I did it a couple of years ago with a standard 25w soldering iron no problem.
Anyone who is replacing the headphone jack might want to consider wiring a speaker switch into the K2 at the same time. That way you can leave the headphones plugged in all the time and just switch the speaker on and off as desired. That will be a lot less wear and tear on the new jack, which will of course wear out with use just as the old one did. I mounted my switch on the K2 rear panel, in one of the transverter holes. (There is a small space in the front panel board to route the switch cable into the rear cabinet area.) If I ever install the transverter I'll have to drill a separate hole in the rear panel for the switch. Maybe that would make a good mod kit for the K2. Nice to have a speaker switch... 73, Drew AF2Z On Fri, 02 Aug 2013 09:05:30 -0500, you wrote: >Fortunately it is pretty easy to get to the K2 headphone jack if you want >to replace it. Just reverse the last few steps of the K2 final assembly >(basically removing the front panel). Removing the jack without damaging >the board takes some patience, either a good de-soldering tool, some Chip >Quik, and/or good solder wick since there are five pins you need to >de-solder to remove it. Did it myself last week. > >Chip >AE5KA > >On Fri, Aug 2, 2013 at 6:06 AM, Steve & Anne Ray <[email protected]> wrote: > >> The problem with the headphone jack on the K2 is not a new problem; you >> cannot expect it to last forever. My solution was to take the audio out of >> the speaker jack in the back and feed it to a small box. The box has a >> switch to go between a standard headphone jack and a output to a external >> speaker. This way I can leave the headphones plugged in all the time and >> switch between the external speaker and the headphones. On a side note I >> have found the old Heathkit HS-1661 speaker makes a ideal external speaker >> for my K2, I repackaged the Heath HS-1661 in a new case to match the >> station. I have also tried the GE or Motorola old mobile speakers. >> These >> work very good also. The GE and Motorola mobile speakers can be found at >> most hamfests. >> >> >______________________________________________________________ >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

