I set off this morning to activate Norristown Farm State Park (US-4363, KFF-4363) with a specific plan in mind. We’re talking about me, of course; so things don’t always go as planned. Today was a good example of that.
If a specific parking space was available, I planned to use a loaded whip on my truck and operate from a nearby park bench. Failing that, I figured I would set up at one of the picnic pavilions with a vertical of some sort. When I rolled in, however, the parking lot was crowded and people were setting up for an event under the pavilions. So, I was off to come up with a Plan C.
I drove back up the road a bit and pulled into a mostly empty trailhead parking lot. Off to one side, I found a secluded picnic table tucked away in a wooded area. About five minutes later, I was on the air.
I sometimes think that my 50+ years of ham radio have been an ongoing quest to simplify my operations. My recently acquired KH1 is definitely a giant step in that direction. Everything I need (except for my earbuds) is attached to the radio.
Looking at the propagation forecast, I opted to forego the KH1’s whip antenna and go with something larger. So, I went with the 9:1 end-fed random wire from AD8HK Antenna Systems mounted on a cheap 19-foot telescopic pole. The ground was a little soft, so it took me a few tries with my homebrew ground mount to get the antenna reasonably vertical.
Even with a vertical just under 18 feet, the 40M band was productive today. After eight quick contacts, things slowed down, and I changed bands. The 30M band produced one contact, while 20M was good for a half-dozen more. I went back down to 40M to pick up a few more before calling it quits. After about an hour, I ended up with 18 contacts, five of which were park-to-park.
I have to say I’m really having fun with the KH1. It’s ideal for the short activations I tend to do. The battery life is nothing short of exceptional. This was the second activation since I last charged it, and I could probably do four or five more.
A little over a month ago, the finals in my brand new Elecraft KH1 gave up the ghost during my second outing with it. After a trip back to the factory for some TLC from the Elecraft folks, the rig safely arrived back in Pennsylvania this week. I anxiously took the little rig out to the field this morning to get re-acquainted with it.
My destination today was Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351). With an active geomagnetic field, I knew band conditions could make for a tough outing.
Along with my KH1, I used a new antenna I bought from AD8HK Antenna Systems and received just yesterday. This antenna features a 9:1 unun with 17’9.5″ radiator and a 8’10.5″ counterpoise wire. The unun assembly has an integrated wire winder, making for a neat, compact little antenna. I mounted the antenna on a 19-foot pole and ran 20 feet of RG-316 back to the KH1.
The AD8HK 9:1 Random Wire Antenna strapped to a telescoping pole
With the KH1 resting on my knee, I did a quick check of the bands from 40M through 15M. The KH1’s internal tuner easily found a decent match on all five bands. I went back to 40M and got started.
My newly-repaired Elecraft KH1 balanced on my knee
Despite the questionable band conditions, I logged seven contacts in about 15 minutes. I made another five contacts on 20M and 17M before calling it quits. The nice shady spot where I started out was quickly becoming a toaster oven.
I ended my brief outing with twelve contacts, including four park-to-park contacts. My KH1 has been out of commission for the past month, so I spent a good portion of my time refreshing my memory on the KH1’s menus and functions. The KH1 is thoughtfully laid out, so it all came back quickly.
Today wasn’t the best day for evaluating a new antenna, but the AD8HK EFRW did a decent job. Plus, it was great to have the KH1 back on the air. Both will see more use in the field in the future.
[Update 9/9/2025: During this activation, the KH1’s output power seemed low. As it turned out, the KH1 had been inadvertently set for low power. So, I was only running about two watts. Doh! I guess I need some more re-familiarization with this rig!]
Actually, this bumblebee barely got off the ground at all this year. It started off with a heartbreaking rig failure and ended with some horrendous local noise.
I had a late-breaking change of plans this week. I originally planned to operate in the Flight of the Bumblebees (FOBB) contest from a nearby POTA entity. Instead, I ended up in central Pennsylvania helping a family member recovering from a recent surgery.
So, I activated Plan B: take my new KH1 along and make a few contacts from the backyard. What could go wrong with that? A lot, as it turns out.
Using my homebrew ground mount, I set up a new antenna on my lightweight telescopic pole. The antenna comprises a 15-foot radiator and a 7.5-ft counterpoise fed through a 4:1 unun. (More about that antenna in another post.) I ran a 6-foot length of RG-316 coax over to the KH1.
I easily got a 1:1 match on 20M and up, but it wouldn’t load up at all on 40M. Going back to 20M, I started operating. Something on the display didn’t look right. It turned out that I wasn’t getting any power output. When I pressed the ATU button, I heard some relay clicking, but there was no power or SWR displayed after tuning. When I keyed up, the display showed zero bars of power and one bar for SWR.
I checked to make sure I wasn’t in “Test” mode (I wasn’t). Next, I started pouring through the settings to make sure I hadn’t messed something up. Nothing looked out of the ordinary to me. I tried the built-in whip on 20M, but still no power out.
After spending an inordinate amount of time playing around with the KH1, I packed it up and brought out my Penntek TR-35. My trusty Elecraft T1 ATU also refused to load up on 40M.
So, 20M was the only band working for me, given the rig I was using. I could have set up a different antenna, but I didn’t have that much time.
The 20M band had some horrendous local noise, so it was rough going. I worked one bumblebee in Missouri, and that was it. Frustrated with my inability to hear any other FOBB activity through the noise, I called it quits. I needed to get back inside to take care of a few things, anyway.
Having owned my KH1 for less than a week, you can imagine my disappointment. I shot off a message to the support folks at Elecraft, so hopefully, they can help get this issue resolved before I head down to North Carolina on vacation next month. (Fingers crossed)
I’m at the stage in my life when I should be “thinning the herd” when it comes to radios. So, what do I do? Instead of getting rid of some stuff, I fire off an order to Elecraft for a KH1 Edgewood package. I need another QRP rig like a hole in the head, but after considering it for the past year, I gave in and ordered one.
I have a couple of use cases in mind for the KH1. This rig should be ideal for bicycle-portable outings and hopefully get me out on some hiking trails—within the limits of my arthritic knee, of course.
I have to admit that after I placed the rig in my online shopping cart, it took me several minutes to convince myself to press the “Submit” button. Less than 24 hours later, I received a shipping notice from Elecraft.
While waiting for the KH1 to arrive, I watched a bunch of YouTube videosread serveral blogs, and downloaded the manual. With those resources, I was thoroughly prepared when the Post Office delivered it.
What I wasn’t prepared for was exactly how tiny this thing is. Even with the research I had done, I didn’t fully appreciate its diminutive size until I had it in my hand. It’s amazing how much functionality Elecraft was able to cram into this little rig.
My new rig at US-0761/KFF-0761
Some Initial Impressions
Menus. I prefer radios that are simple to operate without a bunch of complicated menus. That’s one reason I love my Penntek TR-35 so much. There are a lot of menu options provided through the four pushbuttons on the KH1’s front panel. Elecraft, however, has come up with a scheme that makes navigating the menus very intuitive.
Paddles. The Elecraft KHPD1 paddles included with the Edgewood package will take some getting used to. I typically prefer paddles with a light touch, like my trusty Palm Mini paddles. I played around with the Elecraft paddles with the rig in the “Test” mode. It didn’t take too long before I could send coherent code with them. We’ll see how I do in the field. Fortunately, there are several after-market paddles for the KH1 if I decide to go that route.
Overall Ergonomics. It’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into the clever design of the KH1. Everything from the logging tray to the self-contained pen is nothing short of genius. I’ve never used a handheld HF rig before, so using the logging tray will take some getting used to.
Maiden Outing
The day after I received the KH1, my (far) better half suggested I go out and give the new radio a try. Of course, I took her suggestion, but I had some reservations. There was some geomagnetic craziness going on, plus the higher bands could be tough early in the morning. Nevertheless, I packed up the KH1 and headed off to Valley Forge National Historical Park (US-0761, KFF-0761).
I started off using the KH1 handheld with the telescopic whip while sitting on top of a picnic table. Using the stock counterpoise wire on the ground, the KH1’s internal ATU easily found a 1:1 match. The bands were really rough, but I made seven contacts that way. It took the better part of an hour to make those contacts, however. Six were on 20M and one was on 17M.
A Boy and His Toy
I wanted to try the lower bands—and my rear end was sore from sitting on the table—so I walked back to the parking lot and set up a 12-foot loaded whip on my truck. Sitting on a camp chair next to the truck, I bounced around the bands. I ended up with one contact on 40M and three more on 20M. Out of my 11 contacts, four were park-to-park.
Using the logging tray was a challenge. Writing while holding the rig in my hand was tough. Sitting in a chair with the radio resting on my knee was a little easier. My handwriting was pretty sloppy but still readable.
With enough contacts for the activation, I declared victory and went home.
Wrap-Up
I’m definitely not an early adopter with new gear. The KH1 is no exception. Elecraft announced the KH1 in the fall of 2023. Since that time, they have made improvements to the paddle and added new features via the firmware. Plus, by waiting to buy one, I got to learn from the users who jumped on the KH1 bandwagon early on. Thanks to the legions of YouTubers and bloggers for sharing their experiences with this rig. You made it easy for me to get up and running with it.
After the intial outing, I am thoroughly impressed with the KH1. With earbuds, the receiver sounds great, and the rig was super easy to use.
This little rig is going to see a lot of future use in the field.
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 