[Elecraft] troubles with kits

[W3FPR - Don Wilhelm]

Herb,

Please don't be discouraged with the reports of problems you see here on the 
Elecraft reflector.  It is a place where builders can ask questions and help 
them resolve difficulties when they arise.  These are exceptions rather than 
the norm.  Those of us who have been around the reflector for a long time 
and have a lot of experience with Elecraft kits are here to help (and that 
includes the Elecraft designers too).  I was one of the original 100 Field 
Testers for the first K2 kits, and much of that work was done to make the 
instruction manual the best it could be.

There are really only two abilities you must possess to build an Elecraft 
kit --
1).  You must be able to produce a decent solder joint.  There are soldering 
tutorials available if you need some help with soldering.
2).  You must be able to follow written instructions carefully.  Again, this 
reflector can help if you find something you feel you don't understand.

You will find the Elecraft instruction manuals well written and easy to 
follow.

Most kit builders develop a great deal of pride in the finished 
transceiver - and you can too.  This reflector IS here to help you 
accomplish it, and the folks at Elecraft Support (Gary and Scott) are also 
available.  It is difficult to fail with an Elecraft kit.

If you feel you need some practice soldering, consider building a couple of 
the Elecraft mini-kits first - the dummy load is a good one because you will 
need a good dummy load in your station anyway, the NG-1 wideband noise 
generator is a useful tool for setting up the filter alignment on the K2 
(but alternatives are available), and you may find the balun useful if you 
will be feeding antennas with parallel transmission line.

73,
Don W3FPR

----- Original Message ----- 

I am Herb Winn a new ham (kc8ylj). I was going to try to build a kit for my 
first
rig but am not sure now. I found the elecraft web and have noticed that all 
that
is posted is troubles with kits. Is this common ? if so i'm not going to try 
a kit.
Thanks    73     Herb