Gary, I can't claim to be a "beginner" but I know a lot of beginners have done it.
It's really quite simple if you follow the manual and take the build one part at a time. I don't know what you built in the 80's but I've found that good kits, like the Elecraft rigs, have become easier to build over time. Indeed, not too long ago I helped a buddy overhaul his Viking Ranger - a vintage rig from the 1950's. I had built one from a kit without trouble back in the 50's when I was a teenager. I was astonished to see in the assembly manual that had 'steps' like "locate the mica capacitors used in the VFO and install them, referring to the photograph and schematic!" Everything was point-to-point, of course. No check lists. No details about how to identify or position the parts, other than a few photographs. No circuit boards. Big wiring harnesses that had to be positioned and all the wires attached to the proper lugs on tie strips and tube sockets as needed with almost nothing to go by but a few terse comments and a schematic diagram. Heathkit made it easier with their gigantic "pictorial" charts. Elecraft took it further by eliminating all the point-to-point wiring! So building a K2 is a matter of stuffing well-marked pc boards with parts while referring to a check-off list that shows each part and how it's marked. It seems like 99% of the problems are caused by fatigue - working far too many hours at a time or being in a hurry - bad soldering - forgetting to solder a joint, getting sloppy and creating solder bridges or failing to properly strip and tin the toroid inductor leads before "soldering" them into place - or by mis-handling static sensitive parts. A ground strap is a great idea, but you can work safely by learning to touch a bare metal grounded object regularly while working (and keeping parts away from plastics like Styrofoam containers). If you take it one step at a time you'll be astonished at how easy the K2 goes together. Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- Hi, I've been reading many of the posts here as well as reading through the manuals on the Elecraft site. I've been thinking about building either a K2 or K1. I've read some of the magazine articles that state that the K2 is not a beginners kit and I have read other sources that state beginners have built the K2 with no problem. The last time I built a kit was in the eighties. I have no doubt about my soldering abilities and I know that isn't a problem. I've been told on the air that if I'm going to build the K2 or K1 to go for the K2. I would like to build the K2. So, I would like some feed back on what you think. Has anyone here built the K2 as their first kit or Elecraft kit? I really don't want to build the K1 first because, I don't want to spend the money for both rigs. I know I could sell the K1 but, I don't want to be bothered with that. Thanks, Gary, N7HTS _______________________________________________ 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 _______________________________________________ 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
