Looks like poor soldering joints is the #1 problem with rigs we build.
While building my KSB2 I was wondering about and came up with an idea.
I wonder if many poor solder joints occur because of the lead moving as
the soldering tip is removed. In the case of an IC, while I'm applying
heat, I'm
My first modern rig was a used Argonaut 515 I bought in 1985. Nice on
CW, wide on SSB, 2 watts out was pretty light. But it was the top of
the line QRP rig and I loved it for that.
Time moves on. TenTec struggles, transitions to a direct-sales company
and eventually produces a truly top-level
Hey folks,
I completed the SSB module and have put it on the air. Interesting
results.
First, the board took me 2 evenings to build. I was interrupted both
times by the need to shuttle kids here or there but was still able to
finish in about 6 hrs (including interruptions). I went with the
Hi Scott,
Well, the BNC is soldered to the board and then just sticks out the back
of the rig. Changing it to SO-239 would probably require enlarging the
opening in the case and possibly moving the hole up. That may get in
the way of options down the road.
It will probably be easier to build
Well, I finished the KSB2 option, turning my bare-bones K2 into a K2/SSB. I
was expecting mediocre SSB performance. What I got was a pleasant surprise.
Modulation level - No problems driving the rig to full power output. I don't
have to shout, I just speak and the rig responds with RF
- Don W3FPR said -
... one can leave the AGC on to help protect the ears from the really
loud ones.
-
THIS, I think, is the best of both worlds. The AGC is, after all, just
an automatic way to adjust the RF gain. I prefer to use a mix of the
two. Turn the
I started the KSB2 last night. Between interruptions, I got about 1/2
way through.
I think the board should be renamed. Call it the 103 board. Man are
there a bunch of blue 103 caps to install!
With tonight's effort I just may have the rig ready for some SSB action
this weekend.
- Keith
Yes, but just to dabble.
I *just* got my KSB2 in the mail. I was hoping to have it assembled and
ready to go so I could use the K2 but that is looking doubtful. I have
the TS-830s which I plan to put on the air. I'll also work on the KSB2
and try to have it so I can at least do some listening
Oh, please tell me more. For home use, which rig has a better receiver?
Which one sounds better? Does one have the advantage over the other if
you're NOT leaving home?
- Keith N1AS -
- K2 5411 -
-Original Message-
The K1 is a much more pleasant rig to use and has a performance
Hmmm, I did a quick Google search on 25LC320. It said it was an serial
SPI bus EEPROM.
Talk about knock me over. I'm in the middle of configuring software to
talk to ... a SPI bus EEPROM.
If google is right, then the LM380N and 25LC320 are NOT the same thing
...
- Keith
I got a package from Elecraft yesterday. Soon my K2 will be SSB capable
and generating 100 watts.
How long do each of these kits take to build? I'm guessing 5 hrs for
the KSB2 and 25 for the KPA100.
The mini-module AF1 took me 2 hours. My K2 took me about 50 hrs to
build if that gives you
Sometime in the past, someone posted a link to someplace where a $30
solder sucker soldering iron was being sold. IIRC, it was a pencil iron
with a good sucking device attached. Anyone have the link?
Or, can you guys recommend a good yet inexpensive tool for doing rework?
I'm not interested in
Ah, yes, that was it. How I need to decide whether to spend $40 on a
tool or just bring the stuff here to work ...
Thanks!
- Keith N1AS -
-Original Message-
It's the Solder Popper model 12-2157 from GC Tools. It runs in the
$36.00 range depending upon retailer.
Hey Scott,
Maybe you *should* put that unopened kit on e-bay! You could instead
buy another rig that is a true black box. One that you can't get inside
of to fix and one that has a lower reliability rate. Something less
mature with more issues. And you'd get to spend more money in the
So what are the land mines in getting a K2 set up for SSB? I've heard
mixed reports about how nice or not nice the K2 is for SSB. What is the
path to nice and does it differ for the K2/100 vs. K2?
- Keith N1AS -
- K2 5411
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Tnx Don Ron,
Well, I ordered the cap kit along with the SSB option so the real
question is whether or not to put 'em in. In my case, I have external
EQ and AF filtering so I can tailor the response of my mic to make it
narrow if I need to focus the energy for QRP work and I can roll off the
Really? I have an 830s (soon to be sold) and find the K2's side tone is
vastly superior to the 830. After one QSO on the 830, I'm wanting to
shut the rig off.
With my K2, the side tone sounds very similar to the tone of a received
CW signal. Not quite the same, but pretty close.
IIRC Island
Yea, I guess I was thinking patching some other sidetone circuit into
the K2 in place of the existing sidetone circuit. It would not be easy.
In my case, I'm quite happy with the K2 sidetone (and I'm very picky!)
so I won't be cutting any traces in my rig!
- Keith N1AS -
- K2 5411 -
PM
To: Darwin, Keith
Cc: Elecraft Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] (Elecraft) Wide SSB Caps or not?
Bob, VE3XM wrote:
Take it from a SSB op go for the 2.4 SSB caps, I believe 2.6 Kcs. is
too wide for effective SSB reception.
Mine are 2.4 Kcs
There's something about the K2 that I haven't figured out yet. When I
listen to my 830s, 2B or the R4A, Omni V or other rigs I've owned, I
find their AGC to be very aggressive (Esp. the 2B). When a signal hits,
the AGC really drops the gain and when the signal is gone, the gain goes
way up.
Nice post Chris. Tnx for the comparison with a known contest rig.
What I find amazing is that we're even comparing the K2 to an FT1000.
That the $600 bone-stock K2 can truly run with the big boys (in this
case, one that has been tricked out somewhat) is absolutely astounding.
- Keith N1AS -
-
I have a buddy interested in a K2. He wasn't until I loaned him mine
while I was on vacation. He was luke-warm before he borrowed the rig.
He borrowed, he listened, loved the receiver and is considering a
purchase. Sweet. But he's mostly an SSB op and stumbles a bit at the
mixed reviews of the
Since the NB occurs right before the existing Xtal filter, adding more
filtering in the NB slot would increase the skirts of the filter, but it
wouldn't do a whole lot more. In other rigs with 2 filters, they are at
different IFs and have other stages between them. Having a 2nd filter
earlier in
So guys, I just ordered the SSB board and the 100 watt PA. I also
ordered the wide SSB caps. Should I put them in or leave them out?
Can you hear the difference between 2.4 KHz and 2.6 KHz on receive? On
transmit?
SSB is only about 5% of my operating time. I'll dabble in 'phone here
and
Refresh my memory. What are these? Linear amps, 800 and 1500 watts out? 100
watts in? Price?
- Keith N1AS -
- K2 5411 -
-Original Message-
Lou Laderman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
The KPA1500 and KPA800 amps were earlier projected for an October/November
rollout. Elecraft has
Wow, what a weekend. I dabbled off on in the SS 'test. Got to listen
to my 3 rigs and compare them head to head under tough conditions.
After extensive listening with all 3, the K2 has emerged as the clear
winner in the group. It stood head shoulders above the other two in
the way it handled
I used the AF mini-module with all 3 rigs (830s, 2B, K2). Gee, this
thing works well. It successfully killed the hiss in my headphones and
helped cut QRM when I went to the BPF positions. The 830s benefited the
most from the filter. The 2B was also helped but with the AGC being
affected by
Hey guys,
Saturday, the FCC web page said my vanity app. was approved. KD1E has
been canceled. I'm now N1AS.
Now, if I can just remember to type it that way :-)
- Keith KD ... er, um N1AS -
- K2 5411 -
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Post to:
QRP mode only? Gets brighter on TX? Yep I know what that is. It's the
Mojo. It lights up everything in it's field including the eyes of the
operator.
You did say any thoughts on this would be appreciated. LOL.
- Keith N1AS (no one as smart) -
- K2 5411 -
-Original Message-
From:
I bought one a few weeks ago but preaching duties at church kept me from
having any free time to look at it. Our new pastor has arrived so I can
return to non-preaching status which puts some free time back into my
life.
Time for that AF mini module!
Last night I put it together. The entire
Before I bought the AF mini-module, I compared the schematic to the K2
AF. Nope, not the same. The mini-module has the benefit of more
controls and a built-in AF amp. Listening to them, I think the KAF2
rings more in the narrow position than the mini-module does but it's
been a while since I
Shame, shame, shame! So you made a mistake, ea? Welcome to the club
:-)
I *almost* completed my K2 with no mistakes. Near the end of one
building session, I had very carefully soldered a resistor into its
place, trimmed the leads and as I checked it off in the book realized I
had the right
A year ago a friend of mine was going into local store. She looked up
as the approached the door and saw her mother coming out of the store.
Only it wasn't her mother, it was her own reflection.
I wrote a song a few years ago about becoming my dad. The chorus
said:
When I look in the mirror
I only listened. I used the crazy contest as a way to evaluate my
receivers. Hooked both rigs up to my 32' vertical and listened on 40
meters. The CW portion of the band was full of SSB. I started with the
830s and it was doing OK. Not much grunge being generated in the
receiver. I then
A mic preamp. You can buy some pretty serviceable mixing boards for
very little money. Plug your mic into a cheap Behringer UB502 or UB802
mixer and send the output into your rig's mic jack. You'll get variable
input gain plus some EQ. While Behringer stuff isn't really all that
great, it is
Here's a different approach. Don't sweat it.
If you can't get down there with a small pair of cutters, then the
excess lead isn't going to produce any poke wounds in your hands as you
handle the board. Get as close as you can and leave what you can't
I recall some difficulty when I built my K2
-Original Message-
From: Ken Kopp
The following is from a NASA-certified solderer ... me. (:-))
Contrary to the belief/practice of many, component leads protruding
through a solder pad should NEVER be cut off flush with the board. They
should be cut off at a length that is several
I bought it and built it a few months ago. It works just fine. Surplus
to my needs.
$75 shipped lower 48-states.
e-mail off list to: keith.darwin [at] goodrich (dot) com
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 -
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Post to:
Boy Jack, if there was some small kit that could sample a signal in the
K2 and send something out the back that could drive the LDG S-meter that
would be great. It would be even greater if it could just plug into the
K2 using one of the option slots.
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 -
-Original
Hmm, using the full bar graph to show S1 to S9? Not a bad idea. I may
do that once I get the 41 step attenuator.
All this AGC talk makes me think TenTec's hang AGC should have been the
ideal. In effect it would turn the RF Gain down when a big signal came
in and keep it down until the signal
I guess I'm the oddball. I run CW on AGC slow 90% of the time. Turning
off AGC disables the S-meter and watching the S-meter is part of my
enjoyment of the hobby (there, I said it)!
If the signal is coming over the north pole and is fluttering rapidly,
I'll go to Fast AGC.
Using fast AGC
-Original Message-
Still, top o' the line receivers like the K2 feature I.F. AGC that is
far more versatile than the receivers with those huge S-meters. And
maybe the piddlin' little bargraph puts the real value of an S reading
in perspective G.
Ron AC7AC
--
Nice recording. Mine definitely does NOT do that. I wish I could be
more help.
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 -
-Original Message-
From: Bill Acito W1PA
Tuning through a quiet band, I noticed as I tuned slowly across a CW
signal, I could clearly hear some artifact chirps or warbles with
I had an IC735. On paper it sure looked like a great rig. In practice
I found the sound of the rig to be irritating. Background noise was
harsh and spiky for lack of a better word. Recovered audio left me
wanting to turn the rig off. GC receive, which I though would be a
great thing, turned
There's the good old fashioned way of doing it. Use a separate receiver.
Maybe a KX-1?
My shack is evolving (no Darwin jokes, please :-) at the moment. I'm planning
on running the output of my rigs (currently 3) into a mixing board that will
feed a single audio filter which will feed my
I just ordered mine. I was wanting the wattmeter but ended up not
liking the final product. The audio filter and stepped attenuator are
on my short list of things to get. AF1 order went in today.
I have a new PC board vise (vice?) at home just dying to be used. I
picked up reading glasses
For my K2, I went with the Astron RS-20M supply. It is a linear supply,
not a switching supply. I went that way because I knew it would work,
would generate no noise and would be something I could service down the
road. I got the 20 amp supply even though my K2 is only 10 watts
output.
Hey guys, did you see? Three new mini modules are on the order page and
their manuals are available for download.
- Power meter
- AF filter
- Stepped attenuator
I looked them over and gotta say, I was very disappointed. I had really
envisioned a meter in a case that would match my K2.
The LP-100 sounds great - but it is out of my price range. I may
eventually talk myself into it but not at this time.
And to be honest, I really prefer an analog meter as it is much easier
to peak my TS830s on TX with an analog meter.
Now, if I were a computer sort of guy, having a watt meter
Is moving the BNCs and the battery box to the back of the board enough
to allow it (WM1 or Audio Filter) to mount cleanly in an enclosure or
will other components on the board prevent the LEDs or pots from poking
the right distance through the enclosure wall?
- Keith KD1E -
-Original
Are you going to set up a sked? What times and freqs? I assume you're
talking SSB (sorry, bad pun) not CW.
73!
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 -
-Original Message-
My K2 (5296) and I and other various radios, will be setup at Manatoc
Reservation in Akron Ohio. The event is a Moecomdws
Well, OK, what are the JOTA freqs? At least that would be a start.
- Keith -
-Original Message-
Richard said,
I was not looking for a sked per se. The times are from 6pm(EDT) fri.
till about 12 noon Sunday ... I was planning to use the jamboree (JOTA)
freqs as a starting point.
There is a part of me that says if you're having to search for a way to
test the NB, then you didn't need it in the first place
:-)
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 -
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You must be a subscriber to
Jeff ( the group),
I've been a ham since my teen years, 30 yrs ago. Actually it's not that
long on the ham-radio time scale. Anyway, I've been mostly CW since
then but have not been continuously active. I figure I have something
like 10+ yrs of continuous ham experience.
My code speed,
When I did my filter alignment with spectrogram I found the perceived
tone center lowered progressively as I went from wide to narrow. I went
back and redid the alignment with spectrogram in logarithm display mode
and the tone center became consistent from wide to narrow.
- Keith KD1E -
- K2
Hey Elecrafters, Elecraftonites Elecraftonians!
Several months ago I posted a question about using a Hustler 80 meter
resonator on the top of my simple stick vertical antenna to turn it into
a 2 band antenna. I have this 1/4-wave-on-30-meters vert that I feed
with a tuner. It is fine on 40,
-Original Message-
..doing a complete inventory will uncover these issues before they are
soldered into the wrong positions.
I did not do an inventory - until I got the caps section. Sheesh, there
are so many and it is hard to tell which ones are which.
I
I needed (wanted) a new DMM a few months ago. Initially was leaning
toward Fluke but didn't want to spend the money. I ended up buying an
Extech off e-bay. It in the Mouser catalog for $200+. I got mine for
about $90 or so, new in the box. I think it was a discontinued model as
the seller had
There's a Yahoo Elecraft group?
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 -
-Original Message-
Does anyone use the Yahoo Elecraft group?
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OK, Ok, smarty-pants, I'll spell it out ... Volts - ohms - amps.
:-) LOL!~
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 -
-Original Message-
From: Dan Barker
Wow! A meter that receives Voice Of America? Who'd a thought that?
snip
The meter does cap and freq measurements as well as V-O-A.
/snip
None of them.
There are no options that I cannot do without. Stated another way, I'm
pretty happy with my K2 with no options. The only option in my K2 is
the AF and I currently have it switched off.
I don't run SSB and don't miss it.
I don't do computer control - no need for RS-232 I/O
I don't
Oh, yes, I forgot about that. I do have one option on my K2 that I
can't live without.
An FT-100 knob!
73!
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 -
-Original Message-
The only really necessary option is the finger dimple (plus a source of
power)!
Bob W1SRB
Another option that I highly recommend.
Rework Eliminators.
This 3rd party kit enables you to build the K2 as if it has all the
options and provides simple jumper boards to populate the empty option
slots. Then, when you do build / add an option, you don't have to do
any rework to the board.
Well, that's a good question. Here's my initial list:
Xfil 1
Xfil 2
Xfil 3
Xfil 4
USB
LSB
CW
VFO Speed 1
VFO Speed 2
VFO Speed 3
AGC_F
AGC_S
AGC_0
Atten
PreAmp
... But it doesn't end there because I want more than just buttons. I
also want knobs:
VFO (larger
Boy Wayne, doesn't it stink to be constrained by the real world when
doing designs!
LOL!
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 -
-Original Message-
From: wayne burdick
...
For rigs like the KX1, what the world needs is a Gilbert cell multiplier
(mixer) IC with gain, NF, LO drive, and current
Quite a post there Doug. Thanks for the comments insight.
... But ...
That line of logic would have suggested the K2 would not have been
successful. A QRP rig for $600? Gee, for that price we can get a full
power rig from Asia. But as history has show, the risk has paid off and
the K2 has
If I believe the ample info available from the ham community, the
Kenwood, while offering a lot of polish, is lacking in what I'd call
essential performance. At the core, it's receiver does not do as well
as the K2 (or K3 presumably) at handling the dynamics of the current HF
bands and doesn't do
The last 2 messages I sent to the list made it, but I also got a funny
bounce message.
---
Sorry. Your message could not be delivered to:
Keith Gosse (Mailbox or Conference is full.)
Anyone else seeing this? Do I have a virus?
- Keith KD1E -
-
There is an errata that says to put 2 grounds to each crystal. One to
the top, one to the side (or maybe one on each side? I believe the
change was part of the errata for the SSB module???
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 -
-Original Message-
Could anyone send me a picture of the crystals
Bob, that's a GREAT idea. As I think about it, I realize ...
I DON'T WANT A K3.
There, I said it. I don't want a K3, I just want an larger and more
spread out UI for the K2. I want a new front panel, bigger case, bigger
knobs.
BUT that ruins the K2 for portable use, now doesn't it.
So, your
Oh Man, I wish I had known prices were going to go up! I was planning
on buying several options over the next year and would have bought them
all at once if I'd have known they were going up.
I sure wish elecraft would have posted a price increase notice before
hand. I guess I'll live without
-Original Message-
From: Bob
... but let's be realistic -- it's only a 5% increase...
Oh, don't get me wrong, I have no problem with prices going up.
Businesses have costs and need to make a fair profit on their goods.
It's not about price increases, it's about notifying your client
Any TT fans out there? How is the Triton IV receiver in terms of:
- Receiver quietness
- Recovered audio tone / quality
- IF filtering (I know it is audio in the TT rig)
I'm thinking it will be my next old rig to play with but wondered if
anyone who has both a Triton and a K2 can comment
-Original Message from Jim, N2EY-
... it should be remembered that all of this is subjective.
That doesn't mean it's right or wrong, ...
Absolutely. Right on. One of the things I loved about the K2, was the
clean audio. It was one of the main factors that allowed me to sell my
very
Let me clarify. I did my listening test under headphones - Nice hi-fi
headphones. The same ones I used in the studio when mixing my band's CD a
couple of years ago. Your right, you can't trust the sound of many rig
speakers. These headphones work well and I know them very well.
Tonight,
I had some fun today. Hooked the K2 and the Drake 2B up to the same antenna
and fed the headphone output of each into a mixer. I could then tune them both
to the same signal and switch back and forth quickly to hear them in the same
headphones. Interesting results.
Good: The K2's
I didn't inventory my K2, just built it. Then I hit the stage of
installing caps into the RF board. Lots of caps. I spread them out on
the bench, sorted into groups and made sure I could ID each one. That
was very useful so I could make sure I had the right ones. Once that
was done I went
I bought a used K1. It was a cool little rig but to serve as my main
base rig, I wanted more. I wanted better filtering. I wanted full-band
tuning range. I wanted a better AGC. I wanted better receiver
performance. I wanted a better display system. I wanted all the bands.
I bought and
I put an FT-100 knob on mine and like it. I wish is was a tad bigger
and had a bit more drag. The PN for the knob and rubber skirt were
provided on this reflector - maybe you can find it if you search using
the web interface. I save the PNs but unfortunately ...
My hard drive died. I had no
-Original Message-
Jim replies () to my original message () ...
- Medium size or larger controls.
How big is that? To me, medium size means 1 diameter
for most controls and 2-3 for tuning.
Yep, sounds sweet to me.
The problem is that there's a conflict between that
and the
I think this is really the approach to use. The K2 keyer is fine but an
external keyer can be in improvement. Leave the ring in Hnd mode and
let the external keyer do the work. Then hook your straight key, side
swiper and bug in parallel with the output of the keyer and away you go!
- Keith
-Original Message-
From: David Pratt
Oo, err! Fine, Keith, but what a waste of the excellent internal
electronic bug
circuitry of the K2 and the means of adjusting the speed from the
front panel.
Oh, yea, (that's American for Ooo, err IIRC :-) I suppose, but to me
it is a small price
We all want a K2-B (K2 with big knobs display) and I'm sure Elecraft
Engineering is working on it as we speak.
So how about another idea. I want a separate receiver in the shack.
Something to use as a backup. Something I can use to monitor my the TX
signal from my K2 so I can hear what it is
-Original Message-
From: David Toepfer
I want a separate receiver in the shack.
[...]
- Low cost ($300)
Man, you are funny.
Yea, but looks aren't everything :-)
If Elecraft can build a transceiver for less than $300 that gives RX
coverage from 6 to 16 MHz
A STRAIGHT KEY? Does anybody still use those things?
You bet your bippy they do! I sure do! Manual CW is absolutely great.
I enjoy it far more than sending code with training wheels (keyer) :-)
There is a trick to hooking a straight key to your K2. You must use a
1/8 TRS plug with the key
Last night my personal e-mail in box was spammed by a purveyor
of an after-market item for Elecraft radios...I strongly resent this
intrusion...
Gee Jerry, welcome to e-mail. Unwanted e-mail messages appear in
everyone's in-box. That in itself should be no big deal.
I am a listed Elecraft
At first I thought the post was about me. :-)
I recall the nut going on mine just fine. The nut is small and easy to
get cross threaded and with plastic threads, it's easy to get things
fouled up.
My *guess* is that the nut itself has messed up threads. If so, the
more you try, the more likely
Hey, Congratulations Lynn. That is quite an accomplishment.
I had it easier than those who went before me but a bit harder than you
did. I had to pass 20 wpm but it was a simulated QSO and I only needed
a minute or 2 of solid copy or 70% on the written questions. I didn't
have to go to the FCC
Hi folks,
Lately, I've been on the hunt for a 2nd receiver just for fun. I'm
looking for Drake R-4B. During this time, I've been wondering if I'll
want to put a full B-Line on the air or will just have an R-4B as a
backup RX. The answer to that depends largely on how the R-4B (or A if
that's
5 Watts CW output from the rig. At one time I heard something about the
level being 10 or 12 watts PEP for SSB but I've never run across any
confirmation so I believe the official definition is 5 watts period.
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 -
-Original Message-
From: Kent Tannery
Can
P 40 41 of the K2 manual walks you through the process of hooking the
display control boards together and to the main (RF) board. Use that
as the final guide.
To get the display off, you'll have to take a few screws out and just
pull forward. Make sure you remember to get the screw that holds
I remember the day when 1000 Hz readout was considered very good. That
got you close enough that you could find the net or your scheduled QSO.
Xtal calibrators told us where the band edges were and we were in good
shape.
Then came digital displays with resolution to 100 Hz. Wow! Was that
I've done a couple of read's through that article. While it has many
good points, it also has some glaring errors which make it somewhat
uncredible to me.
E.g. when listing the letters that benefit from squeeze technique, the
list is limited to C, F, K, L, Y, Q and R. When listing the letters
Peer group pressure. Don't ya' love it! People are struggling to keep
up with 25 to 30 wpm yet we stay there. I've often thought it would be
interesting in a contest to vary the speed depending on the size of the
pile up. Fast for a large pile, slow for no pile. There's just no
benefit in
Gee, I keep feeling like I have a new K2 but SN 5411 is almost 200
behind the lead runner at this point. By the end of the year we will
probably pass the 6000 mark. Maybe I should start timing it now so I
can get SN 6000?
Come to think of it, who ever decided that keeping track of SNs was a
I suspect option 2) Convert K2 to K2/100 is the simplest way to achieve
your goals. It is the least costly in time and money. The biggest
drawback would be the portability aspect of it but I think the KPA100 is
fairly simple to remove on occasion if you wanted to go back to a wimpy
15 watt K2
Do you want to use an iambic key or do you want to do CW? Believe it or
not, you can do a lot of CW without an iambic key. In fact, I've been
using my straight key more than the paddles and have no plans to change.
My CW speed tops out at around 20 wpm. I prefer 15 - 18 wpm for most
QSOs. At
The simple answer is any frequency where you call CQ at QRS speeds :-)
SKCC (Straight Key Century Club) has attracted a group of folks who tend
to run a bit on the slow side (under 20 wpm). I've had several QSOs
with OMs running J-38 straight keys clipping along at 12 wpm. I'd
suggest trying
I find the slow rate to be a bit too slow. The medium (5 KHz) speed
rate is about right but the step size is too big yielding audible pitch
steps. The fast rate for me is too fast. I'd be quite happy with the
medium speed if those steps could be shrunk :-)
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 -
The NB was optimized to block out ignition noise from UPS trucks.
Proper testing requires you order more stuff from Elecraft so UPS will
return.
Actually, it was quite tricky coming up with a circuit to block out the
ignition noise from a diesel engine :-)
73!
- Keith KD1E -
- K2 5411 with no
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