraft KX3 who likes sitting down when he sends CW, good luck to anyone who tries to send some code with the MH1 in their hand walking along with a wire trailing along behind them - a ridiculous concept to my mind!
73 Phil G4OBK
8 Likes
Did you try it with a counterpoise? Iāve always found 41ā with 17ā CP (and a 9:1) works great on most bands and doesnāt require a whole lot from the ATU. The one band that it sometimes struggles on is 30.
I think it will work out, but I will continue to record my log on paper until I know for sure. S2S will still need to be logged on paper because the rig only captures what you send. Anything you send via the keyer memory is not captured in the log, so you would want to program in your CQ and your QRZ? messages to keep the captured text to a minimum. On the KX2 everything you send is decoded and shown on the screen, so you would need to make sure when you send back the call that you get it right (i.e. send clean code with correct timing). I think it will take some practice and experimentation, but has the potential to work very well.
2 Likes
Yeah, sorry to disappoint, but Iād just received it as I mentioned.
Best & 73,
Thomas
K4SWL / M0CYI
Itās not cheap. There again neither was my KX2 with ATU and IO board. Ah but the KX2 does more you say and yes it does. But quite a few of the things the KX2 does are of no interest to me. (built in data modes, logging, 160/80m etc.) So I paid for stuff I wont use. A CW only radio with whip and ATU on 40-12m scratches most of my HF itches.
Hereās the deal (as the US cops say on Youtube before the break the law)ā¦ I want a KH1 becauseā¦ Because what? Because itās shiny and I want one! Thereās lots of things I want but canāt have. Like a 250GTE MKIII RHD 2+2 5speed but certainly not in red. But the KH1 is affordable though my wallet will cry a lot.
I have too many HF rigs and couldnāt justify a QMX to myself never a KH1. But now it looks like my 706 will be moving on to a new home so there is a slot in the shack. All of a sudden a KH1 with ATU and whip is tempting. Iāll be morbid now: this current HF cycle peak is likely to be the last when I can climb proper GM hills for SOTA, because if Iām still here for the next peak, cycle 26, Iāll be 74/75. So now is the time to have a KH1 when the higher bands will work well for QRP powers and antennas.
So if the 706 goes for an OK price Iām thinking Iāll have a KH1 and use it / keep for 3 years then move it on. Itās why I wanted to hear the one mentioned earlier on but we just got chat about the packing etc. I wanted to hear it as itās a real radio not SDR. I think my KX2 sounds as rough as a 5 oāclock shadow on CW. Sure it works really, really well and I wont be getting rid of it but it sounds āmehā. I think the QCXs I have sound nicer sound! And just listen to Josh WU7Hās Ten Tecs (Century 22 and Argonaut V) or his K2 and K1 in Dusted off the Ten-Tec Today and then listen to the KX2.
So probably Iāll get one early 2024.
4 Likes
ā¦and your point is?
Says he who is past the upper limit but is planning activations in GM & CT3
4 Likes
If you stay active and your back will stand the weight you might expect a bit longer than that!
73,
Rod
2 Likes
Like you Phil, I like to sit down while activating. I also like to log on my phone with a bluetooth keyboard. Perhaps someone will find a way to replace the note pad on the side of the KH1 with a smartphone (which would have to be put in flight mode). It would be very handy for my hike & fly activations, but at over ā¬1000, I donāt do enough of those kind of activations to justify the expense. Klaus OE6KYG, on the other hand, always activates standing up using a very short wire antenna and his KX2. There is quite a flurry of excitement about the KH1 here in OE6.
73 de OE6FEG
Matt
1 Like
It seems to me that the kx2 is rediculous regarding decoding. If I try to record a message it gets it wrong 80% of the time. And I know my code is clean enough for rbn to pick it up every time. Iāve never recorded an activation but if itās that fussy then it seems most of the code would be incorrect.
2 Likes
73 Chris
1 Like
Unfortunately I have to confirm that. The Android app Morse Expert is leagues better than the KX2 decoder. It works via sound without connection to the TRX, even in noisy conditions.
73 Chris
3 Likes
Decoding CW from received audio and decoding paddle presses (TX log of KX2/KH1) are two completely different things.
The KX2 TX logs I could see so far seem to reflect quite well what was actually sent.
3 Likes
Very good Matt, most telegraphists I know like to operate CW sat down.
Some of the comments and hype about this radio are quite amazing and some are laughable, despite this, the hype does seem to be encouraging many to order the KH1! Some say they are buying them as an incentive to learn CW, it wonāt happen that way for many unfortunatelyā¦ There was an American ham on the Elecraft reflector saying he could carry the 13 oz (369 grams) weight radio with accessories installed, in his shirt pocket. They must have some large and strong shirt pockets in the USAā¦
Go on guys, go get this must have radio, get your orders in! As a SOTA chaser Iām looking forward to working some of you fortunate to have the money for one in the coming weeks and months.
73 Phil G4OBK (Owner of KX3 and HB1B)
5 Likes