[Elecraft] K6SE Sprint Summary for Team Elecraft

[Charles Greene]

James and All,

While your concern for the xtal mods is well taken although I highly doubt 
that the mod causes "ringing," it is a worthwhile mod.  If you screw up a 
xtal or so, buy a new set.  I personally haven't heard of anyone trying the 
mod screwing up a XTAL, and the filter does benefit from it.  The reason 
the K2 had the best close in IMD dymanmic Range and Blocking range ever 
measured by the ARRL Lab is that it is the only amateur rig I'm aware of 
prior to the Ten Tec Orion to use their narrow xtal filters as the roofing 
filters (the filter following the first mixer).  Filters with the mod do 
even better.  Most ham rigs use a 15 kHz roofing filter as they have a FM 
mode and need it, or the designers follow the lead of designers of FM mode 
rigs and continue to use 15 kHz roofing filters, or else they haven't 
figured out how to do it yet, or worse, don't care.  Being a single 
conversion superhet helps the K2 reduce the number of birdies and may 
improve the IMD also.  There's a lot of design inovation in the K2, and 
Eric and Wayne deserve a lot of credit for that.  I personally keep my K2 
as a QRP rig.  You can't beat it, and for a 100 watt rig that doesn't drift 
as much, doesn't shift frequency between receive and transmit, has a notch 
filter and DSP, there are others.  The Elecraft company desrves to make a 
profit and if they had to stop their production run to keep up with all the 
modes, they would shortly go out of business.  Maybe some day we will see a 
K2A with most of more worthwhile mods incorporated.

So the K2 is a $900 QRP or $1300 100 W SSB rig.  It's better than anything 
in it's price class, and some of its features rival or exceed the most 
expensive rigs.  But it does have its warts.  Let's be realistic.  You 
can't get a Icom 756 ProII, a FT1000D, Kenwood 870, or a Ten Tec Orion for 
$1300.

At 12:02 AM 9/11/2002 -0400, James Hammons wrote:
>    To make a TCXO requires that the crystal be be temperature checked
>and then matched up with the correct compensation circuit.  This kind
>of testing and sorting of cryatals makes them somewhat expensive.
>    I doubt that making the K2 a kit saves any money over the cost of a
>board stuffed by robotics and wave soldered.  But we wanted a kit, we
>wanted to make it ourself.  so what we have is a $900 ssb QRP or a
>$1300 dollar 100 watt rig.  In some respects is comparable or better
>than the $2000-$3000 rigs.  Drift is one of the areas where it is not
>as good as a TCXO equiped rig. There is a mod by KI6WX which seems to
>very sensible but involves much cut and try, I have had my K2 together
>for only a month or so, I have not done this mod yet but I plan to do
>so.  I can't seem to find N750 caps anymore.
>    I feel the criticism of the crystal filters for not rejecting
>nearby signals is bogus.  The K2 had the best Close in IMD dymanmic
>Range and Blocking range ever measured by the ARRL Lab.  That is where
>it beats the big boys.  To my ears, I hear the effect of the filter
>slope, on the narrow passbands, any more slope would likely cause
>ringing.
>    I would not solder to any crystal can at the base.  If you cause a
>leak in the crystal cans feedthroughs your crystal will die, most
>likely getting worse over a long period of time.  I can't believe this
>mod would do anything at 5mhz. I soldered mine near the top on the
>side because I thought it looked better and would cause no problem
>with the add on boards.  I did this before I heard of the solder on
>the bottom mod.
>    Cutting traces and making mods on the board is not unusual.  Or it
>wasn't unusual before surface mount which is near impossible to modify
>or repair.
>    Just because there is a mod doesn't mean that is useful for
>everyone or that it even works.  You have to use your judgement there.
>You can be pretty sure one approved by elecraft is useful and it
>works.
>    I don't know how many Heathkits and others, I have put together.  I
>even put together the kit version of the Zenith PC. I don't remember
>any extensive kit which didn't have some part missing or bad.  Could
>you kit hundreds of parts and get everthing exactly right.  Mine was
>missing a part a big one, but they sent it out right away.  They
>answered my one question the same day.  I think Elecraft deserves a
>pat on the back
>
>James E Hammons


73, Chas, W1CG
K2 #462