[Elecraft] Low audio on K1 s/n 1253

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Steve wrote:

Well I found the problem, it was the speaker.  I used a different one
and life is good again.  I would never had thought that a simple speaker
change would make that much difference in audio level, I can understand
how a cheap speaker can make it sound poor.  Seems that Elecraft should
look into a bit better speaker for the K-1.  This one sure leads one to
believe that there is something wrong with the audio stages.

--------------------------------------------

IF they are using the same speaker for the K1 as is used in the K2, it
may be a simple problem with a bent frame. A number of K2 builders,
including myself, had weak and "fuzzy" audio on the speaker but the
audio was fine on the 'phones. It turned out to be a slightly bent frame
for the speaker that was easily corrected by putting a screwdriver with
a wide blade between the edge of the magnet and the frame and twisting
it slightly. Listening to a tone (like the sidetone) I quickly found a
spot where applying a little twist cleared up the audio nicely. A little
harder "twist" made the fix permanent.

Elecraft also replaced a number of speakers for those how didn't want to
tweak the frame.

It was so easy to fix that I suspect the speakers were damaged during
normal handling in shipment somewhere along the line. The magnet is so
heavy compared to the strength of the frame that it would not take much
of a drop to bend the frame. Also, there were warnings in the K2 manual
not to over-tighten the mounting screws as that could warp the frame and
cause the same problem. 

Ron AC7AC
K2 # 1289