And That is why I got a K2 myself... (I just had/have a few hiccups along the way.) For me, the build wasn't that big of a deal, but the troubleshooting was where the education really started! I'm hoping that someone out there will know what's going on and be able to lend a hand...
Congrads on a successful build! 73, Damon KC5CQW Dave Andrus-3 wrote: > > I wasn't going to chime in with my $.04 (now equivalent to 2 pence), > but I want to keep the mojo meter tipping in the positive direction > after seeing a few negative comments about the K2 kit-building > experience lately. > > I finished building a bare-bones K2 #6390 a couple of weeks ago, and > just this week got around to putting the battery, SSB and I/O boards > into it (yes, I had to desolder a capacitor and a couple of jumpers to > add these options, but no big deal). Although it's been operational > for several weeks now, I had used it in receive mode only due to work > and travel constraints. > > I have to say that I'm really enjoying the self-contained battery. > It's a very, um, holistic experience...being able to just pick up the > rig, move it around, connect any antenna, and it immediately plays. I > even listened to a few signals on a test lead stuck into the coax > connector one evening. I'll add more to that "any antenna" part as > soon as I get time to add the KAT2 inside. > > My first SSB QSO from my San Francisco area QTH was just 15 minutes > before Thursday's Elecraft net on 40 meters, when I tail-ended a QSO > that Rick, KE7QXW (Oregon), was just finishing. I first called him on > my 100 watt FT-847, and then asked him to listen for my little 10 watt > K2 signal. He was very patient, giving me some audio to tune to after > I suddenly realized that I hadn't first netted the K2 onto the same > frequency. > > When I called him on the K2, he said, "Dave, your K2 sounds just as > loud and readable as your 100 watt rig! Oh, and the audio sounds > beautiful! Don't change a thing!" Just to add icing on the cake, > Scott, KQ7DX chimed in from Phoenix to say that I was getting into his > area quite well, and also complimented the great audio. > > That was a singular moment! That type of moment only comes after > spending many hours building something with your own hands, and > finally seeing it come to life! > > To finish the story, I spent some time having dinner with my family, > then came back up to the shack for a moment and heard Roger, WA7BOC > running the net at about 0235 UTC. I thought, "What the heck, might > as well try three-for-three. I gave him a quick call on the K2 when > he asked for more check-ins. Whattayaknow, he immediately responded > to my first call! > > So, with the sunspot cycle being at an ebb, and with the bands being > as flat and uninteresting as they've ever been in the 21st century, > I'm making QRP+3dB, battery-powered contacts on 40 meters for a radius > of about 1,000 miles, and just being thrilled like a new ham! > > Oh, and I should mention that all I'm using for an antenna is the > equivalent of a mobile whip--a completely unmodified PAC-12 vertical > stuck in my back lawn. So no big antenna here, and no mountaintop > location to add to my system gain! What a hoot... > > I was very, very pleased with the manuals and directions, combined > with great comments here on the reflector and in the archives--so many > of you are also to be complimented as participants in my building > experience! > > My one emailed question to tech support was answered quickly and > accurately. Replacement parts were offered without hesitation or > extra charge. What's not to like? I'm very impressed with the > Elecraft experience! > > The rig operates flawlessly, with great sensitivity and selectivity, > and even seems to have a lower noise floor than three other HF rigs in > my shack. What's not to like? > > By the way, even though I'm a professional RF engineer, I purposely > did not use any sophisticated test gear on this rig. I did not even > turn on my oscilloscope or RF generator. I used a $69 digital > multimeter, or the built-in probes. Oh wait, I did use a $100 > frequency counter to net the K2 on frequency, but I could have just as > well used another receiver or WWV. > > In conclusion, I apologize profusely if this email just sounds way too > bright and cheery, and I know I've used up my entire allotment of > exclamation points for 2008, but I'm really having a great time with > this rig, and I wanted to share my enthusiasm and appreciation with > the group here, and with the Elecraft folks for their great design and > support! > > 73, > > Dave K7DAA > http://www.k7daa.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 > > ----- Damon Wascom KC5CQW Elecraft K2 #:6351 Build: 12/28/07-01/01/08 -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/K2--6390--What-a-great-experience%21-tp15915290p15919853.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.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
