Review of the Elecraft KX2 - my goto radio

I've had the radio about a year now. I've gotten a lot of use out of it. Just my thoughts.

[@aar5pj]

A good honest sounding evaluation. I also have the KX2 but unlike you I could never, ever sell my Yaesu FT-817ND, love both radios.

[@KK6USYHamRadioAdventures]

Sorry I missed the premier Tom, I love my KX2 also it has been great and you just can't beat the size and weight for a radio that does Phone. 73

[@tysonherzog8010]

Good video Lots of info .I think you are right . I was thinking of getting a second Elecraft battery but now I think I might Get a smaller battery like you have . Thanks for the info

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

There is now a new KX2 board that lets you charge it without taking the battery out. I still use that 3Ah battery for my IC-705.

[@davequick3373]

Nice video! Love Elecraft stuff. Have the same radio as you but don’t get out much with it.... my bad. Thanks for sharing OM! 👍Good luck getting your cw up to speed. It’s a whole nother world....I sold my 817 as well having bought this kx2! Awesome radio. I played with the 705 and liked it but its much bigger and the receiver is great too. I prefer the kx2. Its a very functional work of art.

[@HammockRadio]

Great review. I love the KX2, it's the perfect portable HF rig. I can't wait to compare it to the 705.

[@WilliamParmley]

Thanks, I appreciate your insights. I've had my FT-817 for over 20 years and it is a solid performer. I've never liked the menu system though! I'm hoping to "upgrade" to a KX2, but I'll keep the '817 for as long as it hold up (which will probably be forever).

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

I still miss my 817 now and then, but the KX2 has been great. There are more QRP radio choices these days. I keep hoping Yaesu is going to come out with an updated qrp radio. Like most people I was a disappointed in the minor updates in the 818. Thanks

[@vitaflo]

Agreed with this review. I got the KX2 this year to replace my IC-703+. I love the 703 (the receive is amazing on it), but I wanted something smaller and lighter. I agree with the battery thing, but I also appreciate that if I don't want to carry a bigger battery and power cables I can just throw the internal battery in. If I had one real complaint it's that there's no dedicated RF Gain button/dial. I would have thrown that on the 2nd dial instead of the Mic gain, as I like to ride the RF Gain to dig out signals (as I do on my 703). But at least I can assign it to a function button so it's not a huge deal.

[@14404145]

Good show enjoyed your video. W2WC

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

Thanks 👍

[@Tommyr]

I love mine! What a great, fun little transceiver! The wire leads on my battery broke not long after I got it so I just use a small Bioenno battery with it now. Not a big deal.

[@ColbyHiggs]

Thinking about it for my first Hf rig with the amplifier. Thanks for the review.

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

If you are looking for a radio with an amp I would look at a 100 watt rig. FT-891 is still portable and cheaper than the Elecraft amp for the KX2.

[@neoretrophoto9198]

I would not get this as a first radio unless you are only operating portable. icom 7300 or similar 100w rig is a much better 1st rig. KX2 is awesome for what it is but it’s really a tool specialized for QRP - hike in or short-term portable

[@willian.direction6740]

Great review I have the KX3 for SOTA, its been great at 8 watts of power on most activations for 8 years. I have only split mine once and that ribbon cable is a bit scary and have only ever used external batteries. The noise floor on RX is great compared to other radios I agree with that. I take mine out of its wrapping from my back pack and clean it with a shaving brush to get any dirt or dust off the rig after every activation. I like the better speaker on the KX2 it is better than the KX3 speaker, and don't like the CW key that comes with the rig it restricts your operating position and is a bit clunky in my view. vk5cz ..

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

I almost went for the KX3, but The size of the KX2 won me over. My club had K3's in our clubhouse before the people we were renting from decided they wanted to sell the building and kicked us out. Elecraft makes some great radios. Thanks for watching.

[@gravestonemyth]

Thanks for the review. I just picked up a KX2 and I'm looking forward to activating a park or two later this week. Regarding CW - maybe you have crossed that threshold by now, maybe not. I strongly encourage you to do it! I got my license in the '90s and had to learn it at that time. Once I got my general, I promptly forgot it. I started learning it again in December '20, with the goal of activating parks. I now have done several CW activations with my G90 and my KX3 and worked plenty of DX in the process. CW gets through even when the bands are uncooperative. CW Ops and LICW are both fantastic programs. I hope to work you P2P via CW!

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

I did level 1 of CW Ops,but dropped out of level 2. I was too far behind. I just joined LICW. I've been practicing with the morserino and I've been making more CW POTA contacts. Don't think I'm quite ready to do a CW activation just yet, but it won't be long.

[@thuff3207]

I love my KX2 and it has the best receiver I have I used. I also have a FT-891 and its very good but not as good as the KX2. I agree the battery is not the best and an external battery is a better way to go.

[@Hearthglow]

Very clear and well-paced. I have the KX2, and have been using it at home. Just getting ready for a IOTA trip, and am watching a handfuls if vids to capture other's experiences. I'm building a light 40m long EFHW w small xfmr. I noted when the aircraft went over how clear the vid remained...what is your recording setup?

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

Thanks for watching. I'm just using a GoPro11 with the media mod. If I had to do it again though, I probably wouldn't go with the go pro. Battery life is poor and I've had overheating issues which cause it to lock up.

[@denf0j881]

Great video!

[@forthy62]

Hi Tom, good review! I am in the lucky situation that I have them all. The old IC-703, FT-817ND, KX2 and the TX-500 from lab599. I agree with most of your points. I had some trouble withe 3,5mm connectors. It is important to use high quality plugs and to take the stress from the radio I recommend the 90° plugs. The other point I really dislike is the battery compartment. I often lose the bottom plate. It doesn't matter how tight I fasten the thumbscrews. Using the KX2 in digi modes is really easy, two cables to your computer, activate VOX and you are on your way. I have the TX-500 for a few weeks now. It really is much sturdier than the KX2, but also much heavier. The connectors are aviation type GX12 and they are rock solid. Keep on with your great videos. 73, Stephan, DF6PA

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

That is awesome. Good for you. The TX-500 is one radio I still want to hear more about.

[@forthy62]

@@TangoOscarMikeN3WS I really like the TX-500 the look and feel is so sturdy. Real piece of metal :-) Receiver is somewhere between the IC-703 and the KX2, much better than the FT-817. I really like my KX2 but the TX-500 is my primary portabel or car portable radio right now. :-) 73, Stephan

[@CoveiraoPS3]

Hey, I don't know if this is still relevant for you but you never feel ready in CW. Just get on the air and trigger the effort and reward mechanism, if you don't get in the air cw will start to be unpleasant. This is how I did when I started: start with contests. You don't call cq, you just answer because you can listen to the calls until you get it , then the exchange is simple and you know what to expect. Then do DX, listen to the station you're going to call to check if it's not a station who likes to write the history of his life. The ideal exchange is rst, name and qth (which you can already know by listening to previous qsos). And last you can always use a decoder. Get an app that decodes and leave the phone close to the radio. If you get lost just look at the app and dont feel bad about it, better to have one more ham on the air than one scared to get on the air. 73s

[@K4MJV]

I just sold my KX2. One month later and I regret that decision. I will have another one very soon.

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

Did you get something new that made you decide to sell it?

[@K4MJV]

@@TangoOscarMikeN3WS Yes and no. I recently got a great deal on a used but great condition KX3 and thought I didn't need both. I thought I would just use the KX3 where I used to use the KX2. While the KX3 is a more feature rich radio I prefer the KX2 for portable work. I should have taken the KX3 out more before making that decision. I'll keep the KX3 in the shack and get another KX2 for POTA and other portable use.

[@TheTechPrepper]

Thank you for sharing your experience with the external Bioenno battery. I have two myself. They work great in the field. Did I hear you correctly, that you don’t use a charge controller and connect your panels directly to the Bioenno? If that’s safe for the battery and works, that’s a great way to save weight on the trail. Keep up the good work and hope to catch you on the air! 73 de KT1RUN

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

I always use a solar controller. Most solar panels are rated for a higher voltage than the battery can handle. I wouldn't want to risk damaging the battery. Cheers and 73

[@TheTechPrepper]

@@TangoOscarMikeN3WS Thanks for the clarification. I was nearly positive that always using the solar charge controller is the best practice.

[@kelleyandrews8614]

I am getting a KX2. It’s on order. I wish to begin activating parks and portable operating. Which Bienno battery are you using? I heard 3AH but did not get the exact battery you’ve had success with. I’m new to amateur radio and very new to portable operating. Which Bienno solar panel and controller would you recommend? Thank you. Enjoying the videos!

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

Yes, the Bioenno Power 3Ah. I got the flat one (BLF-1203AB). I've done multiple activation's without recharging it. I have the 20 amp solar controller and it works just fine, but I don't have a Bioenno panel. I got lucky and one a 20 watt powerfilm solar panel. Bioenno's 28 watt panel is more than enough to charge that battery. Bioenno makes good stuff. If you can afford it, I'd look at the buddipole power mini solar controller. That is probably going to be a future purchase for me. Most other controllers really don't offer a way for you to track your battery usage/solar input like the power mini does. Good luck.

[@kelleyandrews8614]

Thank you for the quick reply. I won the KX2 just a week ago! Elecraft had a booth at the QSO Party virtual event and I entered and won. Thank you for the information! 73,

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

@@kelleyandrews8614 That is awesome!! You'll love it.

[@nobraidps]

Huw much was it? I'm interested too but I'm not sure due to additional costs of atu etc. Great video though 😊

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

I got the "shack-in-a-box" kit, but I don't know if I would do that again. If you just get the radio, tuner and microphone it is about $1100. It's not cheap. I worked my way up to it. Sold another radio to get it.

[@farrellpitts3986]

Do you have an item code/vendor for the power cable between the Bioenno battery and KX2? Thanks!!!!

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

If you have a Bioenno with anderson power poles then you neeed a PowerPole to 5.5mm x 2.1mm Male DC Power Adapter. I just put powerpoles on the standard elecraft power cord. Here is a link to a short one that I found. proaudioeng.com/accessories/ I also so a 6 foot one on Ebay.

[@farrellpitts3986]

@@TangoOscarMikeN3WS Thanks!!!!

[@michaelwheable3682]

@@farrellpitts3986 I just bought this one on amazon: www.amazon.com/Valley-Enterprises-Anderson-Powerpole-Adapter/dp/B07GH8ZYJC/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=Valley+Enterprises&qid=1606703603&sr=8-11

[@farrellpitts3986]

@@michaelwheable3682 Got it!!! Thanks!!!

[@billhughes5736]

What did you sell your 817 for? I have one that I got when they first came out. It has a narrow band filter…I don’t remember if it’s the SSB or CW filter. Bill K6HB 73

[@TangoOscarMikeN3WS]

I sold it pretty cheap to a club member who loves to operate portable, but didn't have a small radio. I had a lot of accessories with it. He uses it constantly. I still think they are good radios. If Yaesu would just update it a little more than they did with the 818. Lithium battery, built in filters and built in USB sound card it would be a rockstar of the QRP market.

[@BennyCFD]

Considering the 2023 price, for what it is it is way over priced....................................