[Elecraft] Contesting with a K2

Tue Sep 9 07:42:00 2003

The K2 still has too-sharp keying, which will not be a bother
operating QRP. But if it drives QRO, it has key clicks comparable to
an unmodified FT1000MP, which a lot of people are applying mods to
clean it up.

The typical spacing in a well-attended CW contest is one station every
500 Hz. That means that up 300 Hz and down 300 Hz belongs to one's
neighbor, And clicks loud enough to be seen easily on a spectrogram
should cease at +/- 250 Hz. Instead, if the transmitted signal is 20
or 30 over S9, key clicks up 250-750 Hz (next station's band-pass) can
be S9, covering up a QRP station (another K2?) up 500 Hz. Needs to be
fixed.

At last notice from the dynamic duo, this was being looked into. But
have had no new communication for a while. Perhaps since the micro-rig
is now released, some of these other issues can catch some time. Some
number of us would be happy to attempt some suggested changes, but
need a little guidance.

Currently using the K2 receiver only in contests.

Wayne?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hank Kohl K8DD" <[email protected]>
To: "Elecraft Reflector" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 08, 2003 5:57 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Contesting with a K2

> At 9/8/2003 02:05 PM -0700, Lee Buller wrote:
> >The conclusion was that the IC756PROII produces more highs in the
> >headphones and has more of a tinny sound to it.  .....  The k2 was
much
> >more pleasant to operate as you have CW pounding into your ears.  I
did
> >not feel I needed a bandpass tunner, the filters work superbly.  I
rarely
> >use the BPT on any of the rigs I've owned maining because I have
trained
> >myself to have one in my brain.
> >
> >I use a 400 Hz bandpass and use the RIT quite a bit
> >
> >The K2 is awesome for contesting.  It is my rig of choice, but
since I
> >contest with a bunch of other guys, they do not see it that way and
think
> >it is a toy.
>
> I have to agree with this .... Several times I have set up my K2/100
(700Hz
> for CQing and 400Hz, occasionally 200Hz, for S&P) and IC-746 (with a
pair
> of 400Hz IRI filters) in a "manual switching" SO2R and always find
myself
> ending up using the K2/100 because it just sounds better and is more
> pleasant to listen to than the 746 .... On CW.
>
> A lot of the large station owners are beginning to see that the K2
is not a
> toy .... it's been a long slow, and painful change!   "How can those
little
> toy K2's be better than a roomful of 1000D's and MP's?"
>
> K2/100 #850 made well over 1100 Q's from V47DD, St Kitts Island, in
> February - most of it was contest like pileups and performed great -
enough
> so that the other ham that we travel with bought a K2/100 with a
bunch of
> options at Dayton this year!
>
> >
> >On SSB, the rig again holds its own...and...again...the audio is a
lot
> >sweeter than any of the rigs I have mentioned.
>
> Either I can't adjust filters on SSB or something, but I don't like
the way
> it sounds on SSB .... or maybe I just don't like SSB!
>
> 73    Hank    K8DD
>
>
> */
> */     Hank Kohl  K8DD      [email protected]
> */
>
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