[Elecraft] Newbie K2 questions

[Tom Althoff]

#1117 arrived in the mail today!   I am AMAZED at what is coming out of this little box.   I was listening to weak EU's on 40CW at 1900Z and flipping back and forth between my Orion and the K2.   Not a lot of difference.   It will be interesting to test tonight in the pileups to see how well the 100Hz filter works in both rigs.

Question #1:
Is there a way to change the shaft encoder rate?   Not the rate button rate but the actual # of pulses per revolution in the hardware or firmware?  I'd like to get about 2.5Khz per rev.  Right now I can choose between 1.0Khz and 5.0Khz.

Question #2 for K2/100 owners:
How much output can you get with the K2 running 5 watts into the K2/100?   I'm considering the 5W at full scale mod for the K2 but might like to swap out the cover with the battery pack and auto-tuner for the 100W module to drive my amp.   If I could get 20-30W out of the K2-100 with the K2 running 5W that would be great.

Question #3:
I have the AtoB, matched crystals, keyclick mod, KAF2  etc etc on their way.   I'm open to suggestions.   Should I dig in and install the mods right away?  Or should I relax and enjoy the radio for a while and get "used" to it first?   If I get used to it, will the matched crystals, KAF2 and other mods be a dramatic improvement compared to the basic #1112 which only has the NB/SSB/Auto-Tuner options in it.

Question 4:
When running on a fully charged internal battery can you get the same ammount of power out as you do on a fixed external supply?   Just curious.

Oh... The stock knob is gone.   The previous owner had a nice ridged knob with a spinner grip installed on the rig.   But I had an old knob from an Ampex VPR-3 1" broadcast videotape machine whose diameter just meets with the bottom edge of the K2 and only slightly covers the lables for the ATT and A VFO.   It is heavily weighted and the knurled edge is thicker than an ordinary knob, even deeper than the ones on the Orion, plus it's tapered which is unusual and feels great for rolling your fingers around the outside edge as you tune.   Will take a pic of it if anyone is interested.

This is a great list!   Many people answered my probe pic questions and I have a pair of color photos of the actual probes.   Thanks to all who replied directly.

73 de one happy K2 camper!   BTW...When my wife saw me take the K2 out of the box she remarked "What a cute little pooter!" a phrase she normally reserves for newborn infants and puppies. 8-)

Tom K2TA