[Elecraft] K2 #6390--What a great experience!

[Dave Andrus]

I wasn't going to chime in with my $.04 (now equivalent to 2 pence),  
but I want to keep the mojo meter tipping in the positive direction  
after seeing a few negative comments about the K2 kit-building  
experience lately.

I finished building a bare-bones K2 #6390 a couple of weeks ago, and  
just this week got around to putting the battery, SSB and I/O boards  
into it (yes, I had to desolder a capacitor and a couple of jumpers to  
add these options, but no big deal).  Although it's been operational  
for several weeks now, I had used it in receive mode only due to work  
and travel constraints.

I have to say that I'm really enjoying the self-contained battery.   
It's a very, um, holistic experience...being able to just pick up the  
rig, move it around, connect any antenna, and it immediately plays.  I  
even listened to a few signals on a test lead stuck into the coax  
connector one evening.  I'll add more to that "any antenna" part as  
soon as I get time to add the KAT2 inside.

My first SSB QSO from my San Francisco area QTH was just 15 minutes  
before Thursday's Elecraft net on 40 meters, when I tail-ended a QSO  
that Rick, KE7QXW (Oregon), was just finishing.  I first called him on  
my 100 watt FT-847, and then asked him to listen for my little 10 watt  
K2 signal.  He was very patient, giving me some audio to tune to after  
I suddenly realized that I hadn't first netted the K2 onto the same  
frequency.

When I called him on the K2, he said, "Dave, your K2 sounds just as  
loud and readable as your 100 watt rig!  Oh, and the audio sounds  
beautiful!  Don't change a thing!"  Just to add icing on the cake,  
Scott, KQ7DX chimed in from Phoenix to say that I was getting into his  
area quite well, and also complimented the great audio.

That was a singular moment!  That type of moment only comes after  
spending many hours building something with your own hands, and  
finally seeing it come to life!

To finish the story, I spent some time having dinner with my family,  
then came back up to the shack for a moment and heard Roger, WA7BOC  
running the net at about 0235 UTC.  I thought, "What the heck, might  
as well try three-for-three.  I gave him a quick call on the K2 when  
he asked for more check-ins.  Whattayaknow, he immediately responded  
to my first call!

So, with the sunspot cycle being at an ebb, and with the bands being  
as flat and uninteresting as they've ever been in the 21st century,  
I'm making QRP+3dB, battery-powered contacts on 40 meters for a radius  
of about 1,000 miles, and just being thrilled like a new ham!

Oh, and I should mention that all I'm using for an antenna is the  
equivalent of a mobile whip--a completely unmodified PAC-12 vertical  
stuck in my back lawn.  So no big antenna here, and no mountaintop  
location to add to my system gain!  What a hoot...

I was very, very pleased with the manuals and directions, combined  
with great comments here on the reflector and in the archives--so many  
of you are also to be complimented as participants in my building  
experience!

My one emailed question to tech support was answered quickly and  
accurately.  Replacement parts were offered without hesitation or  
extra charge.  What's not to like?  I'm very impressed with the  
Elecraft experience!

The rig operates flawlessly, with great sensitivity and selectivity,  
and even seems to have a lower noise floor than three other HF rigs in  
my shack.  What's not to like?

By the way, even though I'm a professional RF engineer, I purposely  
did not use any sophisticated test gear   on this rig.  I did not even  
turn on my oscilloscope or RF generator.  I used a $69 digital  
multimeter, or the built-in probes.  Oh wait, I did use a $100  
frequency counter to net the K2 on frequency, but I could have just as  
well used another receiver or WWV.

In conclusion, I apologize profusely if this email just sounds way too  
bright and cheery, and I know I've used up my entire allotment of  
exclamation points for 2008, but I'm really having a great time with  
this rig, and I wanted to share my enthusiasm and appreciation with  
the group here, and with the Elecraft folks for their great design and  
support!

73,

Dave K7DAA
http://www.k7daa.com