Bill, Well, you certainly should not need a mic or PSK31 interface until you master that 5WPM, so it gives you a bit of time to think about it.
Your selection of a particular mic may set the stage for any future thing that plugs into your K2 mic jack - this is a connector thing and has nothing to do with the quality of the mic. Once you decide on how your K2 mic configuration header is going to be configured, any future thing will have to conform to the pinout that you have chosen, you don't want to change the mic configuration often. The choices for mics cover a wide range, and all that I have tried work fine if they work at all - some may be marginally better than others, but I value communications intelligibility far above 'broadcast quality', and most that I have used worked well. Some samples of what I have tried over the past 5 years with the K2 KSB2 are below (with comments). My choice is to configure the mic header to the Elecraft pinout - all jumpers straight across (use computer header jumpers) and put the 5600 ohm resistor between pins 1 and 6 of the mic jack. But that forces you to wire any mic that you use with the K2 (and any PSK31 interface) to conform to that pinout - you could wire up an adapter in a small enclosure or actually change the mic plug wiring. If the mic I am using is a dynamic type, I put a 1 uF capacitor in series with the AF lead from the mic since I have the resistor wired on the mic jack in my K2 - that capacitor can fit in an adapter if one is used or I have placed the capacitor in the head of the mic, it works either way. Unfortunately at this time, Elecraft has only the Heil ProSet-K2, and that is a good choice if you want a boom mic and headphones. Several folks have suggested the Ten-Tec hand mic, but that comes with a 4 pin plug, and you must change it to an 8 pin for use with the K2 - that is a dynamic mic and should have no resistor at the mic jack. Many (most) of the ICOM mics can be used as-is with the K2 - just plug the mic configuration header as indicated in the KSB2 manual. Some (most) of these are the electret type and do need a resistor on the mic jack. The Yaesu mics work fine too, I have used a Yeasu MH-31B8 (has the round 8 pin plug) with good success, just wire the mic configuration for the Yaesu pinout - these are dynamic mics and need no resistor. If you want something inexpensive, look around for a used CB mic. They usually have a dynamic mic element (no resistor) and will work fine if you wire the plug properly. If you find one that has a bad element, get one of the small electret mic elements and mount it in the mic case, put the resistor on the mic jack and it will work for you. I have even used one of the computer desk mics and a computer type lapel mic. These usually require an adapter box because they have no PTT switch and it is nice to wire in a footswitch for PTT, but I often also use the dot side of the paddles for a PTT switch too. These computer types are normally electret elements and need the resistor to 5 volts. I have also used several mics with the Heil HC4 and HC5 elements, and while they are good, I do not recommend them for a beginner - they have low level output (about 10 dB below the typical ham mic) and are best used with a mic preamp. I built my mic preamp into my PSK31 homebrew interface, but that may be too much to get you started since you indicated that your electronics experience was limited. While things of the nature of a preamp can be educational, it is not your best first choice because you would not know whether the preamp, the mic, or the K2 was at fault if your results were not immediatly good. Base your selection on your skill level, your ham budget, and what is available - perhaps you can rewire a mic plug, but not build an adapter or preamp at this stage of the game. 73, Don W3FPR > -----Original Message----- > > Just got my K-2 S/N 04401 finished with MUCH help from Steve > Banks K0PQ (2 > broken transistors, 1 backward diode on SSB board, many cold > solder joints, > etc.) and Gary. I got my Tech 2 years ago, but hope to get past > the 5 wpm > hurdle with the help of the FISTS disk and about 1 week intense > practice. I > have limited funds, but need some equipment, having only used a 2 M HT. > I need to get a few items: > 1. Need a mic. What works best with the K-2? > 2. What PSK31 equipement would work? The West Mountain Radio > RigBlaster > looks good, but is a little pricy. Is it worth the outlay? > 3. Other equipement? I bought the Noise Gen and the Dummy Load from > Elecraft, so I hope to have them put togehter soon (my > electronics knowledge > is very limited). I built a 68 ft dipole for $60.00. 40 DB > better than the > 35 foot wire I had strung on my ceiling! > 4. Down the line: general coverage receiver: I have a Yeasu FRG-100. > Sounds mediocre, no comparison with my K-2 as receiver. Is it > the Yeasu, or > is the K-2 that good? > Options on my K-2 are K2IO, NB, ATU, SSB. > I live in NE, but I am going to the Denver Hamfest on the 20th of > August. > Hope to learn some things there, and possibly pick up some items. > Thanks for any and all recomendations! > Bill Smith > KC0TBO > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
