[Elecraft] New Ham & First Time Builder

[John J. McDonough]

Dan

Several folks have suggested that a first time builder could undertake a K2,
and I don't want to suggest it's not possible, but I wouldn't do it.

The main reason is cost.  Without the confidence of having several kits
under your belt, it will be hard to enjoy building something as expensive as
a K2.  Even the K1 may be pushing that envelope, depending, of course, on
just how much a few hundred dollars means to you, personally.

Keep in mind that you will be exploring new territory.  There will be places
where you will have some doubts as to what the instructions mean.  If the
investment is "large" to you, whatever that means, every place you encounter
a little uncertainty will be pretty stressful.  Depending on your
personality, you may feel a certain amount of pressure to get it done.
Without experience, you have no way of really knowing what to expect.

I built a K1 in a weekend.  A friend of mine, at about the same time, built
a K1 with fewer options in about 3 weeks.  He is a much more skillful
builder than I am.  But we have very different personalities.  We both
thoroughly enjoyed the building experience, but it was very different.
Without experience, you won't know whether you should be taking a week or a
month, and any impatience on your part will not only ruin the experience for
you, but it will likely pressure you into mistakes.

Now, maybe you are a very methodical, patient person.  Maybe spending the
better part of a grand isn't a big deal to you.  Well, if that's the case, I
would say go for it.

As has been pointed out before, the Elecraft kits are wonderfully
documented, and there is no reason anyone, with enough care and patience,
couldn't build one.

But you are you.  Can you methodically go through a thousand or so steps
without pressuring yourself to hurry up?  Is the size of the investment
small enough to you that you can enjoy the process even though you will have
a lot more uncertainty than an experienced builder?  Do you have a place
where you can work in reasonable solitude for a few hours, then leave your
work undisturbed until tomorrow, and perhaps carry this on for a number of
weeks?

These are probably more important questions than how many solder joints you
have under your belt.

72/73 de WB8RCR    http://www.qsl.net/wb8rcr
didileydadidah     QRP-L #1446 Code Warriors #35

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Lesley" <reblcwby@metc.net>
Subject: [Elecraft] New Ham & First Time Builder


Hello All!
    I am very new to ham, in fact, I haven't even gotten my ticket yet. Even
with that being the case, I've already been investigating the toys I wish to
buy. I really like everything I have read about the K2, but I have read many
different opinions as far as who should undertake such a project. I'd like
to hear some opinions from people who have done this, and after giving you
some knowledge of my background.