[Elecraft] Elecraft CW Net Announcement

[Kevin Rock]

Good Evening,
   I hope your day went well.  Here we are experiencing more heat than  
usual.  Even up here on the mountain it is quite warm.  Luckily we had  
overcast for much of the day so temperatures were moderated.  The house  
stayed much cooler than it was outside.  The lack of insolation on the  
south side helped that a great deal.  It only rose to 83 and has since  
fallen to 82 degrees inside.  I've got a room air conditioner so one room  
is very nice.  The rest of the house is cooled by fans.
   Due to the heat our picnic in Hillsboro has been postponed until  
September.  I'll be starting the nets from my normal location so I'll not  
have any more difficulties than normal.  I'll plan on a decent antenna for  
the picnic and survey what sort of trees I'll have to use for mounting  
it.  I expect an inverted V would do nicely and not take too much time to  
hoist.  I'll make the legs a bit long for 80 meters and use my tuner to  
get the doublet matched to my rig.  That should work to counter act my  
lowland location.  I'll also have a much higher noise floor too.  Living  
in the boonies does have its advantages ;)
   The sun looks rather bare this week but I read a few notes about  
working a KX1 op in Colorado.  One of the contacts was to the Northeast on  
30 meters.  Hopefully this bodes well for our two nets tomorrow.  We shall  
see.


   Please join us:
Sunday 2300z (Sunday 4pm PDT) 14050 kHz
Monday 0200z (Sunday 7pm PDT)  7045 kHz

Until tomorrow,
Kevin. KD5ONS
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[Elecraft] A Screwdriver Mobil antenna for my K2?

[k7hbg]

Hi everybody!
 I was thinking of running my K2 mobile and of course the first thing I
thought about was an antenna. The High Sierra "Sidekick" has gotten good
reviews on eham and an electrically driven screw driver antenna does have
a certain appeal. The small size and a trunk lid mount would be great for
my little Honda Civic.
 Has anyone had experience with the K2 and Sidekick antenna combo? Is
tuning a problem?

Best Regards, Bob K7HBG



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RE: [Elecraft] General Trasverter Operation Question

[Sanger, Joseph]

Makes perfect sense to me ... now that I have heard it!

Thanks very much, Ron.

-Original Message-
From: Ron D'Eau Claire [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: Saturday, July 22, 2006 11:17 PM
To: Sanger, Joseph; elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] General Trasverter Operation Question

That's normal Joseph. Here's what's happening. 

The XV output power is determined by measuring the RF voltage at the
antenna
connector. That is converted into a level that lights the power LEDs.
The
problem is that the output power measurement is ONLY accurate when the
XV is
terminated in a 50-ohm non-reactive load. As you adjust your tuner for a
low
SWR, you are changing the load the XV sees and so its output power
indication is thrown off. 

Simply use enough output power to get a good indication on your SWR
meter,
then adjust things for the lowest SWR you can get while ignoring the LED
power indicator. Then, when you have the SWR set to minimum, set your K2
output for 20 watts (or whatever you want) indicated on the XV. As long
as
the SWR is very low when you set the power level, it'll be accurate. 

Ron AC7AC


-Original Message-

I am using a cross-needle, MFJ tuner in between my XV-50 and antenna.
The
interaction between the tune and transverter is confusing me a bit and I
was
wondering if someone could educate me as to what is going on?

I set my transverter output power to something around 20 watts, as
measured
on the XV-50 LED display ... then put K2 into tune mode ... and then
adjust
the controls on the tuner to minimize the reflected power and maximize
the
forward  power, which has the effect of minimizing the SWR (indicated by
the
crossover poinit of the two needle indicators). At least, that is what I
think I am supposed to do.  But as I do this, as I lower the SWR
indicator
on the tuner, the power output on the XV50 goes up into the red zone,
lighting up all of the LED's on the front panel.  This worries me, and I
then back off the power control on the K2 until I am back to 20 watts or
so
as measured by the XV-50 display.

Am I on the right track here?  Or am I doing something stupid?

Thanks in advance to the kind soul who may take the time to straighten
me
out!

 

-- WB2SSB




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RE: [Elecraft] General Trasverter Operation Question

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

End fed dipoles can be very good if they're in the clear! 

Sure, we'd all like 15 elements at 60 feet. And, sure, most of us have to do
with a little less...

Ron AC7AC

-Original Message-

I am talking about a tuner in between the XV-50 and a rather depressing
little end-fed dipole antenna!


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RE: [Elecraft] General Trasverter Operation Question

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

That's normal Joseph. Here's what's happening. 

The XV output power is determined by measuring the RF voltage at the antenna
connector. That is converted into a level that lights the power LEDs. The
problem is that the output power measurement is ONLY accurate when the XV is
terminated in a 50-ohm non-reactive load. As you adjust your tuner for a low
SWR, you are changing the load the XV sees and so its output power
indication is thrown off. 

Simply use enough output power to get a good indication on your SWR meter,
then adjust things for the lowest SWR you can get while ignoring the LED
power indicator. Then, when you have the SWR set to minimum, set your K2
output for 20 watts (or whatever you want) indicated on the XV. As long as
the SWR is very low when you set the power level, it'll be accurate. 

Ron AC7AC


-Original Message-

I am using a cross-needle, MFJ tuner in between my XV-50 and antenna. The
interaction between the tune and transverter is confusing me a bit and I was
wondering if someone could educate me as to what is going on?

I set my transverter output power to something around 20 watts, as measured
on the XV-50 LED display ... then put K2 into tune mode ... and then adjust
the controls on the tuner to minimize the reflected power and maximize the
forward  power, which has the effect of minimizing the SWR (indicated by the
crossover poinit of the two needle indicators). At least, that is what I
think I am supposed to do.  But as I do this, as I lower the SWR indicator
on the tuner, the power output on the XV50 goes up into the red zone,
lighting up all of the LED's on the front panel.  This worries me, and I
then back off the power control on the K2 until I am back to 20 watts or so
as measured by the XV-50 display.

Am I on the right track here?  Or am I doing something stupid?

Thanks in advance to the kind soul who may take the time to straighten me
out!

 

-- WB2SSB

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[Elecraft] RE:K2/100 And Accessories

[Jim, W4ATK]

The following items have been spoken for:

K2
KNB2
KSB2
KDSP2
KPA100
K2 top cover

Items not spoken for as of this post:
KIO2$75
EC2 $50
KAT-100 panels for the EC2 $30
MFJ-1279 Sound Card Interface

73, Jim, W4ATK
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[Elecraft] RE: K2/100 And Accessories - New ballgame per your requests.

[Jim, W4ATK]

I have recieved suggestions that I break the list up into components. I
don't mind doing that so long as I do not get stuck with something I cannot
sell.
Example: The KPA-100 and the K2 top cover. If I sold the KPA-100 then 
the
K2 top cover would have to go with the K2.
So how to do this in a fair and equitable manner? If there is a module 
or
configuration you want, send me an e-mail off the list, PLEASE. I will
attempt to sort it all out on a first come first served basis starting with
this post. Gotta make this fair for you and for me.

Here is the list.

K2 s/n 4028 $480
KNB2$35
KSB2$80
KDSP2   $180
KPA100  $300
KAT100  $200
K2 top coverFree*
KIO2$75
EC2 $50
KAT-100 panels for the EC2  $30
MFJ-1279 Sound Card Interface   $50

* this item will be held until the KPA100 is sold.

All items plus shipping. I will use the UPS Store to ship so everything will
be professionally packed for shipment(ESD protected).

Sorry for taking up the bandwidth, just trying to find good homes for the K2
gear.

73 Jim, W4ATK

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RE: [Elecraft] General Trasverter Operation Question

[Sanger, Joseph]

I wasn't even sure i had a problem ... are you saying that the behavior that i 
described below ... is abnormal?  should the power indication on the xv-50 not 
vary as i tune the tuner?  How should it behave as I adjust the tuner?
 
My antenna options are extremely limited at my 3rd floor apt qth ... i can try 
a vertical as well; next step.
 
Thanks, John.
 

-Original Message- 
From: John D'Ausilio [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: Sat 7/22/2006 9:34 PM 
To: Sanger, Joseph 
Cc: 
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] General Trasverter Operation Question



end-fed dipole doesn't sound like a good idea .. very high impedance 
fed at the end. Feed it in the middle and your problem will likely 
disappear 

de w1rt/john 

On 7/22/06, Sanger, Joseph <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: 
> I am talking about a tuner in between the XV-50 and a rather 
depressing little end-fed dipole antenna! 
> 
> -Original Message- 
> From: Don Wilhelm [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
> Sent: Sat 7/22/2006 9:18 PM 
> To: Sanger, Joseph; elecraft@mailman.qth.net 
> Cc: 
> Subject: RE: [Elecraft] General Trasverter Operation Question 
> 
> 
> 
> Why would you need a tuner between the K2 and the XV-50?  The 
XV-50 has an 
> input attenuator that provides a good 50 ohm load, and the K2 
should drive 
> it just fine with only a piece of coax connected between the 
K2 and XV-50 - 
> the SWR on that coax line should be very close to 1:1. 
> 
> 73, 
> Don W3FPR 
> 
> 
> > -Original Message- 
> 
> > 
> > I am using a cross-needle, MFJ tuner in between my XV-50 
and antenna. 
> > The interaction between the tune and transverter is 
confusing me a bit 
> > and I was wondering if someone could educate me as to what 
is going on? 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > I set my transverter output power to something around 20 
watts, as 
> > measured on the XV-50 LED display ... then put K2 into tune 
mode ... and 
> > then adjust the controls on the tuner to minimize the 
reflected power 
> > and maximize the forward  power, which has the effect of 
minimizing the 
> > SWR (indicated by the crossover poinit of the two needle 
indicators). 
> > At least, that is what I think I am supposed to do.  But as 
I do this, 
> > as I lower the SWR indicator on the tuner, the power output 
on the XV50 
> > goes up into the red zone, lighting up all of the LED's on 
the front 
> > panel.  This worries me, and I then back off the power 
control on the K2 
> > until I am back to 20 watts or so as measured by the XV-50 
display. 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Am I on the right track here?  Or am I doing something 
stupid? 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Thanks in advance to the kind soul who may take the time to 
straighten 
> > me out! 
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of 
the intended recipient(s) and may contain information that is proprietary, 
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review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you have received 
this email in error please notify the sender by return email and delete the 
original message. Please note, the recipient should check this email and any 
attachments for the presence of viruses. The organization accepts no liability 
for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email.

> 
== 
> 
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Re: [Elecraft] Uzbekistan to Japan Elecraft qrp qso

[Bekir Kemal Ataman]

Uzbekistan is much nearer to Japan than my location. I've had many QSOs
with Japan using just 7.6 watts (requested) power. During the last IARU HF
contest I've had many contacts with Brazil, too. They were all sounding
very strong and they all heard me very clear. And remember, all this is
done on SSB with a simple 4-band inverted vee antenna and about 45 meters
of RG58 between my K2 and the antenna. If my CW was good enough, I am sure
I could reach further distances.

73!
de TA2RX


At 16:11 -0400 22/7/06, Gil Stacy wrote:
>Elecraft products seem to have a worldwide following.
>The recent FISTS The Keynote has an interesting account in the East Asia
>section regarding a 6000 km qso between Manabu, UK/JI2MED, in Tashkent,
>Uzbekistan, using his K2 at 5 watts and Shin, JP6VCH, in Japan using his K1
>at 3 watts.  The qso lasted 14 minutes and was in English.  Shin was beach
>portable using a fishing rod as a 15 meter whip antenna.
>
>73, Gil NN4CW

--
Bekir Kemal Ataman
ArchiMac BBS Sysop & Webmaster 


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RE: [Elecraft] General Trasverter Operation Question

[Sanger, Joseph]

I am talking about a tuner in between the XV-50 and a rather depressing little 
end-fed dipole antenna!

-Original Message- 
From: Don Wilhelm [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: Sat 7/22/2006 9:18 PM 
To: Sanger, Joseph; elecraft@mailman.qth.net 
Cc: 
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] General Trasverter Operation Question



Why would you need a tuner between the K2 and the XV-50?  The XV-50 has 
an 
input attenuator that provides a good 50 ohm load, and the K2 should 
drive 
it just fine with only a piece of coax connected between the K2 and 
XV-50 - 
the SWR on that coax line should be very close to 1:1. 

73, 
Don W3FPR 


> -Original Message- 

> 
> I am using a cross-needle, MFJ tuner in between my XV-50 and antenna. 
> The interaction between the tune and transverter is confusing me a 
bit 
> and I was wondering if someone could educate me as to what is going 
on? 
> 
> 
> 
> I set my transverter output power to something around 20 watts, as 
> measured on the XV-50 LED display ... then put K2 into tune mode ... 
and 
> then adjust the controls on the tuner to minimize the reflected power 
> and maximize the forward  power, which has the effect of minimizing 
the 
> SWR (indicated by the crossover poinit of the two needle indicators). 
> At least, that is what I think I am supposed to do.  But as I do 
this, 
> as I lower the SWR indicator on the tuner, the power output on the 
XV50 
> goes up into the red zone, lighting up all of the LED's on the front 
> panel.  This worries me, and I then back off the power control on the 
K2 
> until I am back to 20 watts or so as measured by the XV-50 display. 
> 
> 
> 
> Am I on the right track here?  Or am I doing something stupid? 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks in advance to the kind soul who may take the time to 
straighten 
> me out! 
> 
> 



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intended recipient(s) and may contain information that is proprietary, 
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review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you have received 
this email in error please notify the sender by return email and delete the 
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RE: [Elecraft] General Trasverter Operation Question

[Don Wilhelm]

Why would you need a tuner between the K2 and the XV-50?  The XV-50 has an
input attenuator that provides a good 50 ohm load, and the K2 should drive
it just fine with only a piece of coax connected between the K2 and XV-50 -
the SWR on that coax line should be very close to 1:1.

73,
Don W3FPR


> -Original Message-

>
> I am using a cross-needle, MFJ tuner in between my XV-50 and antenna.
> The interaction between the tune and transverter is confusing me a bit
> and I was wondering if someone could educate me as to what is going on?
>
>
>
> I set my transverter output power to something around 20 watts, as
> measured on the XV-50 LED display ... then put K2 into tune mode ... and
> then adjust the controls on the tuner to minimize the reflected power
> and maximize the forward  power, which has the effect of minimizing the
> SWR (indicated by the crossover poinit of the two needle indicators).
> At least, that is what I think I am supposed to do.  But as I do this,
> as I lower the SWR indicator on the tuner, the power output on the XV50
> goes up into the red zone, lighting up all of the LED's on the front
> panel.  This worries me, and I then back off the power control on the K2
> until I am back to 20 watts or so as measured by the XV-50 display.
>
>
>
> Am I on the right track here?  Or am I doing something stupid?
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance to the kind soul who may take the time to straighten
> me out!
>
>

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[Elecraft] General Trasverter Operation Question

[Sanger, Joseph]

I am using a cross-needle, MFJ tuner in between my XV-50 and antenna.
The interaction between the tune and transverter is confusing me a bit
and I was wondering if someone could educate me as to what is going on?

 

I set my transverter output power to something around 20 watts, as
measured on the XV-50 LED display ... then put K2 into tune mode ... and
then adjust the controls on the tuner to minimize the reflected power
and maximize the forward  power, which has the effect of minimizing the
SWR (indicated by the crossover poinit of the two needle indicators).
At least, that is what I think I am supposed to do.  But as I do this,
as I lower the SWR indicator on the tuner, the power output on the XV50
goes up into the red zone, lighting up all of the LED's on the front
panel.  This worries me, and I then back off the power control on the K2
until I am back to 20 watts or so as measured by the XV-50 display.

 

Am I on the right track here?  Or am I doing something stupid?

 

Thanks in advance to the kind soul who may take the time to straighten
me out!

 

-- WB2SSB

 


--
This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the 
intended recipient(s) and may contain information that is proprietary, 
confidential, and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. Any unauthorized 
review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you have received 
this email in error please notify the sender by return email and delete the 
original message. Please note, the recipient should check this email and any 
attachments for the presence of viruses. The organization accepts no liability 
for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email.
==
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Re: [Elecraft] strange K2 160m power problem(solved?)

[R. Torsten Clay]

On Wed, 19 Jul 2006, R. Torsten Clay wrote:

In the process of calibrating my LP100 wattmeter, I was hopping back and 
forth between bands and transmitting. I discovered a strange problem with my 
K2/100 #3134. This is what happens:


First, I have the K2 hooked up to a dummy load. I also confirmed that this 
happens with a different wattmeter in line. I am keying the K2 with a 
straight key.


1. I transmit on 28 MHz. I get about 100w out.
I press "band -" several times until I get to 1.8 MHz. Putting the
key down, I get about 110 w out as expected.

2. I transmit on 28 MHz. I get about 100w out.
I press "band +" once to get to 1.8 MHz. Putting the key down, I get
170 w out !!!

In other words, it makes a difference whether I go from 10m to 160m either by 
pressing Band - several times, or Band + once. Pressing Band + once somehow 
screws up the tx agc. The problem does not seem to be in the KPA100, because 
if I turn the power down to 10W I get similar response (10W one way, 15W the 
other way).




I still don't know why it was doing this. Re-aligning the whole rig did 
not help. However, after increasing R98 to 680 Ohms I no longer get 160W 
on 160m.


BTW I also tried to fix the low power on 10M. I rewound T4, T2, adjusted 
the output filters, fiddled with T1, and peaked very carefully. In the end 
I gained maybe 1 W, now 8W max on 10M (without KPA100).


Torsten
N4OGW

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[Elecraft] Uzbekistan to Japan Elecraft qrp qso

[Gil Stacy]

Elecraft products seem to have a worldwide following.
The recent FISTS The Keynote has an interesting account in the East Asia
section regarding a 6000 km qso between Manabu, UK/JI2MED, in Tashkent,
Uzbekistan, using his K2 at 5 watts and Shin, JP6VCH, in Japan using his K1
at 3 watts.  The qso lasted 14 minutes and was in English.  Shin was beach
portable using a fishing rod as a 15 meter whip antenna.

73, Gil NN4CW
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RE: [Elecraft] My ailing K2 - Advice sought...

[Dan Barker]

My K2 (#2456) had a similar symptom, but I was in the shack and no damage
was done. My battery had failed and was supplying 12 v idle, and about 7 v
under load (if you can call 200 milliamps a load).

The noise from the speaker was VERY LOUD. Being there, I switched it off
immediately. I tried several things before swapping the power supply. That
fixed it, of course. I imagine I made the LOUD NOISE about 8 or 10 times
(I'm a slow learner) of about a second each.

I have no doubt you cooked something if it went on for some time. The
speaker, most likely, if not more thingies.

Dan / WG4S

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Joel Kluender
Sent: Saturday, July 22, 2006 12:05 PM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Elecraft] My ailing K2 - Advice sought...


All,

  The other day my wife called me on the cellphone and
said, "what's that awful noise? Your speaker is making
a loud noise". I figured out that "my speaker" was the
K2, which was supposed to be off, but apparently had
been switched on by one of my kids. When I got home
and did post-mortem analysis, I determined that the
lawnmower battery that I run the K2 off of was dead,
so apparently it had been on for quite some time
without me realizing it. In addition, there is now no
audio output at all from the speaker. Dead. Nada. But
the audio through the headphones is fine and I notice
no other problems with the rig other than the speaker
audio.

  Before I dig deeper into the schematics and the
radio, I wanted to see if anyone else has ever had a
similar incident. Best I can tell, the audio went into
some sort of feedback loop and blew some of the
circuitry, perhaps when the suply voltage went below
the lower spec. But not being there, I am not sure the
exact sequence of events.

  Any suggestions? I really am in the mood to get the
K2 back to full function. Thanks in advance for the
feedback before I hit the bench with soldering iron &
multimeter in hand...

  73,
  Joel NF9K


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Re: [Elecraft] My ailing K2 - Advice sought...

[Vin Cortina]

Joel,

May I be the one to ask the obvious question?  Have you eliminated the 
speaker itself?  If the headphones work, then the audio amplifier must be 
putting something out, although I realize it takes substantially less to 
drive headphones.  If in fact it is part of the audio circuitry, I would 
imagine it would have to be something near the "end of the line" (proximity 
to the speaker) so to speak.


I know you probably have already considered this, and I apologize for citing 
the obvious.  Good luck with it.


Vin  KR2F

K1-4 s/n:1977
KX1  s/n:1476



- Original Message - 
From: "Joel Kluender" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

To: 
Sent: Saturday, July 22, 2006 12:05 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] My ailing K2 - Advice sought...



All,

 The other day my wife called me on the cellphone and
said, "what's that awful noise? Your speaker is making
a loud noise". I figured out that "my speaker" was the
K2, ... 


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Re: [Elecraft] My ailing K2 - Advice sought...

[Joe-aa4nn]

Sounds like me and others who have a faulty
headphone jack where the speaker will not
come on when the headphones are removed.
Time now to replace the headphone jack.
de Joe, aa4nn
--
- Original Message - 
From: "Joel Kluender" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

In addition, there is now no

audio output at all from the speaker. Dead. Nada. But
the audio through the headphones is fine and I notice
no other problems with the rig other than the speaker
audio.


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[Elecraft] My ailing K2 - Advice sought...

[Joel Kluender]

All,
   
  The other day my wife called me on the cellphone and
said, "what's that awful noise? Your speaker is making
a loud noise". I figured out that "my speaker" was the
K2, which was supposed to be off, but apparently had
been switched on by one of my kids. When I got home
and did post-mortem analysis, I determined that the
lawnmower battery that I run the K2 off of was dead,
so apparently it had been on for quite some time
without me realizing it. In addition, there is now no
audio output at all from the speaker. Dead. Nada. But
the audio through the headphones is fine and I notice
no other problems with the rig other than the speaker
audio.
   
  Before I dig deeper into the schematics and the
radio, I wanted to see if anyone else has ever had a
similar incident. Best I can tell, the audio went into
some sort of feedback loop and blew some of the
circuitry, perhaps when the suply voltage went below
the lower spec. But not being there, I am not sure the
exact sequence of events.
   
  Any suggestions? I really am in the mood to get the
K2 back to full function. Thanks in advance for the
feedback before I hit the bench with soldering iron &
multimeter in hand...
   
  73,
  Joel NF9K


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Re: [Elecraft] ESD question

[Vin Cortina]

Hi Kirk,

While the latter may offer more protection than nothing at all, I have been 
trained to use the former method.  Grounding the ESD mat and wrist strap to 
a true earth ground will properly "siphon" off any residual static charge. 
The wrist strap should measure approximately 1 Megaohm to ground as there is 
an integral resistance in the cord which will prevent you from becoming a 
human fuse in the event of  a dangerous/lethal voltage coming into contact 
with the mat.


I expect there will be others who will weigh in on this, but I can tell you 
my training came from well over 25 years in field service, 16 of which were 
with Hewlett-Packard.  At H.P. I had to be recertified every year in ESD 
prevention techniques, not to mention a slew of other things (like 
electrical safety).  H.P. didn't mess around.


Best of luck.

Vin  KR2F

K1-4 s/n:1977
KX1  s/n:1476  (under construction)


- Original Message - 
From: "Kirk Brown" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

To: 
Sent: Saturday, July 22, 2006 10:14 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] ESD question



Hi all,

How do you correctly use an ESD wrist strap when building a K2? Can I
directly plug it into the ground terminal of a regular socket (it
appears to be made to fit) or can I connect it to the chassis to
ensure no potential exists? The only time I've used a strap was a case
where I had a specific grounding bus to connect it to.

Thanks!
--
"Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the
rest." ~Mark Twain
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[Elecraft] ESD question

[Kirk Brown]

Hi all,

How do you correctly use an ESD wrist strap when building a K2? Can I
directly plug it into the ground terminal of a regular socket (it
appears to be made to fit) or can I connect it to the chassis to
ensure no potential exists? The only time I've used a strap was a case
where I had a specific grounding bus to connect it to.

Thanks!
--
"Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the
rest." ~Mark Twain
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[Elecraft] FS: K2/1000 And Accessories (Corrected URL)

[James T. "Jim" Rogers, W4ATK]

One more time, then it is on to e-Bay

K2/100 160-10M Transceiver
KDSP2 DSP
KNB2 Noise Blanker
KSB2 SSB adapter
K160RX module
KPA-100 power amplifier

KAT100 Antenna Tuner

MFJ 1279 Sound Card Interface

Documentation and Interconnect Cabling

This equipment can be viewed at http://www.home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-W4ATK

Contact me off-list please with your best offer at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
or by phone at (205) 982-9466.

Thank You, 73, Jim, W4ATK
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[Elecraft] FS: K2/100 And Accessories

[James T. "Jim" Rogers, W4ATK]

One more time, then it is on to e-Bay

K2/100 160-10M Transceiver
KDSP2 DSP
KNB2 Noise Blanker
KSB2 SSB adapter
K160RX module
KPA-100 power amplifier

KAT100 Antenna Tuner

MFJ 1279 Sound Card Interface

Documentation and Interconnect Cabling

This equipment can be viewed at http://bellsouth.net/p/PWP-W4ATK

Contact me off-list please with your best offer at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
or by phone at (205) 982-9466.

Thank You, 73, Jim, W4ATK

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Re: [Elecraft] Soldering Stations Question

[G. Beat]

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 19:03:10 -0400
From: Robert 
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Soldering Stations Question

I use a METCAL soldering station and a METCAL Desoldering station.
This is a real high end and expensive set-up and not for everyone.


Just as a reminder, OK International is the now the "mew name" for Metcal. 
Part of their global branding strategy (elimination of regional brand 
names).

http://www.okinternational.com/about/history


Weller is good but not made in the USA. At least not anymore.
Components are made in China and Mexico like everything else.


Not quite right.  The entire factory was moved at the end of 2002 - from the 
Carolinas to Mexico.
In 2003, many of the production processes (soldering tip fabrication and 
plating, cable extrusions, molding) had to be changed to comply with the 
European and Japanese no Lead initiatives.  Not all "cheap" Far Eastern 
imports meet these requirements (product dumping?).
The Weller corporate HQ and repair/parts center is still in USA - managed by 
Dino Chandler.

IF specific parts are now being sourced from China - this is news to me.
Many of the "high end" Weller stations are being designed and built in 
Germany (WMRS) - and have global voltage capabilities (120/240 VAC)


Get whatever you are comfortable with.  Many soldering stations are 
overkill for most

hobbyist.


A good temperature controlled station is never overkill for homebuilder or 
amateur radio hobbyist -- makes all the difference for consistency of 
soldering.


Pace makes a nice small soldering station called the Heatwise and like the 
METCAL uses the > Currie effect to maintain very stable tip temp 
regardless of thermal load.


The OKI / Metcal patent (on file at the US patent office) for their original 
usage of magnetic switch (Curie effect) in their stations --- credits Carl 
Weller for the original patent and idea in the 1950s (that became the W60 / 
W100 line voltage irons and eventually the Weller TCP series in early 
1960s - with 2 subsequent patents).  Carl Weller is recognized as the 
"inventor" and originator of the true temperature controlled soldering 
iron - 50 years ago.


Grumman used the TCP irons for the Lunar LM construction in 1960s; Collins 
for the "S" line production and rework stations in 1960s and 1970s and NASA 
in 2002 used a Weller WTCPT pencil (tied to station's 24 VAC bus) on ISS 
Alpha for soldering tests in microgravity.


Bottom line is to get something that your comfortable with and won't empty 
your wallet.


Always good advice - surplus readily available and the TCP series is easy 
for an competent amateur to repair -- with a Phillips screwdriver, wire 
stripper and a bobbie pin.



The WTCPx base unit is just a transformer.
Correct a step down transformer to 24 VAC .  The heater (TC208 or EC234) and 
magnetic switch (Magnistat - SW60) are the 2 active components.


Tech Sheets for the various Weller soldering stations and accessories are 
slowly being scanned and posted at BAMA

http://bama.edebris.com/manuals/weller/

As far as inexpensive Far East manufacturer's -- Sorny Roong Industrial Co., 
Ltd. (SOLOMON) -- in Taiwan was been a large OEM export supplier (under 
various brand names throughout world) since 1975.

http://soldering.com.tw/

w9gb


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Re: [Elecraft] Soldering Stations Question

[Alexandra Carter]

OK here's what you do. You get the handpiece to the Weller WTCPT and  
you just run it on DC. The base unit is just a transformer. Actually  
maybe not DC, run the handpiece on AC, use a transformer to step down  
your wall voltage and there you go. The temp control is all in the  
handpiece with these. Yes, Curie was a genius.


Goot makes good (or goot?) stuff. Hakko is also good.

For desoldering, I just use braid these days. I know enough about  
Pace desoldering stuff to go work for 'em rebuilding their stations,  
but I just use braid. 73 de Alex NS6Y.


On Jul 21, 2006, at 10:56 PM, Wyn Hughes wrote:

I agee with these comments. Weller has a good reputation but is  
also a very high end product price wise here in Hong Kong. Hakko,  
Goot, though 'made in Japan' are similar and also made with  
outsourced parts and probbaly labour. A Hakko 936 runs about $150  
and a Hakko 808 desoldering gun around $200 here. Importing from  
the US is not very satisfactory, as local voltage here is 220VAC
I bought a Gordak 936A (China made clone of the Hako 936ESD) to  
build my K2. Cost $35. It worked perfectly satisfactorily although  
I did buy a Hakko 'made in Japan' steel tip, 1.6mm for the job. I  
used it for every solder joint in the K2, the tip still has llife  
left in it. I treated it to the recommended Kester 44 solder, which  
I had to import from Mouser, as I would be reluctant to trust  
'brand x' China made solder at this stage of their development,  
warranty issues apart.
Also have a Aoyue 936A which is similar. I also have a Aoyue 808  
desoldering gun (China clone of the Hakko 808, cost about $55).  
That worked ok too using the standard (China made alloy) nozzle, as  
the Hakko nozzles were $25 here which I felt was too expensive. As  
things turned out I only had to use the desoldering gun a couple of  
times. Maybe it will fall apart in due time but it has served its  
purpose to date. The China made products seem reasonably well made  
and are good value for money out in thispart of the world. I have a  
Aoyue 474 desoldering station (Hakko 474 clone) waiting in the  
wings unused for that time!


Wyn, VR2AX


Weller is good but not made in the USA. At least not anymore.  
Components are made in China and Mexico like everything else.
Get whatever you are comfortable with. Many soldering stations are  
overkill for most hobbiest. Pace makes a nice small soldering  
station called the
Heatwise and like the METCAL uses the Currie effect to maintain  
very stable tip temp regardless of thermal load.


Bottom line is to get something that your comfortable with and  
won't empty your wallet.



Robert VE3RPF
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