Note
Elecraft's ultra-portable lineage began in 2001 with the K1. It was designed as a "baby brother" to the K2 (which was released in 1999) to serve as an entry-level, lightweight, CW-only transceiver for portable operations.
The K1 features a compact, modular architecture that supports either two or four HF bands depending on the installed filter board. It is engineered for high efficiency with a low receive-mode current drain of approximately 55 mA, making it ideal for battery-powered use. Its modular design allows it to adapt to various HF bands and facilitates easy assembly for kit builders.
The unit consists of five chassis pieces and three primary printed circuit boards: Front Panel, Filter, and RF board.It nncludes instant band selection, RIT/XIT (receive and transmit incremental tuning), a digital LCD, and a configuration menu. Integrated features such as a frequency counter, wattmeter, and battery voltage monitor aid in setup and troubleshooting.
The K1 uses a 4-pole variable-bandwidth crystal filter provides selectivity ranging from approximately 200 Hz to 800 Hz, and features and integrated keyer.
Supports plug-in accessories like an automatic antenna tuner (KAT1), a noise blanker (KNB1), and an internal AA-cell battery pack (KBT1).
Specifications
(Measurements were taken using a 14V supply and a 50-ohm load)
Power Output: 0 to 5 watts or higher; spurious and harmonic content –40 dB @ 5W.
Frequency Bands** | 3.5, 7.0, 10.1, 14.0, 18.05, 21.0 MHz (2 or 4 bands per module).
Current Drain: Receive: ~55 mA (no signal); Transmit: 700-900 mA (at 5W output).
Supply Voltage: 8.5 to 15 VDC.
Frequency control: Electronically-tuned 3 MHz VFO; approx. 80 or 150 kHz range, selected during assembly
VFO drift: < 200 Hz per hour after 5-minute warm-up at 25° C
RIT/XIT range: Approx. +/- 3 kHz
Display 3-digit LCD w/bargraph modes
Transmitter
Power outpu:t 0-5 watts or higher; spurious and harmonic content -40 dB @ 5 W
Load tolerance: 2:1 or better SWR recommended; will survive high-SWR operation
Sidetone pitch 400–800 Hz in 10 Hz steps
Internal keyer 8–50 WPM; Iambic modes A and B; 2 message buffers; auto-repeat
Receiver
Sensitivity Approx. 0.2 μV for 10 dB (S+N)/N
IF: 4.915 MHz, single conversion
Selectivity 4-pole variable-bandwidth crystal filter, approx. 200-800 Hz
Audio output 1 watt (peak) into 8-ohm load
Internal speaker: 8 ohms, high-efficiency
Headphones 8 ohms or higher; stereo plug, or ext. speaker
