OVERVIEW!
!
This!short-form!manual!is!intended!as!an!introduction!to!the!K4,!providing!the!essential!info rm atio n !you’ll!need!to!get!on!the!air.!Refer!to!the!Elecraft)K4)Owner’s)
Manual!!for!additional!details!on!all!topics.!!NOTE:!All!text!and!illustrations!are!preliminary!and!subject!to!change.!
!
!
The!Elecraft!K4!is!a!high-performance,!direct-sampling!software-defined!radio!(SDR).!It!covers!the!160!~!6!m!bands,!with!continuous!receive!from!100!kHz!~!54!MHz.!
10!W!and!100!W!models!are!available.!It!can!be!used!with!internal!or!external!transverters!to!cover!bands!above!6!meters.!!
!
Among!the!K4's!notable!feature s:!!Large!color!touch!screen,!as!well!as!support!for!an!external!HDMI!monitor;!extensive,!easy!to!use!controls;!rich!analog!and!d igital!
connectivity;!dual!receive!(all!models);!built-in!d ata !m o de s,!an d!w id e-range !autom atic!antenna!tuner.!The!K4's!compact!size!and!weight,!combined!with!11-15!VDC!
operation!and!low!current!drain,!make!it!suitable!for!field,!travel,!or!home!station!use.!
!
Since!the!K4!is!an!SDR,!Elecraft!can!provide!updates!to!its!signal!processing!algorithms!with!software!changes!rather!than!by!adding!new!hardware.!This!ensures!that!
the!K4!can!take!advantage!of!ne w!modes,!bands,!or!other!features!in!the!future.!Since!it!uses!direct!sampling,!signals!are!digitized!right!at!the!receiver!inputs,!and!
the!transmitter's!amplifier!cha in!is!als o!d riven !by!a!dig itized !sign al.!Old er!SD R!arch ite cture s!dig itized !sign als!at!a!lo w!intermediate!frequ en cy!(IF),!resu ltin g!in !p oo r!
suppressions!of!down-conversion!or!up-conversion!im ages.!
!
There!are!three!models:!the!basic!K4,!with!one!set!of!receive!filters!and!one!analog-to-digital!converter!(ADC);!the!K4D,!which!adds!a!second!set!of!receive!filters!
and!a!second!ADC;!and!the!K4HD,!which!adds!a!superheterodyne!front!end!that!can!be!enabled!when!needed!to!provide!even!greater!dynamic!range.!The!superhet!
module!uses!high-performance,!narrow-band!crystal!filters.!All!K4!models!provide!simultaneous!du al!receive!on!the!same!or!differen t!ba nd s/ m o de s,!tho u gh !th e!
additional!receiver!module!in!the!K4D!and!K4HD!(KRX4)!imp rove s!signal!handling!during!dual - re ceiv e!o p era tion !o n !diffe ren t!b an d s.!T h e!se co n d!re ce iver!also!pe rm its!
diversity!reception,!i.e.,!the!use!of!different!antennas!for!the!two!receivers!to!counteract!fading!(QSB).!
!
A!basic!K4!can!be!upgraded!to!a!K4D!by!installing!the!KRX4!option.!Similarly,!a!K4D!can!be!upgraded!to!a!K4HD!by!installing!a!KHDR4!module.!Other!inte rna l!o ptio n s!
and!external!accessories!work!with!all!models,!including!a!wide-range!ATU!(KAT4),!MH4!microp ho n e,!S P4!e xte rnal!speaker!(1!or!2).!!
!
! !
To Next Page
