[Elecraft] New Ham & First Time Builder

[Mike Zak]

In my opinion, a first-time builder would benefit from building the K1 =
first, then the K2, if you can afford the time and money to do both.

I consider myself a very unskilled guy when it comes to stuffing and =
soldering PCBs.  Over the years I have built the Norcal 40A and Sierra, =
both Wayne Burdick's designs that are sold by Wilderness Radio.  I have =
built the K1 and am 2/3 of the way through the K2.  Across these designs =
Wayne has shown himself to be an artist and he has a very distinct style =
- learning how his designs fit together, by building smaller, simpler =
units like the Sierra and the K1, was helpful to me.  He puts a lot of =
effort into parts placement and component selection, and there's a =
certain "idiot-proof-ness" that he's achieved.

A past trademark of Wayne's (and now, along with Eric) is that if you =
follow the instructions CAREFULLY, don't work when you're tired, and =
take your time, the designs WILL WORK when you first put power to them.  =
The only problems I have ever encountered were when I did something =
stupid, and the problems were pretty easy to fix once I looked at them =
with a fresh look (and maybe a bit of e-mail help from the guys at =
Elecraft, who are all very helpful).

Just as important as getting the kits to work is getting the environment =
in place to build them.  Getting a clear, open space to assemble them =
on; getting the appropriate lighting in place, along with magnification; =
and settling in on the right soldering iron and tip - these are all =
important parts of getting the kit built and operating and are best done =
before taking on the K2.  I spent a couple of weeks just settling in on =
the right tip - the Weller ETR - after experimenting with the ETA, ETJ, =
and ETB.  Even that was an accomplishment, as there are disagreements as =
to which is the best soldering tip and in the end you have to make =
something of a "personal style" decision about how you work on a PCB.  =
You're better off figuring that stuff out before you take on a K2, IMHO.

The K2 has absolutely put some self-respect back into a ham's shack.  =
Having a piece of gear that performs that well, that you assembled and =
aligned yourself, is definitely the way to go.

Mike - W1MU