[Elecraft] K2/100 at N0SS for FD...

[Mark J. Dulcey]

Tom Hammond N=D8SS wrote:
> Just wanted to report that K2 #00008 and KPA100 #(something) accounted =

> for over 1,100 CW QSO's from N0SS during FD 2002... and it never even=20
> broke a sweat!!!

K2 #1984 (Big Brother is Listening) plus a shiny new KPA100 (this one=20
separated according to the KI6WX instructions) handled 510 CW QSOs at=20
W1BOS. (These CW contacts, made on 80, 40, and 15 meters, were the only=20
CW operation at W1BOS. There were also two HF phone stations, an HF=20
digital station, two VHF/UHF SSB stations, and one VHF FM station.) The=20
K2, sans KPA100, also handled 10 QRP contacts for our solar-power bonus. =

We worked N0SS, so we may have had a K2/100 - K2/100 contact!

The newly-completed amplifier worked flawlessly during Field Day. The=20
only operational problem is that we didn't get full power out of it all=20
the time, because we couldn't get the SWR down low enough even with an=20
antenna tuner. (The antenna we used with the K2/100 was a recently=20
homemade 80/40 meter dipole. It was cut just a BIT too long; the=20
resonances were slightly below the ham bands. My big old AEA AT-300=20
doesn't seem to be able to match such an antenna - the inductances=20
probably don't go low enough.) The K2/100 gave a HI REFL warning, but=20
happily soldiered on at somewhat reduced power.

The contest was a trial by fire for a newly-constructed amplifier. I=20
finished the basic KPA100 assembly on Wednesday, and made a couple of=20
contacts with it. (The first one was T9 - not too bad.) The separation=20
was completed on Friday evening, and never tested live - too much other=20
stuff to get ready for Field Day. I had to take the station off the air=20
briefly on Saturday evening to retighten the power transistors. (It was=20
well into the 5-10 hour range of operation by then!) As it happened, we=20
had an appropriately-timed power outage, so we didn't lose any operating =

time that we wouldn't have lost anyway.

Dave Hunt, WX1G, was impressed by the K2. I loved it all along - but if=20
Dave, one of the best CW operators around, liked it, that really means=20
something! He particularly noted the smooth QSK and the effective=20
filters. I just did the crystal filter grounding mod last week; that=20
couldn't have hurt.