Transceiver for Sitting on a Rock

[WA2WMR]

For the last 10 or so years, I have been using an Elecraft K1 transceiver for ARRL Field Day. It is a very nice rig and, quite frankly, I prefer the sound of its 500 hz selectivity to the sound of the 500 hz selectivity of my Icom 756ProIII. 

A few years ago I tried to make a video of a scenario of someone with a broken leg unpacking the rig from a backpack (this vid shows the backpack setup). However, after unpacking the radio I found that I had hit the wrong button on the camera and had no video and I just didn't feel like repacking the radio and then doing it again. But, since I was already set up, I decided to try running field day while sitting on the ground with the K1 on a rock. The K1 works very nicely from the position you see below but if one is pretty much sitting above it, it is quite awkward. (Hey, if I had just broken my leg, I'd make due) There is a bracket available for the K1 that would allow it to be set up to face upward but it is somewhat awkward to use. For use in a situation such as I described, the KX series of transceivers, which have the controls on the top, would be much more ergonomic and, if one has a normal chair/bench and table setup available, it a KX series could be set on edge so that the controls faced the operator. 

Considering that the K1 has been out of production for several years, why am I bringing this up now? Well, it's not so much a discussion of the K1 itself but rather a discussion of the form factor. If one is considering purchasing a rig for operating under conditions other than a chair and table (chair and car tailgate, etc), it might be worthwhile to select one with the controls on the top.