[Elecraft] Audio Volume

[Jim Brown]

On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:54:22 -0700 (PDT), Jim Harris wrote:

>As has been mentioned by other on this forum
>previously my K2 also seems to be in need of a boost
>in overall audio volume.

As an audio professional and long time ham, I would do three 
things. 

1) Look carefully through the audio chain and the AGC to make sure 
there isn't some problem that is causing low audio gain. My two 
K2's have plenty of gain, but the one that I bought six months ago 
came with a couple of solder bridges that screwed up the audio. 
One problem was on the control board, the other on the DSP board. 

2) The setup menu for the KDSP2 includes settings for audio gain 
with and without the DSP engaged. I generally set both for a few 
dB of gain. 

3) The K2 loudspeaker is a pretty efficient one, and I doubt that 
you will easily find one that is more efficient. I've picked up 
some little "cube" loudspeakers at hamfests that improve other 
radios, but it does not improve the K2. In general, small 
loudspeakers have poor efficiency. If you want more level, look 
for a much larger loudspeaker, and try to choose a 4 ohm 
loudspeaker designed for sound reinforcement use. Hi-fi 
loudspeakers are generally poor choices -- they compromise 
efficiency for sound quality. 

FWIW, I generally prefer to do my serious operating with 
headphones, and every set of cans I've ever tried give me plenty 
of level with the K2.

Jim Brown  K9YC