[Elecraft] "Moment of conception"

[Dominic G4SLW]

Someone asked about the Sommerkamp TS-788DX.
I don't believe there ever was a Yaesu version. It was a 10m only mobile
SSB/CW rig which I found perfect when I was first licensed as there was a
sunspot high I believe around that time. I still remember sunbathing on a
hill near my parked car, rig connected by long lead to car battery and
speaking to an Australian (from England). As a newcomer to the hobby I =
was
well impressed. I got a flashier rig for all bands later on but I never
really rekindled the sheer fun I had in the early days of going somewhere
portable and using a small low power rig like this. This was =
substantially
the attraction of the K2 for me. The TS-788DX was also very popular with =
some
27mhz sideband users and may not therefore have been available is USA? =
Don't
you have all sorts of draconian restrictions on equipment capable of =
27mhz
operation? The 788 only needed a jumber removed for 26-30mhz TX and this =
was
in an age well before general conerage transmitters.
   All has gone ok so far with the K2 control board except for one maybe =
big
problem. I may well have "fried" my U2 (LM833N) chip. I won't go into my
stupid mistake in detail but it was a big and a very stupid mistake. =
That's
the FIRST dip chip which is supposed to be installed into the SECOND =
socket!
Duh. I found the same chip in a catalogue in the UK for only about $1
(70pence) so if necessary I will, having learnt now from experience, snip
chip off the board then remove the left-over pins and insert the =
replacement.
I wonder how heat sensetive the LM833N (U2) is. Hopefully less =
susceptible to
damage than the later chips. I'm probably deluding myself however and now
have a chip doomed to failure.
Dominic
G4SLW in England