[Elecraft] More Audio OUTPUT please

[N2EY@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/12/02 4:55:35 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
aturner13@triad.rr.com writes:

> The one thing that has stood out is that the K2
>  must have an antenna that is pretty well tuned either by design or tuner to
>  get the max audio from it. I don't have a lot of elaborate equipment 
either.
>  This may sound nutty to the guys that really know receivers,

It's not nutty at all. It simply means that the K2's input circuitry needs to 
be well matched to the antenna in order for it to work properly. In the bad 
old days, most receivers had an "antenna trimmer" to compensate for 
mismatched antennas. 

My K2 (#2084, with KAF2 and KAT2, and no mods) has plenty of audio - the 
sidetone can be turned up to painful levels, and so can loud signals. Amazing 
how much sound can come from that little speaker! But under some conditions 
the overall gain (not sensitivity) seems to be a bit marginal, particularly 
on the higher bands. On Field Day I had the chance to do a direct 
side-by-side comparison with another K2, and the other K2 had somewhat more 
overall gain. 

Normal operating conditions for me are AF all the way up, AGC off, RF used 
for volume control. Preamp is usually on. RF gain sometimes has to be run all 
the way up to hear antenna noise on the upper bands. I normally use the 
speaker.

When I get the proverbial circular tuit, I plan to do a complete realignment, 
including some serious tests of L34 and its adjustment. 

73 de Jim, N2EY