Don is quite right - a small investment in an XG2 or, if the pocket book allows an XG3 will provide you with numbers. But numbers are only part of the picture.
If your noise level jumps up when you connect the antenna, using the minimum bandwidth your might choose, the K2 is as sensitive as it is possible for it to be. That's because two things control "sensitivity": 1) Bandwidth. The narrower the band pass the less noise energy is passed to your ears, so a signal in that band pass has a better signal-to-noise ratio: its more likely audible to you. 2) Noise Figure: All receivers have internal noise. The goal is to have the internal noise below that which will be inserted from the antenna. That's what you can check by seeing that the noise heard increases when you connect the antenna. If not, then your sensitivity is limited by the internal noise - not a good thing. This usually is NOT an issue at HF. It starts to become an issue above 21 or 28 MHz, and is definitely a concern at 50 MHz and above. That's because atmospheric noise is so low at the higher frequencies, making it necessary to have a very "quiet" receiver. 73, Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of jacob chambers Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2012 7:10 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Elecraft] K2 Performance question Dear Group; As I use my beloved K2 - and keep adding options - I wonder... Since it is a kit, and one I did not build, how can I be sure it is giving the best performance in terms of sensitivity? Is there an easy way to determine if it is giving its all? I know a test lab would work, which unfortunately I lack, and I can do some sensitivity comparisons with my other rigs, but short of a full re-alignment is there anything? BTW I have no reason to believe it is anything but great! 73; Jacob K4JQV Lexington, KY ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
